Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp: Our full report
Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp is a classic tented mobile camp for up to 14 guests.
The camp changes location several times a year, broadly following the wildebeest migration around Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, when hundreds of thousands of animals move through the ecosystem.While the pattern of the migration varies from year to year, it runs from south to north, roughly between December and October. In line with this, Nomad Serengeti spends the start of the season, from around December to April, in the southern plains area and around Lake Ndutu, where the wildebeest herds spread out widely to graze and calve on the open plains. In May it usually moves to the Moru area of the central Serengeti, continuing north in June and July, when it's normally based in the Western Corridor and Grumeti area. And from July to October, the camp is based in its northernmost point, in the northern Kogatende area. During November, it moves back to the Moru area, on its way to the south. For more on the migration's movements, see our moving map of the Serengeti migration here.
While Nomad Serengeti isn't luxurious, it does have a veteran, colonial safari style and the furnishings are good quality. However, as it moves frequently, it has remained quite simple. For example, the showers are bucket showers with hot water delivered when requested, and the flush toilets are chemical loos.
One main public tent at Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp combines the lounge and dining area or mess. This tent is completely open at the front to make the most of the views, and the floors are covered with large woven rugs.
In the lounge – a comfortable and relaxing place to while away a few hours – a couple of inviting sofas and canvas chairs are clustered around large wicker crates for tables. The soft furnishings, themed by a washed-out red-and-cream stripe pattern, help to create the low-key but stylish feel typical of Nomad camps. Wooden side tables and solar-powered electric lights disguised as storm lanterns enhance the overall colonial style. At one end is a bookshelf with a coffee table, wildlife books and a few board games. There is also a battery-charging station for guests' cameras, phones and other gadgets.
The dining area is a similar size to the lounge, and is mostly taken up by a table set for communal meals. Guests are free to help themselves at any time to drinks from the informal bar and coolbox fridge, although there is usually a member of staff to assist.
Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp has seven spacious guest tents, two of which are set up as a family unit. The tents are spaced a good distance apart and are cleverly staggered to increase privacy. Depending on the location of the camp, the access path runs in front or behind the tents.
Each tent has twin or double beds housed in a distressed iron bed-frame complemented by a patterned hanging wall awning on the partition wall, a leather-topped writing desk and side tables, a canvas rack for your luggage and antique-style iron and canvas lamps for the solar lighting. On our last visit, in June 2023, we thought that the use of natural materials and sun-bleached colours worked really well, and to stylish effect. For storing valuables, each tent is provided a lockable canvas pouch and is given to the camp manager.
Behind the bedrooms, and continuing the natural style, is a changing area/bathroom. There’s plenty of room here for towel racks and hanging clothes along with a stainless-steel washbasin set into a whitewashed wooden table. The cold tap is plumbed, and you'll find a Thermos of hot washing water, which is replenished regularly. Behind this is a flushing eco-toilet and a safari shower, with hot water brought on request to fill the overhead reservoir.
The family tent is made up of two standard tents interconnected with a communal lounge area with a sofa and vintage traveling trunk as a coffee table. Each room has its own ensuite bathroom.
As in the lounge and mess, lighting in the guest tents is powered by solar-charged batteries. Each tent is also equipped with a torch, and an emergency airhorn, in the unlikely event you need to get the attention of a member of staff during the night.
The service at Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp is very good: polite, friendly and well managed. During your stay you’ll be hosted along your personal guide along with the friendly in-camp team, who will do their best to ensure that you are well looked after.
Activities based out of this Serengeti camp focus entirely on game drives. You can head out both in the morning and then again in the afternoon, or opt for a full-day drive, taking a packed lunch with you. Early starts of 6.00–6.30am are recommended so that you are out when the big cats are most active, but timings are always flexible.
As far as the migration is concerned, it’s important to be aware that while Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp attempts to follow the Serengeti's wildebeest herds, sites have to be booked with the TANAPA park authorities many months in advance. The camp's owners, Nomad, do their best to estimate where the migration will be but wildebeest movements are very unpredictable and although on our last visit in November 2017 during our stay of a couple of days, the camp was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra in every direction, we were extremely lucky. Our stay before this in December 2016, the herds were scattered across the Serengeti due to the lack of rains and be prepared there can sometimes be some distance between the camp and the main concentration of herds.
