Grumeti River Camp has a rustic, laid back air to it and bright, playful interiors. However, the level of service and standard of the food are more akin to some of Africa's top safari camps. This seemingly casual camp overlooks the Grumeti River in Serengeti's western corridor. The river has water in it year round, and so there is always a good variety of wildlife to be found in the area. Even so, the camp is probably best visited between late-May and July when the wildebeest migration passes through on its journey north.
On the banks of the Grumeti, the camp's main areas are a selection of terracotta coloured, moulded concrete buildings with thatch roofs. The dark coolness of the lounge is brought to life by brightly coloured arm-chairs, coloured blown glass and beaded wall hangings. Linked by mosaic inlaid concrete paths, there is an under-cover, open-sided restaurant adjacent to the lounge and a funky looking bar tower nearby. Wide wooden decks in front of each building offer al fresco dining and relaxing vantage points from which to watch the resident hippos cavort in the river. The deck chairs here, and those around the nearby swimming pool, are covered with bright purple cushions – a theme continued through all the camp's outdoor furniture.
Stretching along the banks, either side of the main areas, are 10 large tented rooms. Some have a river outlook and some overlook the surrounding bush but all have a sizeable, extravagant bed and private veranda. Click here to read more about Grumeti River Camp's tents.
Aside from its relaxed nature and location, what makes Grumeti so appealing are the camp team, and so we feel they deserve a special mention here. During our last visit in May 2011, we were hosted by a very warm Tanzanian lady called May and her mischievous side-kick, Donald. All our mealtime needs were attended to by attentive waiters and the chef often made an appearance for a quick chat. Our room was kept ship-shape by our butler who left endearing notes for us to find. Although the idea of having a butler might not sit well with every visitor; rather than the stereotypical sober servant who does 'everything for one', we found it to be a subtle service which added a real personal and friendly touch to our stay.
The included, twice daily game drives from Grumeti River Camp are done in open-sided safari vehicles, each with three rows of two seats and usually taking a maximum of six passengers. These are led by very knowledgeable, engaging and enthusiastic guides – we've yet to hear of a bad guiding experience here! Additional activities include a balloon safari which begins just after dawn and sets off from a location about 15 minutes drive from the camp. This involves about 60 minutes in the air and costs an additional US$500 per person. Day trips to the great Lake Victoria are also possible if arranged in advance and at an additional cost of US$300 per vehicle (taking up to six people – or seven if it's a family or group of friends). The journey begins with a game drive covering 40km through the park before a further 5km of tarmac road takes you to the lake. A trip to Lake Victoria includes the option to canoe, a village visit, a chance to watch the local fisherman bring their boats in and a picnic lunch. 30 and 60 minute massages done in the privacy of your room at Grumeti River Camp are also on offer for about US$40 or US$60 respectively.
In conclusion… don't come to Grumeti if you're looking for staid service, palpable luxury and cutting edge design. If however, you like the comforts in life, but are looking for a bush location with excellent service and a laid back atmosphere combined with excellent guiding then this camp should be on your list – particularly between late-May and July when the migration usually passes through.
Ideal length of stay: We recommend a 2 or 3 night stay at Grumeti River Camp allowing you to get to know your safari guide and really explore the area. Grumeti combines well with its sister camps: the lovely Klein's Camp, Lake Manyara Tree Lodge which is the only lodge within Lake Manyara National Park, and the luxurious Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.
Directions: Most guests fly in to Grumeti Airstrip which is about 1 hour, 45 minutes flight from Arusha. The airstrip is situated about five minutes drive from the camp.
It's worth noting that the close proximity of the airstrip does mean that during the late morning and over lunch time the occasional plane can be heard flying over the camp, disturbing the peace momentarily.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
Usual board basis: Full Board
Food quality: The meals served at Grumeti River Camp are of a very high quality. This is helped by the use of fresh produce wherever possible. The camp have set up a partnership with villagers around Lake Victoria (about 50km away), whereby they provide local farmers with seeds to plant and then buy back some of the produce at a good rate.
Breakfast is served at a time of your choice depending on whether you've opted for a very early morning game drive or a lie-in. A tray is bought to you and set up on a stand by your table. This holds a selection of fruit juices, fresh fruit, freshly baked bread, spreads, cheeses, cold meats and cereals. The menu board will also offer a selection of two or three hot dishes to choose from. During our stay the choice was between mouth wateringly good drop scones served with bacon and maple syrup or a very tasty vegetarian frittata.
Lunch is typically a set menu usually served to tables set up on the lawn or by the pool. When we stayed here in May 2011 we enjoyed a starter of chilled cucumber soup followed by a selection including chapattis, satay chicken pieces, salad, salsa and humus from which we made our own chicken wraps. Desert was a light lemon sorbet with mango slices.
