Masek Tented Lodge by TWC

Permanent tented rooms strung along the lake shore, in single, double and triple configurations, plus an interconnected family room that takes parents and children through one front door. Published room counts for the lodge disagree with each other, which usually means the property has been extended, so we confirm the current count with the lodge when you enquire.

All year, with peak demand from December through March during the calving season. The shoulder seasons bring significant rate drops.

By Cessna flight from Arusha Airport, 1hr 30min, to the Ndutu airstrip, then a 15 minute game drive transfer to camp.

Yes. The Interconnected Family Room handles parents and children sharing a single front door, and calving season travel suits families well given how dense the wildlife is.

Full board, soft drinks with meals, and TDL. Not included: NCAA entry fees, NCAA concession fees at $59 per adult per night and $11.80 per child, the game drive vehicle, soft drinks, flights and gratuities.

Mid February through mid March is the peak, with the migration on the short grass plains east of the lake. December and January are the building months as the herds arrive from the north.

Electricity runs 24 hours a day and is generated by solar panels. Wi Fi reaches the main areas rather than the tents, and each tent has an internal telephone through to reception. Charging is more dependable in the main area than in your tent, so carry a power bank for camera batteries. There is mobile signal at Ndutu but treat it as intermittent rather than reliable.

Large permanent tents with en suite bathrooms, flush toilets and hot and cold running water, a free standing bath and a separate outdoor shower, each with a veranda facing the lake.

Ndutu airstrip is about 4 km from the lodge, roughly 20 minutes on the track. Kusini is the next nearest at about 6 km, and Seronera is 80 km away in the central Serengeti.

Quieter and more open. The lodge stays open all year and the resident game stays put: elephant, giraffe, the smaller cats and a great deal of birdlife around the lake, with flamingos when the water suits them. Big cat sightings are less certain than they are in February and March. Ndutu is one of the few areas where driving off the track is permitted, which is why photographers keep coming back in the dry months. Expect dust on the plains and a lake that has dropped a long way by October.

The area sits at roughly 1,600 m, so nights and early mornings are cold, particularly from June through August, with lows around 14 to 15 degrees on the plains and colder again in an open vehicle at dawn. Pack a fleece and a windproof layer for the morning drive and light cotton for the middle of the day.

Drinking water is provided in every tent. The tap water in the bathroom is not for drinking and the lake itself is alkaline, so use what the lodge puts out for you.

Yes. From 1 October 2026 visitors entering mainland Tanzania must hold the government inbound travel insurance, 44 USD per adult and valid for up to 92 days, covering emergency medical care, evacuation, repatriation and lost luggage. Children aged 3 to 17 pay half and infants under 3 are free. It is bought online before you fly or on arrival, and residents of Tanzania and of East African and SADC countries are exempt. If you land in Zanzibar first, the Zanzibar policy covers you instead. It is paid by you directly and is not part of your trip price.