Our view
Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp is a traditional bushcamp, with relatively luxurious comforts and high standards of food and service. There is a lovely balance here between immersing yourself in the wilderness, feeling truly part of the bush, and enjoying a level of luxury that is normally the preserve of a much more upmarket camp. If you want an authentic experience of bush living, while also getting close to the migration action, this would be a great choice.
Tanzania expert
Geographics
- Location
- Serengeti Migration Area, Tanzania
- Ideal length of stay
- Three to four nights allows at least two full days for game drives to watch the migration and other wildlife.
- Directions
- Access to Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp varies, depending on where the camp is located in the Serengeti. You will usually fly to the nearest airstrip, where you'll be met on arrival by your guide and transferred through the park to camp.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board & Activities
- Food quality
- When we last stayed, in June 2023, we enjoyed the food at Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp very much, and thought that the group dining worked very well indeed; if we weren't eating a picnic out in the bush, we were in camp and eating with other guests. The camp offered a variety of international-style dishes, using fresh vegetables and lots of herbs and spices. Most dietary requirements can be catered for with advance notice.
If you have an early start you can take a packed breakfast out on safari with you. This is usually eaten at a quiet picnic site somewhere in the bush and consists of granola and yoghurt, pancakes, and bacon-and-egg sandwiches. There is also hot tea and coffee, as well as fruit juice. If you stay in camp you’ll usually be offered a buffet of cereal and fruit, as well as a full cooked breakfast.
Lunch can also be taken as a packed meal, or eaten at camp. In both cases you can usually expect fresh salad and tomatoes, as well as other light lunch options such as vegetables fritters, couscous, fishcakes, rice salad or cold meats. Dessert is usually something light and fresh like a fruit salad. Lunches may on occasion be communal, but more usually each party will eat separately.
Before dinner, guests usually gather for a drink around the campfire and swap the day's stories before sitting down to a sociable meal. We tucked into a starter of chicken with fresh mango and cucumber on one night, followed by roast pork chops, sweet potato chips and vegetables. Our second night there was homemade courgette soup, with a main of Moroccan-style chicken. Desserts included chocolate and orange mousse and baked pear. - Dining style
- Group Meals
- Dining locations
- Indoor and Outdoor Dining
- Further dining info, including room service
- The camp will organise private meals outside your tent on request.
- Drinks included
- Most drinks, with the exception of champagne and premium imported wines and spirits, are included.
Drinking water is bottled and transported in from Arusha.
Special interests
- Wildlife safaris
- Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp is a mobile camp that moves several times a year to follow Tanzania’s wildebeest migration. Though the movements of the migration can be unpredictable, the camp tries hard to predict where the main herds will be.
- See ideas for Wildlife safaris in Tanzania
Children
- Attitude towards children
- Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp enjoys hosting families, and welcomes children over the age of 6.
- Property’s age restrictions
- No children are accepted under the age of 6.
- Special activities & services
- Often the camp staff may be happy to organize and get involved in activities such as football games to occupy children when given some notice.
- Equipment
- No
- Generally recommended for children
- This is quite a wild camp, with dangerous wildlife potentially wandering through, and is best suited to older and more mature children with a genuine interest in wildlife.
- Notes
- Children are the responsibility of their parents at all times and should not be left unattended whilst in the camp.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Nomad Serengeti Camp
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
93% success
93% success
93% success
92% success
83% success
77% success
38% success
36% success
27% success
22% success
17% success
9% success
0% success
0% success
Communications
- Power supply notes
- A battery inverter, powered by the generator.
- Communications
- There is intermittent cellphone reception in the Serengeti and sometimes there is reception in camp, depending on the location. There is WiFi in the main area, and may be picked up by the rooms closest to the main mess tent. Each room has a Motorola hand held radio.
- TV & radio
- None.
- Water supply
- Other
- Water supply notes
- Water is drawn from a borehole or piped from rivers. There are bucket showers and low-water-usage composting toilets.
Health & safety
- Malarial protection recommended
- Yes
- Medical care
- Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp has first-aid kits on site and in the vehicles, and some staff have first-aid training. In case of a serious medical problem, the camp has links to flying doctors.
- Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- This camp is not fenced and wildlife often comes into camp. Because of this you will be escorted around the camp at night.
- Fire safety
- There are fire extinguishers in the tents and a fire break around the camp.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Hot air ballooning
Extras
- Disabled access
- On Request
- Laundry facilities
- Laundry is included. Clothes are hand-washed by the housekeeping team and line-dried. For cultural reasons, the team will not wash ladies' underwear. Washing powder is provided in the tents.
- Money
- Nomad cannot offer any currency exchange.
- Accepted payment on location
- You can settle any extra payments in cash in US dollars or Tanzanian shillings. The camp can accept card payments; Mastercard, Vida and Amex with a 3% surcharge.
Other lodges in Serengeti Migration Area
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Olakira Camp
Comfortable, friendly and relaxed, Olakira Camp moves between the Mara River and the southern Ndutu area, in line with the wildebeest migration.
Sayari Camp
In the northern Serengeti, near the Mara River, luxurious Sayari Camp offers excellent wildife all year – boosted further by the wildebeest migration.
Dunia Camp
Dunia Camp is well located for the migration from December to March, and has excellent game viewing for the rest of the year.
Namiri Plains Camp
Namiri Plains is one of the best camps in the Serengeti and its remoteness ensures a fantastic wildlife experience away from the crowds.
Lamai Serengeti
Set high in the kopjes with fantastic views, Lamai Serengeti offers top service and guiding and good migration sightings from Jul-Oct.
Ubuntu Camp
Ubuntu Camp has several locations in the Serengeti, following the wildebeest migration, so it is often in a great location to see the herds.
Kati Kati Camp
Kati Kati is a small, very simple bushcamp, which is well-positioned to explore the wildlife-rich Seronera area.
Ndutu Safari Lodge
Large and economical, but not luxurious, Ndutu Safari Lodge is well located in the southern Serengeti, so book early to get space.
Serian Serengeti
Serian Serengeti is a mobile tented operation run by Alex Walker which moves between two locations following the wildebeest migration.
Klein's Camp
Klein's Camp, in a private area of the northern Serengeti, sets high standards. Activities include walks, nights drives and Maasai village visits.
Serengeti under Canvas
Two of the three Serengeti under Canvas camps move through the Serengeti National Park every few months to follow the wildebeest migration.
Grumeti River Camp
Grumeti River Camp offers a laid-back atmosphere combined with top service, first-rate food, expert guiding and an excellent location.
Lemala Kuria Hills
Lemala Kuria Hills is a luxury permanent camp that is ideally located for wildlife all year around, but especially during the wildebeest migration.
Lemala Ewanjan
Lemala Ewanjan is a comfortable and stylish tented camp in the Seronera area of the central Serengeti National Park.
Lemala Mara-Ndutu
Lemala Mara-Ndutu is a semi-permanent camp that moves between the north and south of the Serengeti to witness the wildebeest migration.
Lemala Nanyukie
Lemala Nanyukie is a stylish camp located in the quieter part of the central Serengeti.
Lobo Wildlife Lodge
The large Lobo Wildlife Lodge has simple, functional rooms in a stunning location. It's a good base for exploring the north-eastern Serengeti.
Kubu Kubu
Kubu Kubu is a contemporary, tented lodge, well located in the central Seronera area of the Serengeti National Park.
Serengeti Walking Mobile
This fairly simple camp offers only walking activities, but it's very well done and combines well with more conventional camps or lodges.
Mbalageti Lodge
Mbalageti is a well-run lodge in a quiet part of the Serengeti's western corridor – an ideal location during the Apr-Jun migration.
Serengeti Serena
The Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge is a large, hotel-style lodge and a good family-friendly base from which to explore the central Serengeti.
Kusini Camp
Kusini Camp is permanent, luxury camp located on a beautiful kopje in a quiet, wildlife-rich corner of the south-west Serengeti.
Migration Camp
Serengeti Migration Camp is a smart tented camp, good for the wildebeest migration from Jul–Aug, or to explore the Lobo Kopjes any time.
Mkombe's House Lamai
Mkombe's House Lamai is a fully staffed private house in the Wogakuria Kopjes district of Serengeti National Park.
