Asanja Grumeti

Ten Minutes From the Grumeti River

Asanja Grumeti sits in the woodland on the north bank of the Grumeti River, roughly halfway along the Western Corridor, the 50-mile valley that runs from the central Serengeti west toward Lake Victoria. The river is a ten-minute drive from camp and the Grumeti airstrip is about 20 km away.

• On the Crossing Route: The Grumeti River crossings happen within minutes of camp from May through July, as the herds arrive from the south and push across the river in waves.
• The Quiet Corridor: The Western Corridor sees a fraction of the vehicles of the central and northern Serengeti, and with only three tents the camp itself adds almost none. Sightings here are private.
• Resident Game All Season: The river and its woodlands hold hippo, crocodile, giraffe, elephant, and the Serengeti’s only black-and-white colobus monkeys year-round, and resident wildebeest and zebra keep the predators in place from July through November after the migration has moved on.
• Getting There: Most guests fly into the Grumeti or Kirawira airstrip on a scheduled charter and transfer by road in under an hour. By road, Seronera is about three hours east through the corridor, which makes a good game-viewing drive when the camp is combined with a central Serengeti lodge.

The camp is unfenced. Hippo in the marsh below the decks, elephant and giraffe browsing through camp, and lion and hyena on the plains at night are all regular reports, and tsetse flies are present in the woodland, so long sleeves in neutral colors are a good idea on drives.

The Grumeti River and the Wild West

Asanja Grumeti puts you in the middle of the Western Corridor, with the Grumeti crossings minutes away and the corridor’s four great game areas spread out on either side.

• Lower Grumeti Woodlands: The dense acacia woodland and riparian forest that hug the Grumeti River are the stronghold of the Maasai giraffe, which browse the tender acacia leaves in numbers found nowhere else in the park, and the Serengeti’s only habitat for the black-and-white colobus monkey, which depends on the riverine forest for shoots and seed pods. The river itself is famous for its Nile crocodiles, giants of up to 17 feet that live as long as 70 years and survived the poaching of the 1950s and 60s; the best-known stretch is an eight-mile section of river near the old Grumeti River Camp. The Grumeti Game Loops are small winding tracks that follow the river through the forest, where hippo, elephant, and leopard are the regulars. In the dry season, thousands of wildebeest and zebra gather here to take the cold plunge across the crocodile-laden river.
• Ruwana Plains: North of the river, 120 square miles of open plains are the beating heart of the Western Corridor and its premier predator area. Two resident lion prides live here, one of them denning on Sundowner Hill, cheetah are seen often on the open grass, and several large clans of spotted hyena hold strict territories, so boundary patrols, whooping calls, and battles between rival clans are a regular part of a drive. The Ruwana Waterhole draws everything in the dry season and is the setting for dramatic hunts. The plains were only added to the park in 1967; before that the Serengeti ended at the river.
• Musabi Plains: South of the river and roughly halfway down the corridor, Musabi is an off-the-beaten-path sanctuary of open plains framed by acacia woodland and dotted with termite mounds. It is a favored breeding ground for topi, which stand sentinel on the mounds, and the western Serengeti holds one of the park’s largest elephant concentrations, more than 2,000 animals and rising since the 1989 ivory ban. Resident wildebeest and zebra support lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyena all year, with eland, waterbuck, buffalo, and Thomson’s gazelle alongside.
• Mbalageti River Valley: Linking the southern short-grass plains with the western woodlands, this 540-square-mile valley of rivers, hills, and riverine thickets is the main route of the largest group of the migration, which follows the river north from the plains through Moru in May and June. The herds often linger here for the rut, when bulls stake out small temporary territories and the valley becomes a synchronized mating pandemonium. Lion and leopard concentrate where the prey does, Martial eagles nest in the tall trees, and the baboon troops are among the largest in the park.
• The Grumeti Crossing (May through July): The main event of the Western Corridor. As the plains dry out, the herds that moved north through the Mbalageti and Seronera valleys arrive at the Grumeti River and mass on the banks until the pressure of numbers pushes them across. The crossings are smaller and more scattered than the Mara River crossings in the north, but they happen within minutes of camp, and the crocodiles waiting below are among the largest in Africa. In November the herds briefly regroup in the corridor on their way south.

In Camp

Hippo in the marsh below the verandas, elephant and giraffe through the trees, and lion and hyena calling on the plains after dark.

Three Meru-Style Tented Suites

Asanja Grumeti has three tented suites, each on its own wooden deck in the woodland with a private veranda over the marsh.

• Tented Suites (3): Meru-style canvas with three layers for shade and privacy, a four-poster double bed or twin beds, bedside lighting, a writing desk and chair, a seating area, and generous storage. The en-suite bathroom has a flush toilet, washbasin, and an outdoor shower under the trees. The veranda has a small dining table and campaign chairs facing the marsh and plains.
• Families: Children of all ages are welcome, and an extra bed for a child under 12 can be added to any tent, so the camp takes up to six adults and three children. Booking all three tents gives a family or group the whole camp.
• In Every Tent: Butler service, twice-daily housekeeping, in-room dining on request, bathrobes, safe, bottled water, and WiFi. Power from a solar and backup system. No air conditioning; the layered canvas and the shade of the trees do the work.

• Full Board with House Drinks: All meals, bottled water, tea and coffee, juices, and a selection of house wines, beers, and spirits. Premium labels are extra.
• Lounge and Dining Tent: An open-sided tent with a bar and a deck for meals, plus a guest library and a fire pit on the edge of the plains for sundowners.
• Bush Dining: Bush breakfasts and lunches on the plains, barbecue dinners, and private dinners in the camp garden.
• Butler Service: A dedicated butler for each tent, twice-daily housekeeping, and in-room dining.
• Balloon Safaris: Western Serengeti balloon flights over the Grumeti can be arranged with us in advance.
• Walks and Sundowners: A guided nature walk and sundowners within the camp area, weather permitting.
• Lake Victoria: Day trips to the lakeshore and fishing villages for guests staying three nights or more.
• Wellness: In-tent massages on request, and yoga on the deck.
• Practical Comforts: WiFi, laundry included, 24-hour security, and staff escorts between the tents and main area after dark.
• Open All Year.