Edwardian-style safari lodge with infinity views and wildlife conservation
Grumeti Reserves, 254M+VXM, Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania Get directions
"A lavish safari lodge in the Serengeti that delivers personalized game drives and awe-inspiring wildlife encounters, with expansive verandah views and upscale accommodations ideal for extending an adventure with a high-end safari experience." - Angela Adto Tepper
"Built in the style of an Edwardian stone manor house, overlooking the Serengeti, this safari lodge has had gold standards since it opened in 2007. Its elegant, antique-clad interiors ooze romance, adorned with crystal chandeliers and wingback chairs, Persian rugs and African artefacts by the acclaimed Cape Town designers Cécile & Boyd. From the clifftop infinity pool, there are views for hundreds of miles over the 350,000-acre Grumeti Reserve and neighboring Serengeti, land on which wildlife migrates to Kenya’s Masai Mara. Between the lodge’s wraparound verandas and plunge pools, birds flit, filling the dawn air with song. There are terraces and tree-shaded tables for long Mediterranean-style lunches; cosy sitting rooms in which to sip fine wines by a fire, and candlelit baths to wallow in beneath shooting stars. And, of course, there’s wildlife. Since Luke Bailes launched Singita in 1993 on his South African family farm, its mission has been to preserve Africa’s wilderness while enriching communities. In Tanzania, in part thanks to the deep pockets of the Grumeti Fund started by American philanthropist Paul Tudor Jones, Grumeti is home to creatures from big cats to tiny gem-colored birds that can be viewed from well-fitted vehicles, hot-air balloons or on foot with expert guides. As there are only five camps on the reserve (a sixth is due in 2024), safari experiences feel private, but there’s also a tennis court, pool, spa and boutique. This is a place you never want to leave, and to which many return, year after year. From $4,861. —Lisa Grainger" - CNT Editors
"Where is it? Sasakwa Lodge, with its infinity views over the Serengeti, has become the diamond in Singita's tiara, gazing out over what appear to be shinier, more abundant animals and plains than can be found anywhere else in the ecosystem. Singita isn't one lodge, but a collection of camps all within one vast private reserve contiguous with the Serengeti. This means you get the migration. What’s the vibe? The flagship (with roaring stone lions at the entrance to remind you) is Sasakwa Lodge, which has possibly the best viewing point in East Africa: up on a plateau, with the plains reaching out for miles. For some, Sasakwa's opulence—the crystal, leather, and grand bathtubs—may be a step too luxe; this is where you stay if you're the sort never to order a house wine. You could stay here and see the Big Five without ever getting up from your armchair. Great for (money no object) mixed-gen family groups. For a more easygoing vibe, look to Singita Faru Faru Lodge: contemporary mint-on-white, almost like Lamu-in-the-bush, but not hard-edged. The kind of place where you do a game drive in the morning, and laze around the pool all afternoon watching the wildlife with a glass of rosé in hand. Great for couples and young honeymooners. Singita Sabora, meanwhile, is made up of 1920s-style tents on Tanzania’s Sabora Plain, surrounded by campaign furniture, Persian rugs, gramophones, a hundred candles, and zebras snorting under a star-pricked sky. About that safari... Throughout the operation, guiding is first class—and Tanzanian. It's testimony to the investment in training the South African management company, Singita, has put into the Grumeti project over the last few years. Anything else? I love the community projects here: impactful, for sure, and presented to outsiders in a candid way. Wildlife conservation is also a flagship success story for East Africa. When the current owners took on Grumeti, they assumed a patch of ground decimated by hunting and poaching; now, they're doing rhino reintroductions. It's kind of amazing to see how quickly nature can recover, given space to breathe. In summary? This place demands respect. The investment (private American owner) far outweighs the normal bottom-line logic (no cut corners here), making it feel like a passion project from people who really want to leave a legacy and make the wild places count. That makes it an inspiring place to stay—and you feel that optimism running through the place, in the way staff behave, animals thrive, and guests dig into their pockets when they leave." - Sophy Roberts
"An elegant safari lodge in Tanzania's Serengeti, styled like an Edwardian manor with stunning views and a strong commitment to wildlife preservation."
"Pick from Sasakwa, the Edwardian-style manor house."
Amosi Ally
Shabani Athuman
