Reviews of Sayari Camp
(97%) From 52 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Superb Sayari
Our last camp was Sayari where we spent five nights and were delighted to have the nearest tent to the spacious communal area (some are so far away that you need a ride). The tents are large, comfortable and very private with a welcome shady verandah with table, chairs and bean bags and a good view over the bush. Staff were very friendly and attentive and the food for vegetarians was the best we have eaten on any safari.
The wildlife viewing was extremely varied because of the nearby Mara river and the different habitats of surrounding countryside including very rocky areas, dense bush, open plains and rolling hills. Highlights for us were three separate close-quarters leopard sightings plus a couple of breakfasts on the spectacularly lovely border watching the Kenyan rangers watching us. An amusing moment was being with two splendid male lions who were totally relaxed until they suddenly became aware of several rangers on foot in the distance!
We really didn't expect to see so much and in such quantity (in many cases) at this time of the year. Special thanks to manager Jen, Freddie the chef and our guide Godson for his infectious enthusiasm.
Stupendous Sayari!!
After the huge let downs at SOPA and KUSINI, I was praying for salvation at Sayari and found it!
Jen and Richard lead and run a superb world class camp -- engaged smiling staff eager to please, a family atmosphere, a soul, a vibrancy, a joy, a confidence that was refreshing to say the least. Food, service, tent all exceeded expectations in quality, presentation, comfort, and design. The game viewing was also terrific: leopard, hippo pools, lions...amazing! When I departed for the airstrip, the entire staff whom I had got to know on a first name basis, came out to wish me farewell. I was choked up, it was beautiful. My Sayari guide, Lenard was great. Knowledgable of the area in great detail -- unlike Albert who did not know Kusini district as well as Lenard knew Sayari. Lenard was eager to please, very accommodating and pleasant -- he was mine exclusively which was terrific.
Amazing wildlife and luxurious ammenties
Sayari camp is beautiful with outstanding amenities. Due to some weirdness with the rains, this was also the best wild life viewing on our trip (in late December).
Our game drives were outstanding - we saw all of the big 5 and a river crossing! Everywhere we looked there were herds of animals. It was truly breathtaking. Watching herds of zebra frolick in the rain was so neat. My favorite moment was watching a giant herd of elephants cross around us, including several very small babies, as we shared sundowners and watched the sunset.
I only wish we could have cloned ourselves in order to spend more time enjoying the amenities at the hotel. We visited the pool on our last morning but wish we had more time. The rooms were lovely as well.
All our meals were delicious and the staff were so kind responding to individual requests from various guests. The New Years Eve party was a lot of fun - it was nice to have some time to get to know our guides and the other staff. We particularly enjoyed chatting with Jennifer and Richard. Elizabeth and David were so kind in teaching us Swahili and about the culture in Tanzania.
Great Camp and Great Game Viewing
Sayari camp in the northern Serengeti was a fourth and final camp on our northern Tanzania safari, organised by Expert Africa. Our 3 nights here was a fantastic finale to an amazing trip.
We arrived at Kogatende airstrip after a short flight from Seronera in the central Serengeti. We were met at the airstrip by our guide Lucas. On the drive to the camp as well as seeing elephant and giraffe we witnessed our first wildebeest crossing of the Mara River. The wildebeest were returning south to the Serengeti from the Maasai Mara, unfortunately one became lunch for a waiting crocodile.
On arrival at the camp we were warmly welcomed by Jen, the manager. Sayari camp has 15 ‘tents’ but is in fact run as two separate entities one of nine tents and the second with six tents. We stayed in the larger camp which was managed by Jen and her husband Richard assisted by Germana. Each camp has its own dining facility and lounge but a pool is shared by both camps. Service at the camp was impeccable and both management and staff were extremely friendly and accommodating, nothing was too much trouble.
The tents are luxuriously appointed with sliding glass doors leading to a large verandah with views towards the Mara River and Kenya. They are well spread out in the camp and hence very private but quite a long way from the camp facilities. This is not a problem as the guide will pick you up from the tent in the morning and there is a ‘taxi service’ in the evening to take you to and from the dining room.
The food at all the meals was excellent with a good choice and was always served with a smile.
Our guide, Lucas, was brilliant; it was very enjoyable spending the day with him. We did four game drives with Lucas and had some wonderful sightings including three more wildebeest crossings. On one game drive we crossed the Mara River and drove to the Kenyan border and stood one foot in Tanzania and one in Kenya. Although we did not find the elusive rhino we saw plenty of all three of the big cats, including one pride of 17 lions, plus buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, elephant, warthog, hyaena, jackal, topi, hartebeest, eland, klipspringer, impala, oribi, dik dik, baboon, mongoose, steinbok, gazelle, hyrax, Nile monitor lizard, crocodile and hippo.
The northern Serengeti is a fantastic place to see lots of different wildlife, although it is busy (many other vehicles) at the migration crossing places it is much quieter away from the river. A great luxurious camp set in a wonderful location.
Sayari Camp review
outstanding guides.
If during migration season don't let television clips of crossing during migration create expectations of instant viewing. Often luck and patience are rewarded. We saw 4 in two days while some saw minor or none. Guise cant control crossing times
Great Location, Great Food
The Camp was good and Olivia, John and Lucas were great. The guide we had (Lucas) was first class and whilst the viewing was perhaps disappointing (no Rhino! no river crossing!) we really enjoyed the game drives with him.
Some hot water would have been nice and the tetse fies were the worst we have experienced in seven safari holidays.
The food was really good.
Luxury safari at its best!
Sayari is a really special place.
It's extremely luxurious, but without being garish or over-the-top. The tents are amazing, the pool area is fantastic and the map room is a really cool addition. The food was lovely and Annabel packed us a cheese box every day, which was much appreciated!
We would definitely recommend this camp.
Luxury at Sayari Camp
Roger and Annabelle were extremely welcoming and made us feel at home straight away. This was a great camp to end our safari, with a beautifully equipped tent and wonderful lounge and dining areas.
We were there too short a time to make use of the inviting swimming pool, although the Rock Hyraxes were relaxing on the loungers! All of the staff were particularly attentive and it was great to see the work being done by the camp, to help local children to understand the benefits of protecting the wildlife in the park.
Food was of a very high quality and was plentiful. We had a lovely bush breakfast on our second day. We had a young but very knowledgeable guide, who interacted particularly well with us and joined us for meals, which was a change from the other Serengeti camp that we had used.
The camp had a well stocked library, with many books to learn about Africa.
Great location
Sayari Camp is in an excellent location, but it is not my style. There are glass sliding doors and windows and they offer manicures, pedicures, and massage. Really? On safari?
In spite of that, I loved the staff, the guide, and everything else.
Heaven on Earth
i have said we did'nt think we could better Plantation Lodge. That was until we got to Sayari Camp. The tents are out of this world both in comfort and beauty. Looking out onto the Serengeti from our terrace is exceptional especially when you find a Zebra just outside your door.
The safari was amazing, and again our guide Nicholas was excellent. He made sure we saw all the animals we wanted to and patiently answered all our questions. The highlight being Mating Lions.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
