Lodges & partnersSeronera Central Serengeti
Eleven tented suites on the Ngare Nanyuki River in the remote eastern Serengeti, deep in cheetah and lion country.
From $655 per person per night
About
Namiri Plains sits on the Ngare Nanyuki River in the far east of the Serengeti, in the Soit le Motonyi area, a long way from the busy loops around Seronera. Asilia describes it as the first safari camp in this part of the park, and its guides have spent years learning these open grasslands. The nearest airstrip is Seronera, and the drive out to camp takes between an hour and a half and two hours, a journey that tends to turn into a game drive of its own. Once you arrive, the sense of space is the point: wide plains, scattered acacias, kopjes on the horizon and very few other vehicles.
This is cat country. Lion and cheetah are seen frequently, and the open ground suits cheetah particularly well; leopard, serval and caracal turn up too, and the plains game keeps the predators busy all year. The herds of the Great Migration usually pass through around late October or early November on their way south, and from then until May they can be reached on a longer full day drive to the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti. June to September is dry with good visibility, while the rains of November, December and from March bring fresh grass, migrant birds and fewer people. Asilia notes that walking may not be possible from January to June when the grass is long, so walks run from 1 June to 15 February, weather permitting.
The eleven tented suites, one of them a family suite, are built with walls of compacted volcanic ash that keep the rooms cool by day and warm at night, under a high sculpted canvas roof. Sliding doors open the whole front onto an extended deck with a freestanding bathtub, loungers and floor cushions facing the plains. Inside there is timber, woven lamps and an en suite bathroom with a flush toilet and hot water. Between drives there is a swimming pool with a shaded deck, a spa for a massage, a library and an information centre, and the camp runs on solar power with a generator held in reserve.
Two board bases are offered. The Game Package covers full board, soft drinks, limited laundry, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles, a walking safari with an armed ranger in the walking months, and transfers to and from Seronera. Full Board covers meals, beverages and laundry only, and is available solely to guests arriving with an Asilia vehicle and guide. Park, camping and concession fees and the Asilia conservation charge are paid on top, and we show those separately so you can see exactly what you are paying for.
Signature experiences
The short grass around camp is ideal cheetah country, and lion are seen often. Leave early with your guide and you may have a hunt in front of you with no other vehicle in sight.
Between November and May the Migration herds gather on the short grass plains to the south. A full day drive with a packed lunch takes you to them, then back across the grassland in the late light.
From June to mid February, walks led by a guide and armed ranger show you the plains at ground level: tracks, birds and the small details a vehicle misses. Minimum age 12, pre booking required.
Slide the doors open, run the outdoor bath and watch the plains between drives. The suites are built for slow afternoons as much as for sleep.
Gallery
Room types
A tented suite for one guest: stone walls of compacted volcanic ash under a canvas roof, a large bed, sliding doors onto an extended deck with a freestanding outdoor bathtub, and an en suite bathroom with flush toilet and hot water. On the Game Package rate, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and the stated airstrip transfers are included.
A tented suite with a large double bed, timber and stone interiors and woven lamps. Sliding doors open onto a deep deck with loungers and an outdoor bathtub facing the plains, with an en suite bathroom inside. On the Game Package rate, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and the stated airstrip transfers are included.
The same tented suite set with two beds. Volcanic stone walls keep it cool by day and warm at night, and the front slides open onto the deck, outdoor bathtub and the eastern plains. En suite bathroom with flush toilet and hot water. On the Game Package rate, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and the stated airstrip transfers are included.
Three guests sharing, arranged on request and usually in the family suite, which has two en suite bedrooms. Children under 12 must share with an adult. Subject to availability, so ask us early. On the Game Package rate, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and the stated airstrip transfers are included.
A tented suite for one guest: stone walls of compacted volcanic ash under a canvas roof, a large bed, sliding doors onto an extended deck with a freestanding outdoor bathtub, and an en suite bathroom with flush toilet and hot water. On the Full Board rate, meals and soft drinks are included; game drives and transfers are arranged separately.
A tented suite with a large double bed, timber and stone interiors and woven lamps. Sliding doors open onto a deep deck with loungers and an outdoor bathtub facing the plains, with an en suite bathroom inside. On the Full Board rate, meals and soft drinks are included; game drives and transfers are arranged separately.
