Lodges & partnersKogatende Northern Serengeti (Mara River)
A mobile camp near the Mara River from June to October, with mesh enclosed tents for sleeping under the stars, forty five minutes from Kogatende.
From $975 per person per night
About
Olakira is a mobile camp that follows the wildebeest. Between June and October it is pitched in the Bolongonja area of the northern Serengeti, near the confluence of the Bolongonja and Mara rivers, about forty five minutes by road from Kogatende airstrip. It packs up in November, reopens on the Ndutu plains in the south from December to March, and closes in April and May. This listing is for the northern season only, when the camp stands within reach of the Mara River crossing points.
June is the quieter shoulder month, with the herds massing on the northern plains before the crossings begin, usually in early July. From July through October the wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara back and forth, with crocodile waiting in the water and hippo in the pools. Days are warm and dry, Asilia gives daytime highs of around 27°C and nights around 15°C, and mornings on open vehicles are cold enough for a fleece and gloves. Recent guests also report leopard, cheetah and black rhino found by their guides on drives from camp, alongside the crossings.
The tents are the point of difference. Each sits on wooden decking and has a mesh enclosed sleeping area, so on a clear night you can lie in bed under the stars with canvas only at your back. Inside are timber floors, woven rugs, leather sling chairs, a writing desk, a hanging rail and lanterns, and each tent has its own bathroom with a solar heated hot water shower. There are ten tents here, two of them family units with two bedrooms. The camp runs entirely on solar with a backup generator, there is battery charging and wifi, and limited laundry is included.
Meals are taken in the mess tent or outside under the trees, with a fire lit in the evening and a guard to walk you back to your tent after dark. Olakira sells two ways. On the Game Package, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and your Kogatende airstrip transfers are included. On Full Board, you stay and eat in camp and arrive with your own guide and vehicle. Either way the park, camping and conservation charges are paid on top, and we show them line by line.
Signature experiences
In crossing season you wait on the banks with your guide while the herds build, then watch them commit to the water with crocodile below. It can take hours or happen in minutes, and the Game Package drives are timed around it.
Every tent has a mesh enclosed sleeping area, so on a clear night you can leave the canvas open and fall asleep under the northern Serengeti sky, with the sounds of the plains all round.
On longer drive days breakfast can be laid out on the plains beneath a big acacia, so you stay out with the herds through the best of the morning.
Hot air balloon flights over the Serengeti are arranged separately at extra cost where they operate, an early start that rewards you with the plains at first light.
Gallery
Room types
An Olakira tent taken by one guest, on wooden decking with a mesh enclosed sleeping area for stargazing, a writing desk, a hanging rail, leather sling chairs and an en suite bathroom with a solar heated shower. Kogatende season, June to October. On the Game Package rate, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and the stated airstrip transfers are included.
An Olakira tent with a double bed in the mesh enclosed sleeping area, so you can sleep under the stars on a clear night. Timber floors, woven rugs, a writing desk and lanterns, with an en suite bathroom and a solar heated shower. On the Game Package rate, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and the stated airstrip transfers are included.
The same Olakira tent set with two beds, with the mesh enclosed sleeping area, a writing desk, a hanging rail and an en suite bathroom with a solar heated shower. On the Game Package rate, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and the stated airstrip transfers are included.
An Olakira tent set for three, or one of the two family units with two bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom and solar heated shower. Children under 12 must share with an adult. On the Game Package rate, scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and the stated airstrip transfers are included.
An Olakira tent taken by one guest, on wooden decking with a mesh enclosed sleeping area for stargazing, a writing desk, a hanging rail, leather sling chairs and an en suite bathroom with a solar heated shower. Kogatende season, June to October. On the Full Board rate, meals and soft drinks are included; game drives and transfers are arranged separately.
An Olakira tent with a double bed in the mesh enclosed sleeping area, so you can sleep under the stars on a clear night. Timber floors, woven rugs, a writing desk and lanterns, with an en suite bathroom and a solar heated shower. On the Full Board rate, meals and soft drinks are included; game drives and transfers are arranged separately.
