At Serengeti Simba Lodge, the hill comes indoors. The lodge is built around a natural rocky kopje, so the bar, lounge and dining room curve around bare rock, and the views from the decks run across the western Serengeti to the Grumeti River.
It stands in the Ikona Wildlife Management Area, just outside the national park near Fort Ikoma Gate. That address brings freedoms the park can’t offer, including night game drives in the dry season and village visits with the neighbouring Ikoma community. The Great Migration herds of wildebeests and zebras pass through the area too, usually around June and July and again in October.
Meals mix continental cooking with local dishes, Tanzanian coffee and tea. Evenings start with popcorn around the campfire, and on special nights dinner becomes a barbecue under the stars. Between drives there’s an infinity pool with a sun deck, a viewing deck and performances from the Simba Dancers.
Please note: there are stairs and some steep paths around the lodge, so it isn’t suited to guests with limited mobility. Electricity is limited, as the lodge relies on a generator for room power, though a 24-hour charging station is available at reception. Children aged six and over are welcome.
ACCOMMODATION
Each tented rondavel is built from canvas, stone and thatch, with a private deck, a bathtub and an outdoor stone shower. Every room faces the savannah, so the view is there the moment you open the curtains. Families have their own base in the Stone House, with family rooms that can fit an extra bed. Hot water comes courtesy of the sun, thanks to the lodge’s solar system.
Serengeti Simba Lodge sits on a rocky kopje in the Ikona Wildlife Management Area, just outside the western Serengeti National Park. Fort Ikoma Gate is about 20 minutes away, so game drives into the park start almost on the doorstep. Most guests arrive by road as part of a northern circuit safari, about 200 km from Ngorongoro or 220 km from Karatu, and the last stretch to the lodge is rough. For those who fly in, the Ikoma airstrip is also about a 20-minute drive. From the hilltop, the views stretch across the plains to the Grumeti River.
Speak to a specialist for availability and pricing.
