Olakira is a semi-permanent tented camp that refuses to stay still. Twice a year it packs up and moves the length of Serengeti National Park, following the wildebeest. From December to March it stands on the short-grass calving plains of Ndutu, in the south. Come June it has gone far to the north, to the Mara River and the crossing routes, closing for a few weeks each way while the move is made.
Olakira is a semi-permanent tented camp that refuses to stay still
Most camps position their guests near the migration and hope the herds arrive. Olakira does the opposite. It moves to sit inside the densest concentrations at each time of year, the calving grounds in the south and the river crossings in the north. Two locations, one continuous event, with the camp shifting through the year to keep pace with it wherever the animals happen to be.
Tents at the northern site face the Mara River near the Makutano crossing, where the Bolongonja stream feeds into the main channel. From June to October, hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra mass on the banks, hesitate, then plunge into the crocodile-filled water. It is drama on an enormous scale, and it is sometimes visible from the tent fronts themselves.
In the north these panels face the river and the migration routes
Every tent carries the camp’s signature feature. A section of canvas opens into a mesh-walled area with roughly 270-degree views, into which the king-sized bed can be rolled for a night beneath open sky. In the north these panels face the river and the migration routes, so the bed becomes a private vantage point looking out over the crossings themselves, close enough to hear the herds move in the dark.
From December to March the camp stands on the Ndutu short-grass plains, where the wildebeest disperse to calve. At the height of the season the plains fill with newborns, and that concentration of vulnerable young draws lions, cheetahs and spotted hyenas onto the open ground. Predator and prey play out at close range across horizons that run flat to the edge of sight. Best of all, it happens often within minutes of leaving camp rather than after long drives across the park.
The nine southern tents and ten northern ones stand on raised wooden decking, the family units splitting into two bedrooms around a shared lounge. Inside, the style is warm and classic. Deep sofas and armchairs sit on handwoven rugs, natural tones lifted by copper accents and rich linens on the beds. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom with a hot-water safari shower, and a shaded veranda with a chaise longue for the slow hours between drives.
Predator and prey play out at close range across horizons that run flat to the edge of sight
Days run on twice-daily game drives in open 4×4 vehicles with professional guides, the focus shifting with the season, to crossings and resident big cats in the north, calving herds and hunting predators in the south. Full-day drives with a packed lunch reach further afield. A dedicated photographic vehicle can be arranged in advance, and hot-air balloon flights over the plains end with breakfast in the bush. In the northern season there are walking safaris and visits to a local Kuria community.
Evenings gather at the open-sided mess tent, where a small library sits beside deep couches and meals are served around the fire. Children aged five and over are welcome, and the family tents make the camp workable for those travelling with them. Everything here comes back to the same two ideas, beds that roll out beneath the night sky, and a journey that never stops moving with the herds.
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accommodation
Nine tents in the south, ten in the north, all on raised wooden decking with en-suite bathrooms and hot-water safari showers. Each has a mesh-walled stargazing section into which the king bed rolls for sleeping under the sky, plus a shaded veranda. Family units offer two bedrooms and a shared lounge.
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activities
Twice-daily and full-day game drives in open 4x4 vehicles with professional guides, focused on river crossings in the north and calving herds in the south. Hot-air balloon flights and a dedicated photographic vehicle can be arranged. Walking safaris and Kuria community visits run only in the northern season.
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conservation
A conservation levy is built into every stay, supporting the Honeyguide Foundation, which runs a K9 anti-poaching unit in Tanzania, and initiatives supporting Maasai women and introducing local children to wildlife. The camp's mobile build leaves no permanent structures and runs on solar power.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park
By light aircraft from Arusha to whichever end of the park the camp is standing in. From December to March that means the Ndutu airstrip in the far south, about an hour and a quarter's flight; from June to October it is Kogatende in the north, up to two hours with stops, and the camp is then roughly half an hour's drive from the strip. We book the leg that matches the season so the connection is seamless.
Private charters work well here too, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12 straight to the right airstrip. Scheduled flights insist on soft bags, fifteen kilograms a person including hand luggage.
Yes, at both of the camp's seasonal homes. The northern site by the Mara River and the southern calving plains around Ndutu both lie below 1,800 metres, which is the height under which the UK's official travel health advice and the CDC class all of mainland Tanzania as high malaria risk, so a course of tablets is the standard precaution whichever season you book.
Get the current recommendation from a travel clinic or your doctor shortly before travelling, and take the evening bite precautions seriously, because the tents open to mesh rather than glass.
It keeps a strict calendar. December through March it stands in the south for the calving; June through October it faces the Mara River in the north for the crossings. April, May and November are the moving months, when the entire camp is packed onto trucks and rebuilt hundreds of kilometres away, and it takes no guests at all.
So the honest answer is that Olakira works brilliantly if your dates fall inside its two seasons and not at all if they fall between them, in which case we will offer you the right alternative rather than force the fit. For the crossings, plan at least three nights, because rivers do not run to schedule.
From five years old, yes, and few camps hand a child a better bedtime: the bed rolls into the mesh-walled bay and they fall asleep counting stars with the herds grunting somewhere out in the dark. The family tents give parents and children separate rooms with a shared sitting space between.
The calving season in the south is the easier introduction for younger children, with shorter distances to the action and constant visible drama. Tell us the ages and we will pick the season and the tent to fit.
Two seasons, two answers. The southern months of December to March are green-season weather: warm days, gathering afternoon storms that pass through loudly and leave the plains rinsed, and cool nights, so bring a packable waterproof alongside the sun kit. The northern months of June to October are dry and dusty, hotter at midday, colder before dawn, when an open vehicle at speed calls for a proper warm layer.
Either way it is soft bags for the flights, neutral colours for the bush, a brimmed hat, strong sunscreen and binoculars per person rather than per couple.
Lightly. There is a connection in camp for essentials, and the mess tent is the best place to find it, but a camp that migrates with the herds does not carry lodge-grade internet, and mobile coverage out on the plains is unreliable in the north and thin in the south.
Treat it as enough to tell home you are safe and send a photograph, not enough to work. If that balance concerns you, ask us and we will confirm exactly what is running in the season you travel.
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