The Grumeti Reserve is a private concession of more than 350,000 acres on the Serengeti's western side, on the migration's path through the Western Corridor.
You get Serengeti wildlife with far fewer vehicles, Singita lodges, and guided walks the national park does not offer.
The Tanzanian government created the Grumeti reserves in 1994, and in 2002 the American philanthropist Paul Tudor Jones set up the Grumeti Fund to manage them. The concession borders Serengeti National Park on its western side and shares the same ecosystem, so wildlife moves freely between the two.
The area had been heavily hunted and poached before the Fund took over. Its recovery since then is one of the more encouraging conservation stories in East Africa.
The reserve holds lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, buffalo, giraffe and a growing elephant population. Singita reports that elephant numbers in the concession rose from fewer than 300 in 2003 to more than 2,500 in a 2024 aerial survey. In 2019 the Fund moved nine eastern black rhino into the reserve, which it describes as the largest single rhino reintroduction of its kind.
Days run around open-vehicle game drives with a guide and tracker. Because this is private land, guided walks are also allowed, which gives you a very different look at the Serengeti.
The migration usually passes through Grumeti around June and July, when the herds gather to cross the Grumeti River on their way north. Later in the dry season, resident game stays close to the river. The reserve is good year-round for resident wildlife, which makes it a useful pairing with a northern or southern Serengeti camp. See our month-by-month safari guide for the wider picture.
Guests fly in by light aircraft from Arusha or from other Serengeti airstrips. Three nights is a good stay, often combined with a few nights in the north during the crossing season or in the south during calving.
Singita runs several lodges and camps in the reserve, including Sasakwa, Faru Faru, Sabora and the exclusive-use Serengeti House.
Singita Sasakwa Lodge is a grand, Edwardian-style manor on a hill above the plains, with private cottages of one to four bedrooms, each with a plunge pool. It suits travelers who want space, strong guiding and fewer vehicles at sightings.
For why private land changes the experience, read our guide to private conservancies.
Mammals
Primates
Birdlife
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