The same tented suite set with two beds. Volcanic stone walls keep it cool by day and warm at night, and the front slides open onto the deck, outdoor bathtub and the eastern plains. En suite bathroom with flush toilet and hot water. On the Full Board rate, meals and soft drinks are included; game drives and transfers are arranged separately.
Three guests sharing, arranged on request and usually in the family suite, which has two en suite bedrooms. Children under 12 must share with an adult. Subject to availability, so ask us early. On the Full Board rate, meals and soft drinks are included; game drives and transfers are arranged separately.
At a glance
Best time to visit
Best months: June to February.
Location & access
Seronera Central Serengeti
Seronera is the nearest airstrip. Light aircraft reach it from Arusha Airport in about an hour, then the road transfer east to camp takes about an hour and a half to two hours and is included on the Game Package. From Kilimanjaro International Airport allow about an hour and fifteen minutes by road to Arusha Airport first.
A very long day, roughly nine to ten hours. From Kilimanjaro International Airport the road runs west to Arusha, then on tarmac through Makuyuni and Mto wa Mbu, up the Rift escarpment through Karatu to the Loduare gate, across the Ngorongoro rim and past Olduvai Gorge to the Naabi Hill gate, then north to Seronera and east for another hour and a half to two hours to camp. Almost everyone breaks the drive with a night or two on the way.
On the map
2.551° S, 35.124° E
What's included
Frequently asked
On the Ngare Nanyuki River in the remote eastern Serengeti, in the Soit le Motonyi area east of Seronera. It is open grassland country with very few other camps nearby.
Most guests fly from Arusha to Seronera airstrip on a scheduled light aircraft, then drive about an hour and a half to two hours to camp. On the Game Package the transfer to and from Seronera is included; on Full Board, transfers are arranged and charged separately.
Both include all meals, soft drinks, limited laundry and the Tourism Development Levy. The Game Package adds scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles, a walking safari in the walking months and Seronera airstrip transfers. Full Board is only available if you are travelling with an Asilia vehicle and guide.
Park, camping and concession fees set by the park authority, the Asilia conservation charge of USD 10 per person per night, spa treatments, flights, gratuities and medical evacuation insurance. An extra picnic or in house lunch is USD 25 per person, and on Full Board walks are USD 60 per person per walk.
The camp is open all year. June to September is dry and excellent for big cats, and the Migration herds usually pass close to camp in late October or early November. From then until May the herds can be reached on longer drives towards the southern plains, with fewer visitors and greener scenery.
Yes, from age 5. Children aged 5 to 18 pay 50% of the adult sharing rate, guests 19 and over pay the adult rate, and children under 12 must share a suite with an adult. Under 5s are only accepted if the camp is booked exclusively with Asilia approval. In high season, families of fewer than five guests with children aged 5 to 12 must pre book a private vehicle at the normal rate, USD 500 per day in 2026/27 and USD 600 per day in 2027/28, minimum 2 days; in the Secret and Green seasons this vehicle is free, subject to availability.
Yes. One of the eleven tented suites is a recently refurbished family suite, which suits parents travelling with children. It books up early, so let us know ages as soon as you start planning.
Walks run from 1 June to 15 February, weather and grass height permitting, with an armed ranger, and must be pre booked. The minimum age is 12. On the Game Package a walk is included; on Full Board it is USD 60 per person per walk.
Yes, there is wifi, and the camp runs entirely on solar power with a backup generator. Batteries and cameras can be charged in camp.
It is genuinely remote, up to two hours by road from Seronera, so comprehensive travel insurance including medical evacuation is essential. Asilia works with park doctors and Flying Doctors evacuation services in an emergency, alongside your own cover.
Check in is from 2pm and departure is by 10am. Later departures can sometimes be arranged at extra cost, subject to availability.
Yes. Let us know your requirements before you travel and the kitchen will plan around them. Meals can also be packed for full day drives.
What's nearby
A full day drive south. Where the Migration herds gather and calve between about December and March.
About an hour and a half to two hours west. River woodland known for leopard and resident lion, and the site of the Seronera airstrip.
Granite outcrops on the open eastern plains, favoured by cheetah and lion.
South east of the Serengeti, usually visited on the way in or out by road.
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