Serengeti Green Camp is taken down, moved and rebuilt to keep pace with the wildebeest. In the dry months it stands south on the calving plains. When the rains push the herds on, it goes north to the river crossings. Rather than watch the season unfold from a fixed lodge some distance off, guests are placed within a few hours of the main event, in quiet sites chosen away from the busier parts of the Serengeti.
When the rains push the herds on, it goes north to the river crossings
Walking is the reason the camp exists in this form. Wayo Africa was among the first operators to secure permits for guided walking safaris on the Serengeti plains, and that permission still runs through everything it does. Armed guides, accompanied by a national park ranger, lead outings from a couple of hours to a full day, reading tracks, grasses and insect activity at a pace no vehicle allows.
From December to March the camp sits on the southern short-grass plains near Nabi Hill. The volcanic soils here draw the wildebeest to calve in February. From around July to October it moves north to the Kogatende area, within range of the Mara River crossings, where the nearby Bologonja River and its salt lick hold resident game through the dry months, whatever the migration happens to be doing.
The volcanic soils here draw the wildebeest to calve in February
Ten canvas tents stand across the grass, each with a mesh frontage that opens onto the plains from the bed and a stretch-canvas roof overhead for shade. Bathrooms are en-suite, with bucket showers and low-flush or compost toilets. Beds can be arranged as doubles, twins or triples, so that a family travels together rather than scattered across separate tents.
Jean du Plessis founded Wayo Africa in 1999, having arrived in the Serengeti three years earlier to train guides and park rangers. His conviction, that being close to the animals on foot matters more than lavish fittings, still runs through everything the camp does. He became one of the few operators permitted to lead walking safaris across the open Serengeti plains, and Green Camp grew directly out of that permission. Game drives run morning and afternoon as standard, but the walk remains the camp’s defining act.
The interiors draw on Tanzanian craft rather than imported furnishing. The bed panels are woven from banana leaves sourced at Mto wa Mbu, the cushions carry Maasai design, and the light fittings are made from Chaga drinking cups. Tents and their furnishings are designed and sewn by local teams, and the whole camp is built to be struck and moved without leaving a lasting mark on the ground beneath it.
Game drives run morning and afternoon as standard, but the walk remains the camp’s defining act
The setting is open, so the wildlife moves through camp. Lions call at night and hyenas whoop in the dark. Mornings often begin with wildebeest and zebra grazing past the tents. Between the migration highlights, resident lions, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants and giraffes fill the days, alongside the seasonal spectacle itself when it finally arrives on the plains outside.
Evenings gather around a campfire lit with paraffin lamps, and a three-course dinner is served in the open air. The camp runs on solar power, carries no disposable plastic, filters its own drinking water and composts its waste. Children of all ages are welcome, though the walking focus and open setting suit older ones best. Access is by light aircraft to the Serengeti South or Kogatende airstrips, depending on where the herds have led the camp.
accommodation
Ten canvas tents, each with a mesh picture-window frontage opening onto the plains and a stretch-canvas roof for shade. Interiors use woven banana-leaf panels, Maasai-inspired cushions and Chaga-cup lighting. En-suite bathrooms have bucket showers and low-flush or compost toilets. Configurable as doubles, twins or triples.
activities
Guided walking safaris are the signature activity, led by armed guides with a national park ranger, from a couple of hours to a full day. Morning and afternoon game drives track the migration and resident predators. Birdwatching, bush picnics and campfire sundowners feature throughout, with hot-air balloon flights and visits to Maasai communities arranged on request.
conservation
The team behind the camp is the Tanzanian partner of Children in the Wilderness, the non-profit running conservation education and eco-clubs in schools that border the parks, alongside support for sustainable farming and vocational training in nearby villages. In camp, everything runs on solar power with no disposable plastic, and tents and furnishings are sewn by Tanzanian teams from local, often upcycled materials.
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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By light aircraft from Arusha, and where you land depends on where the herds have taken the camp. In the green months the flight goes to the Serengeti South airstrip on the southern plains, around an hour and a half in the air. In the dry season it is Kogatende in the far north, usually closer to two hours with a stop or two along the way. A short drive from the strip finishes the journey, and we book the flight to match the camp's current site so there is no guesswork on the day.
The scheduled aircraft take soft bags only, fifteen kilograms a person including hand luggage on most carriers, so pack a duffel. We can also put a private charter under the trip, typically a Cessna Caravan or a Pilatus PC-12, flying you straight to whichever airstrip the camp is working from.
Yes, treat it as one. Both of the camp's seasonal sites sit well below 1,800 metres, and the UK's official travel health advice and the American CDC both class all of mainland Tanzania under that height as high risk for malaria, so antimalarial tablets are usually recommended alongside the tent nets and repellent.
We do not make medical recommendations. We are travel planners, not doctors. Which tablets are right for you, whether they suit your own health or anyone else's in the party, and what is appropriate for a child, is a conversation between you and your doctor or a travel clinic. The practical side we can speak to is not medical: cover arms and legs from late afternoon and keep repellent to hand.
Not always, and it is worth checking before you set your heart on dates. This is a genuinely mobile camp, so it operates in its southern site through the calving months and in the north for the crossing season, and between those windows it comes off the ground entirely while the whole thing is packed, driven and rebuilt.
If your dates fall in one of the gaps, roughly the long rains of April and May and the shoulder weeks either side of the moves, we will say so straight away and place you somewhere that suits the season instead. Tell us the month you have in mind and we will confirm where the camp will be standing.
The camp sells two ways, and the difference matters. A room-and-meals basis covers the tent, all meals and drinks, with beers, wines and local spirits included and only the expensive imported bottles charged separately. The fuller package adds a vehicle and guide, which is what most of our guests take, because it puts the game drives and the guided walks inside the rate rather than on top of it.
Hot-air balloon flights are always priced separately, as are private-vehicle arrangements, and park fees are charged per person for each day inside the Serengeti. We build all of it into one quote from the start so the total is the total.
Only just. Expect a basic connection around the mess tent at best, enough for a message home rather than calls or work, and mobile signal on the plains comes and goes with no pattern worth relying on. A camp that is rebuilt from scratch twice a year keeps its technology simple on purpose.
If being reachable genuinely matters, tell us before you travel and we will confirm exactly what the camp is running that season.
Feet first: broken-in walking shoes or light boots with proper grip, because the walks cover real ground, plus long trousers and socks you can tuck in against grass seeds. Neutral colours matter more here than at a drive-based camp, since you are on foot among the animals rather than inside a vehicle.
Mornings start cold, often in the low teens before the sun gets up, so bring warm layers you can shed as the day heats, a wide-brimmed hat, strong sunscreen and a soft bag the light aircraft will accept. In the green season add a packable waterproof.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