Dinner is usually served in the boma (a sandy area encircled by a log fence where food is cooked over camp fires) or on the lawn by the river. A private dinner can be arranged on your room veranda on request – a very romantic affair! We were lucky enough to experience two dinners whilst at Grumeti. The dishes included soup starters served with fresh bread rolls, pineapple tartlet with home-made ice cream for one desert and chocolate mousse with coconut cream for the other. There are usually two choices for the main course and we selected from Saffron chicken served on polenta with roast vegetables, peppered beef fillet served with rosemary potatoes and stir-fried veg, and couscous crumbed fish served with honey glazed aubergine and avocado salsa.
Dining style: Inidividual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Room service: Availbable on request.
Cost of meal e.g. lunch: Included
Drinks included: Most drinks are included whilst at Grumeti River Camp. A few select 'top shelf' beverages such as French champagne and the best single malts can be requested for an additional cost.
Special interests
Birdwatching: Over 360 bird species have been recorded in Serengeti National Park's western corridor. Of these, six are endemic to the Serengeti Plains and a few more are particularly worth looking out for. These include the black-headed gonolek with its striking crimson breast; the silverbird, an elegant flycatcher; the Karamoja Apalis, a small warbler that flits amongst acacias; Fischer's lovebird which pairs for life and flies in colourful flocks; the grey-breasted spurfowl, endemic to the area and with interesting breast plumage; the eastern grey plantain-eater, a raucous member of the turaco family; and the white-headed vulture, one of the better looking of the species. Twitchers may even be interested in the relatively nondescript rufous chatterer.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for birdwatching in Tanzania
Wildlife safaris: Along a small section of the Grumeti River, a relatively short drive from Grumeti River Camp, are some tall, stately trees that form riverine woodland. A few troops of the rare and beautiful black-and-white Colobus monkeys reside here. Not only are these primates striking to view but they are interesting in that, unlike other monkeys, they do not have thumbs. Whilst waiting patiently for the shy primates to get used to your presence and come out into the open, it's worth keeping an eye out for the areas specialist birds, including the black-headed gonolek, the silverbird and the eastern grey plaintain-eater.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for wildlife safaris in Tanzania
Children
Attitude towards children: Children are welcome at Grumeti River Camp.
Age restrictions: Children under the age of 6 can only join shortened game drive activities at the discretion of the lodge manager and subject to a vehicle and guide being available. Children aged between 6 and 11 can join the usual game drive activities at the discretion of the lodge manager. These rules are in place to ensure all guests safety in a wildlife area.
Activities: Child minding is available on request. However, please note that child-minding is done by local women working at the lodge and they will not be qualified or formally trained in child-care'.
Equipment: An additional single bed can be added to the tented rooms to create a triple room for two adults and one child.
Generally recommended for children: Grumeti River Camp is an excellent safari option for families with children over the age of 6 years as the camp team is attentive and sensitive to the needs of youngsters. Although children younger than 6 years are welcomed, the restricted activities mean that both the parents and their children have little chance to really make the most of the game drives from here.
Notes: This is an unfenced camp where wild animals can and do walk through freely. Children must be under their parent's supervision at all times.
Central communications
Power supply: Generator
Communications: There is limited cell phone network in the camp. Guests who wish to travel with their cell phones should keep these on silent whilst in the camp and not take them on game drives at all so as not to disturb other travellers.
A free Wi-Fi service is available in the camps main areas although the internet connection is quite slow. For travellers who'd like to send an email message but don't have their own equipment, the camp's computer can be used on request.
Health & safety
Malarial area: Yes
Medical care: There is a doctor and small clinic on site. For any serious medical emergencies, the camp is in contact with the Flying Doctor services.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: Guests are escorted to their rooms after dark just in case of visiting wildlife.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers by each tent and in the main areas.
Extras
Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: A full laundry service is included at Grumeti River Camp. Clothes are typically collected during the morning room service and returned by the end of the day.
Money: Each tent has a small safe for valuables.
Accepted payment: Grumeti River Camp accepts payment for any extras by Visa, MasterCard and American Express. There is no surcharge added to payments by credit card. Payment can also be made in US dollars, euro and Tanzanian shillings.
Beautiful setting and excellent service
The camp is in a beautiful setting and has the usual reliable, excellent @beyond standards,h owever the insistence on separate rather than communal dining arrangements is not to our taste.
The visi...
Grumeti River Camp review
Magical location on the edge of the Grumeti river next to a hippo pool. The evenings at the camp were amongst the most memorable of our trip - eating by candlelight around a bonfire whilst chefs prepa...
Balloon flight and hippos, great combination
We spent two nights at Grumeti river camp and we are divided between this and Oliver's as our favourite camp. We loved having hippos in the river outside and watched them whenever we could.
At...
We want you to understand more about Grumeti River Camp. We're also confident that a trip there with us cost you the same or less than booking it any other way, even directly. So follow the links below.
Grumeti River Camp website Click here to see Grumeti River Camp's own website with additional information and images.
