Exclusive Serengeti – alone amongst the great herds and mighty carnivores

Last week, several fellow partners of Ker & Downey and I visited the eastern boundary region of Tanzania’s famed Serengeti National Park. We camped in an area that has been closed to visitors for more than a decade, and enjoyed truly exclusive access to spectacular wildlife.

In five days we saw more than 100 different individual lions, 22 cheetahs, 5 leopards, 2 honey badgers, and an incredible number of herbivores. As this new camp is so distant from all other lodging in the Serengeti, we virtually had the area all to ourselves! Between December and May of each year, these short grass plains are saturated with the great herds of wildebeest and zebra that make up the celebrated migration. And it is here that several hundred thousand wildebeest calves are born each January/February, offering a windfall to the many resident carnivores that call this land home.

Surrounded by the quintessential safari landscape of endless plains dotted with acacia trees and granite kopjes, my time there reminded me of why it was the favored private camp destination of my company through the 1980s and ’90s. I am thrilled to now be able to take my guests to this secret corner of the Serengeti. We are privileged to be a part of the gentle reopening of this remote area to low-use tourism, and the next few years offer a special opportunity to join me on safari in a place I would describe as one of the final frontiers of East African wilderness.

The essence of our time in the Serengeti.

Watched as we are watching.

A stunning view of leopards out in the open.

A pair of very fit cheetahs.

A perfect place to rest and scout for the next meal.

A strong leader for a healthy pride.

These new cubs are doing very well.

The birds of prey are also fantastic in this region.

We had a rare sighting of two honey badgers.

King of the kopje.

Classic Serengeti in black and white.

Partner guides of The Original Ker & Downey Safaris.