Sisini Mara

Above the Mara in Kogatende

Sisini Mara sits at Solobea in the Kogatende area, on the south side of the Mara River and roughly 40 minutes from the Kogatende airstrip. The camp occupies a hillside position with long views over the plains, which is what gives the pool and the restaurant their panoramas and what makes it such a productive spot for watching game without leaving camp.

• The Crossing Zone:
• The Kogatende stretch of the Mara holds the majority of the well-known crossing points on the Tanzanian side. From camp your guide can reach the river quickly when the herds build up, and return for lunch if the wildebeest are taking their time.
• A Hub for the Whole North:
• The Lamai Triangle is directly across the river, the Wogakuria kopjes and plains are to the south, and Bologonja Springs is an easy half-day excursion to the east.
• Fewer Vehicles:
• Roughly 30 miles of the Mara River lie inside the Serengeti. The Kenyan side of the border often sees heavy traffic, while the Tanzanian bank remains comparatively quiet.
• Fly In or Drive In:
• Most guests fly into Kogatende on a scheduled charter. Driving in from the Central Serengeti via Lobo Valley is a full and rewarding game drive in its own right.

Because the camp is unfenced and set on open national park ground, wildlife treats it as part of the landscape. Elephants grazing beside the suites on arrival and departure are a regular report, and lions are often heard after dark.

The Dry Season North

Sisini Mara sits in the middle of the Serengeti’s most dramatic dry season game viewing, with four distinct regions within easy reach and a fifth on the drive in or out.

The Mara River:

From July through November the migration’s most dangerous moment plays out here, as hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra gather on the banks and eventually plunge across in a churning mass. Nile crocodiles, the largest in the world, lie in wait and feed only once or twice a year during these crossings. A mile or so east of Kogatende the river forms an oxbow where pods of 50 or more hippos huddle together. Lion and leopard are common along the river but tend to be more secretive here than in the central Serengeti. The Mara is also one of the few places in the park where walking is permitted under the protection of an armed ranger, so you can step onto the sandbanks to photograph the hippos at eye level.

The Lamai Triangle:

Just across the river lies a 300-square-mile wedge of rolling red oat grassland between the Mara and the Kenyan border. Research by the Serengeti Research Institute suggests only 15 to 35 percent of the wildebeest actually cross into Kenya in the dry season; the rest spend those months here, which means Masai Mara scale game viewing without the Masai Mara crowds. Lamai is arguably the best place in East Africa to see the giant eland, a 2,000-pound antelope that can still clear a 10-foot fence from a standstill, alongside resident ostrich, topi, buffalo, elephant, and giraffe. The lions and cheetahs are well fed and relaxed after months of following the herds.

Wogakuria:

South of camp the acacia woodland gives way to broad-leafed Terminalia forest and then opens onto rolling plains studded with 300-foot granite kopjes. This is the cheetah stronghold of the north, with open ground to run on and fewer lions and hyenas to compete with. Wogakuria is also home to Tanzania’s only population of the oribi, a 30-pound dwarf antelope recorded here in the highest density in Africa, and the kopjes are the place to watch klipspringer bounding between boulders. Leopard sightings are consistent, and old bachelor buffalo bulls favor the area.

Bologonja Springs:

To the east, a clear, cool stream rises out of the ground and winds through a vine-hung pocket of forest before joining the Mara. The springs draw species rarely seen on the open plains, including mountain reedbuck, bushbuck, and the little steenbok with its black-smudged nose, and the forest is a birder’s favorite for kingfishers, hoopoes, rollers, and crowned cranes. A few miles downstream, the Larelemangi salt lick is a 1.5-acre patch of bare, wet earth that pulls in buffalo herds sometimes numbering over 1,000, along with elephant.

Lobo Valley (Full Day or En Route):

Lobo is the Big Cat Capital of the North Serengeti and the one place in the region where lion, leopard, and cheetah are regularly seen on a single drive. The Lobo pride is the second largest in the Serengeti at around 26 animals, often found draped across granite kopjes that rank among the oldest rock formations on Earth. Yellow-barked acacias along Lobo Springs are prime leopard country, and the valley holds the Serengeti’s largest concentration of elephants. From Sisini Mara, Lobo makes an excellent full-day excursion with a picnic lunch, and it is the route we normally take when game driving between camp and your lodge in the Central Serengeti, so the transfer day becomes one of the best game drives of the trip.

In Camp

Elephant grazing beside the suites, giraffe browsing below the pool deck, and lion calling after dark are all regular guest reports. The hillside position gives wide views of the plains, so a pair of binoculars on your private deck is often all you need between game drives.

Nature Tented Suites

The nine suites are generous at 72 square meters (775 square feet) each, with canvas walls on the sides and a glass front so the bush is the first thing you see in the morning. Six are set up as king rooms and three as twins that convert to king; each sleeps a maximum of two guests with no extra beds.

• Indoor and Outdoor Bathing: Every suite has an indoor shower, a bathtub, and a second shower outdoors under the sky, a guest favorite after dusty days at the river.
• Private Deck with Day Bed: A covered deck with a day bed faces the plains for midday siestas and sundowners from your own front porch.
• Modern Comforts: Safe, minibar fridge, tea and coffee station, bathrobes, mosquito-netted beds, blackout canvas, and a telephone to the main lodge.

The Retreat

For families and small groups, The Retreat is a private two-bedroom house under canvas at 252 square meters (2,700 square feet), sleeping up to five with one extra bed. It has a large living room, two full bathroom suites each with a shower, bathtub, and separate toilet, two dressing rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a private deck with day bed, and its own plunge pool. The Retreat comes with butler service, in-room dining, and a private vehicle and guide included, so the household sets its own game drive schedule.

• Panoramic Pool:
  A communal pool on the hillside with wide views over the savannah, well placed for watching giraffe and elephant below while you cool off between drives.
• Massage and Gym:
  A dedicated treatment room offering massages and body treatments, plus a small gym near the entrance to camp, both rare finds this far north.
• Glass-Walled Dining:
  The restaurant has full-length windows looking out over the Serengeti, with a chef-driven menu that guests regularly compare to fine dining. The kitchen adapts readily to preferences and dietary needs.
• Experiential Meals:
  Al fresco dining, bush breakfasts and dinners set up out on the plains, firepit evenings, and sundowners with champagne at a viewpoint over the Mara.
• Lounge and Bar:
  A stylish lounge and bar with a firepit outside for stargazing after dinner.
• Butler Service:
  Attentive, personal service from a team that welcomes guests with a traditional ceremony on arrival and remembers preferences after one telling. Same-day laundry service.
• Open Year-Round:
  One of the few permanent camps in this part of the North Serengeti that does not close for the green season.
• Family Friendly:
  Children 4 and up are welcome; a children’s menu and child-minding are available, and families with children under 6 book a private vehicle.
• Sustainability:
  Locally crafted tents with a minimal footprint, built to blend into the landscape rather than reshape it.