Quiet luxury amid Tanzania’s ‘endless plain’

It’s remarkable how much can be communicated in a single word. Only four syllables, in a language you most likely don’t even speak. But, once uttered, you immediately feel the draw of one of the world’s most magical corners.

Serengeti.

The Serengeti National Park stretches across a vast swathe of northern Tanzania, preserving nearly 15,000km2 of savannah grasslands, woodland and riverine forests. Proclaimed as a national park in 1951 and designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1981, it is undoubtedly one of Africa’s natural wonders. And it seems travellers just can’t get enough

A clutch of new lodges and villas are set to open across the region in 2024, from the exclusive-use villa offering of Singita Milele to the more mid-market appeal of Elewana’s Serengeti Explorer, set high up on the Nyaboro Hills. But when the annual migration reaches the northern Serengeti, it’s hard to beat the charm, authenticity and simple immersion in the landscape of an under-canvas mobile camp.

Legendary Expeditions is one of the most respected names in Tanzanian eco-tourism, with a collection of lodges and mobile camps that stretch from the southern Mwiba concession, forming a vital buffer zone between community lands and national park, to the northern reaches of the Serengeti. And it’s here, in the fabled Lamai Wedge, that you’ll find Nyasi Migrational Camp pitched amid the tawny grassland.

As the name suggests, Nyasi Migrational Camp moves around the Serengeti, following the rains and the herds that thrive on the lush grassland they bring.

From December to March Nyasi is at home in the southern Serengeti, near the Ndutu plains, where abundant grasslands provide the perfect calving grounds for wildebeest. Even without the famous river crossings of the north, there’s no shortage of drama on offer, as hundreds of thousands of wildebeest — along with zebra and Thomson’s gazelle — give birth. The abundance of newborns attracts an army of predators, truly showing nature red in tooth and claw.

As the calves gain strength the herds move north, one eye always on the rainclouds over the horizon. And, Nyasi follows.

From roughly June to October — and sometimes longer — the camp moves to the northern Serengeti, pitched on a scenic hilltop site near the Mara River. This is the Serengeti of your David Attenborough dreams. Grassy plains to the horizon. Flat-topped Balanites aegyptiaca trees at sunset. Wildebeest risking death in the jaws of a croc paddle surge frantically across the Mara River, all in a bid to continue the endless cycle of migration.

I spent four days discovering all of that, and was only too happy to return each evening to the low-key under-canvas luxury of Nyasi. It’s a camp that rests within the landscape, not competing with it for your attention. It’s a camp balancing bush luxury with an eco-sensitive aesthetic. Across the nine tented suites, the décor is simple yet cosseting, taking its cue from the grasslands beyond. You may be in a far corner of a remote wilderness, but the comfortable double beds, private sun loungers, en suite bathroom and abundant hot water in the showers were welcome luxuries.

Legendary Expeditions also prides itself on giving guests privacy and space. Each booking, whether you’re a couple or a multigenerational group, is allocated a private guide and vehicle, meaning you can set the pace for your game activities each day. Likewise, back at camp, private dining areas are allocated to each group, allowing you to dine, drink and reconnect in privacy. It’s a wonderful way to make the safari experience more intimate and exclusive for guests.

Exclusivity is just one more reason to pick the Lamai; a truly remarkable corner of the Serengeti. Sandwiched between the park’s western boundary, the border with Kenya, and the Mara River, it is a relatively untrafficked corner of the park. Home to just a handful of lodges and camps, it’s a space where you’ll rarely find the traffic jams so common around Kogatende to the south of the river. A place where you are likely to have the plains to yourself come sunset and share a front-row seat to the famed Mara River crossing with just a sprinkling of other vehicles.

Because, it’s an issue as overtourism creeps even into the Serengeti. On my last morning in Lamai we turned a transfer to the airstrip into a game drive and set off early hoping to view another crossing of the river. We lucked out, with a herd of about 10,000 wildebeest surging down the sandy cliffs to thrash their way across the Mara. The crocs, too, were lying in wait. It was a remarkable spectacle, but what was equally eye-catching was the far bank of the Mara River, where 32 safari vehicles revved and jostled for position. At times they spooked the herd, at times they clashed with each other. It was far from a wild experience.

I was happy to leave them to it, heading north into the wide plains that are a signature of the Lamai Wedge. Here wildebeest herds filled the horizon, galloping through the grassland seeking fresh grass from the recent rainstorms. Serengeti, it turns out, is derived from the Maasai word “Siringit”. And as my Cessna lifted off to turn south, I found that word rolling around in my had, as I gazed down at the “endless plain” below.