Serengeti Sopa Lodge
Serengeti Sopa Lodge is an international-style hotel offering good-value accommodation in the central Serengeti, with lovely views of the plains.
Singita Mara River
Singita Mara River Tented Camp is a luxurious camp in the isolated and rewarding Lamai wedge region of the northern Serengeti.
Olmara Camp
With just eight guest tents, including two family tents and three signature stargazer tents, Olmara is a simple, family-friendly camp with a wonderfully attentive team. The camp captures an authentic bush experience, welcoming travellers of every kind.
Serengeti Green Camp
Serengeti Green Camp is a comfortable camping experience, in your own private safari camp and at the heart of a great wildlife area.
Sasakwa Lodge
On a hill looking over the Serengeti plains, Sasakwa Lodge is grand, luxurious safari camp, one of the most opulent properties in Tanzania.
Faru Faru Lodge
On the north bank of the Grumeti River, Faru Faru is a small, chic hideaway in this exclusive corner of the Serengeti.
Kirurumu Migration Camp
Kirurumu is a rustic tented camp which moves around the Serengeti twice a year to follow the wildebeest migration.
Sabora Tented Camp
Sabora Tented Camp is a smart tented camp – one of the most luxurious, professional and stylish properties to be found in Tanzania.
Four Seasons Serengeti
The Four Seasons Safari Lodge is the only hotel in the Serengeti offering international facilities such as a gym, spa and children’s club.
Nimali Mara
Nimali Mara is a luxurious safari lodge in a quiet region of the northern Serengeti with good access to the wildebeest migration.
Bushtops
Serengeti Bushtops is a permanent luxury camp in the northern Serengeti, with spacious and private tents with their own hot tubs.
Ndutu Kati Kati
Ndutu Kati Kati is a seasonal tented camp, based in the southern Serenget from Dec-Mar, ideal for the migration as it passes through.
Olduvai Camp
Olduvai Camp lies between Ngorongoro and the southern Serengeti plains. It's a good base for the southern plains during the rainy season.
Lake Masek Tented Camp
Ideally located for the wildebeest migration from Dec–Apr, Lake Masek Tented Camp is a good, mid-market safari camp.
Mara Mara
Mara Mara is a smart tented camp in the northern Serengeti, situated on a small hill close to the Mara River.
Esirai Migration Camp
A season migration camp, with only 8 tents and 1 family tent and plenty of character. Esirai is ideally placed for excellent wildlife and enjoys a simplistic and comfortable under-canvas experience.
Mwiba Lodge
Mwiba Lodge is a luxurious property located on a private concession on the edge of the southern Serengeti.
Seronera Wildlife Lodge
Seronera Wildlife Lodge is large hotel-style safari lodge in the heart of the Serengeti, offering good value and a great location.
Mara Kati Kati
Mara Kati Kati is a simple bush camp in the northern Serengeti, based from Jul-Oct near the Mara River for the wildebeest migration.
Nasikia Naona
Naona Camp is a small tented camp, located in the Moru Kopjes, west of the Serengeti central area
Kirawira Camp
Set high on a hill, in the Serengeti's western corridor, Kirawira is a relatively large tented camp in the Serena group.
Nyikani Central
Nyikani Central is a comfortable tented camp located in the game-rich Seronera area of the central Serengeti.
Mbuzi Mawe
Mbuze Mawe is a comfortable tented camp in a convenient, central-north location when driving through the Serengeti.
Laba Migration Camp
A luxury mobile camp that moves between the Western Corridor, Mara River and the southern Ndutu area, in line with the wildebeest migration.
Serengeti Pioneer Camp
Serengeti Pioneer Camp is a luxurious tented camp in the central Serengeti, styled on African explorers' camps of the early 20th century.
Taasa Lodge
Taasa Lodge is a slightly quirky option offering guided walks and night game drives, which are not permitted in Serengeti National Park.
Nimali Serengeti
Opened in July 2017, Nimali Serengeti is a smart, permanent tented camp located in the Seronera area of the central Serengeti.
Nomad Walking Camp
Nomad Expeditionary Walking Camp is a simple camp of up to three tents, plus infrastructure, that changes location to allow guests to do substantial walks between campsites.
