Nomad’s Lamai Private, Serengeti, Tanzania

What sort of accommodation is available at Lamai Serengeti?

Guest accommodation consists of 12 rooms, split into two properties. Main Lodge has eight rooms and Private Lodge, which can be booked on an exclusive basis, has just four.

Two of the Main Lodge rooms are suitable for family use. All rooms are open fronted, offering uninterrupted views over the Serengeti’s sprawling plains! Each occupies a timber-and-thatch structure that’s nicely nestled into the Kogakuria kopjes and positioned with maximum privacy in mind.

With every standard room, a wooden door leads into the spacious bedroom. Here, you’ll find a double bed with mosquito nets, bedside tables and lighting, a writing desk and chair, lots of snug rugs, and a day bed too. The bedroom flows out onto the deck, which is set with a small table and a couple of chairs. Back in the room, another wooden door opens into the washroom, which contains flush toilet, twin washbasins, step-up shower, and a useful storage unit. From here, a stable-style door leads onto the deck.

The two family rooms benefit from all the features of the standard room and each also has an extra twin bedroom for children. Rather than en-suite arrangements, there’s one large shower room, which is shared.

What Activities are available at Lamai Serengeti?

Sharing the riveting dramas of tooth and claw in this offbeat part of the Serengeti is an extraordinary family adventure.

• Game Viewing
• What is less known about this part of the Serengeti ecosystem are the very healthy concentrations of lion, leopard and buffalo to be seen all year round.  With expert guides and rugged 4x4s, you’ll head out into the plains for big mammal discovery, and fantastic photographic opportunities.  

• The Crossings
• This remote part of the Serengeti is bisected by the perilous Mara River, where once a year, between July and October, over a million-strong wildebeest and zebra throw themselves across its crocodile-infested waters, heading for where the grass is greener. This makes for spectacular predator and prey viewing on the banks in the late dry season.  
• Private Guiding
• Mkombe’s House offers a uniquely private wildlife experience. Their highly trained resident Nomad Guides with their own 4x4s will be available to you and your group alone - so you can keep the children happy and the only schedule you’ll need care about is your own - and Mother Nature's.
• Bush Walks

Does Lamai Serengeti cater for families with young children?

We’ve been taking our own children on safari for years, so we know what floats their boats in the bush. Lamai Serengeti was created specially with them in mind, so everything about it from the freedom from schedules to the toddler pool is about making them (and you) happy.

We love to walk and here we have a rare and special dispensation to do so in a national park. When the grass is short and safe to move through, we slip out of the lodge, where small valleys, river lines and rocky kopjes make for frequent changes of scenery...and provide perfect cover for approaching wild animals.

• 3 bedrooms with child-safe annexes
• Age 8 and over 
• Bush walks (over 12s)
• Private guiding available 

• Designed specifically with families in mind
• Secure children’s' rooms
• High chairs, car seats, cots, and baby baths available
• Babysitters at hand

When is the best time to visit Lamai Serengeti?

This area of lush, rolling grassland and tree-lined watercourses is the hub around which the Serengeti migration circulates. During the dry season, the herds mass on both banks of the Mara River, frequently crossing - and braving the crocs - in response to local weather patterns that only they seem to understand.

But even a brief visit to Lamai at any time of year will demonstrate that it's not all about the migration. Unlike the southern plains of the Serengeti that dry out, forcing all but the hardiest of species to leave, this area remains lush and green. There's a collective sigh of relief from the resident game when the one and a half million migrating wildebeest - and the madness that attends them - leave town for a few months. 

And the resident game at Lamai Serengeti is spectacular. Plains game in the form of zebra, topi, gazelles, impala, buffalo and giraffe all frequent the area throughout the year.  Lion are rarely far away and leopard, ever present, but always elusive, stalk the rocky kopjes and river lines.

What should I pack and bring with me?

Your safari suitcase, packed properly, will ensure that you have everything you need for the ultimate African bush experience. Cotton clothing in neutral colours is recommended for all game drives and bush walks. It is best to avoid white clothing and dark colours for bush activities, as they tend to attract certain bugs. Formal wear is not required.

We recommend packing the following:

• Comfortable walking shoes/track shoes/hiking boots for walks; and sandals to wear around the house.
• Swimming costume/bathing suits, sun block, sun hat, sunglasses, lip balm, mosquito repellent
• Camera and video camera, binoculars, spare memory cards and charging equipment. 
• Please note that in the event of rain during a game drive, waterproof ponchos will be provided for your comfort.
• The lodge is located in a remote area and therefore you should remember to bring an extra pair of spectacles (if required), contact lenses and an extra set of contact lenses (if required) as well as a sufficient supply of any prescription medication.

Why is Conservation and Responsible Tourism so important at Lamai Serengeti?

The Nomad Trust

In a nutshell, the Nomad Trust is the philanthropic arm of the Nomad Tanzania safari operations. They channel their influence into supporting projects that they believe do great work safeguarding the future of these wild and wonderful places and supporting the people who call them home.

The work of their Trust partners differs from one remote corner to another and this affects their own internal Trust operations. From providing space in camp and vehicles and getting students on safari in Ruaha, to supporting village MOUs in Tarangire which are working hard at saving essential pieces of the ecosystem. They also support Maasai nursery kids in Ngorongoro and in Mahale as part of their own internal operations and donate regularly to de-snaring teams patrolling the Serengeti plains. There is a lot to do, and plenty to keep them busy.