The same Olakira tent set with two beds, with the mesh enclosed sleeping area, a writing desk, a hanging rail and an en suite bathroom with a solar heated shower. On the Full Board rate, meals and soft drinks are included; game drives and transfers are arranged separately.
An Olakira tent set for three, or one of the two family units with two bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom and solar heated shower. Children under 12 must share with an adult. 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: July to October.
Location & access
Kogatende Northern Serengeti (Mara River)
Kogatende is the airstrip for the northern Serengeti and camp is about forty five minutes by road, a transfer included on the Game Package. Scheduled light aircraft from Arusha Airport take roughly two hours, usually stopping on the way. From Kilimanjaro International allow about an hour by road to Arusha Airport first.
A long road journey best taken over two days. From Kilimanjaro International Airport the road runs west to Arusha, then through Karatu and up across the Ngorongoro highlands to the Naabi Hill gate, north through Seronera and Lobo and on to Kogatende. Camp is about forty five minutes from the Kogatende area. Most guests fly instead.
On the map
1.568° S, 34.887° E
What's included
Frequently asked
From 1 June to 31 October Olakira stands in the Bolongonja area of the northern Serengeti, near where the Bolongonja river joins the Mara. Kogatende is the nearest airstrip, about forty five minutes by road. Asilia confirms the exact campsite each season.
Most guests fly. Scheduled light aircraft from Arusha reach Kogatende in roughly two hours, usually with a stop on the way, and the Game Package includes the road transfer from the airstrip. Driving from Arusha is a very long journey, best split over two days with a night in the central Serengeti.
July to October is crossing season on the Mara River, with July and August the busiest. June is quieter, with the herds massing on the northern plains before the first crossings, which usually start in early July. The camp is open here from June to October only.
Every rate includes full board, soft drinks, limited laundry and the Tourism Development Levy. The Game Package adds scheduled shared game drives in open vehicles and transfers to and from Kogatende airstrip. Park and camping fees, the Asilia conservation charge of USD 10 per person per night, flights, gratuities and evacuation insurance are paid on top.
Children aged 5 and over are welcome; ages 5 to 18 pay 50% of the adult sharing rate, 19 and over pay the adult rate, and children under 12 must share a tent with an adult. Under 5s are only accepted if the whole camp is booked exclusively with Asilia's prior approval. In high season (1 July to 31 October) families of fewer than five 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 quieter June it is free, subject to availability.
Yes, the camp has wifi and runs on solar power with a backup generator. Charging is done in camp, so bring the cables you need and expect a slower connection than at home.
Very remote; the nearest hospital is a flight away. Asilia adds compulsory emergency support cover of USD 35 per person, which coordinates care and Flying Doctors evacuation, but it works alongside your own travel and medical insurance, which you must have.
Each tent stands on wooden decking with a mesh enclosed sleeping area for stargazing, an en suite bathroom and a solar heated shower. Doubles, twins and triples are offered, and the family units have two bedrooms.
Olakira moves south to the Ndutu plains for December to March, which we list separately as Olakira Migration Camp South. It is closed in April, May and November, so plan another camp for those months.
From 2pm, with departure by 10am. Airstrip transfers before 10am are on request and may need a private vehicle at extra cost.
No. Wildlife moves freely through camp, which guests count as part of the experience, so you are walked to and from your tent after dark.
What's nearby
The main reason for the northern season. Guides move between crossing points along the river depending on where the herds gather.
About forty five minutes from camp. The airstrip and ranger post for the northern Serengeti.
The quieter wedge of the park north of the Mara River, reached across the river, with open plains and kopjes.
The camp's own river, which joins the Mara near camp and draws game in the dry months.
Plan this stay
Build your bespoke Tanzania safari with our team. Real lodge rates and itemised pricing throughout.
Build & price your trip
