Review: Lemala Nanyukie, Serengeti, Tanzania
Two nights • August 12–14, 2026
At a glance
- Location
- Eastern Serengeti, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
- Operator
- Lemala Camps & Lodges
- Type and size
- Tented camp, 15 suites, each with a private plunge pool (opened 2018)
- We stayed
- 2 nights, August 12–14, 2026
- Our rating
- 3.7 / 5 · Room 4.1 · Service 3.5 · Food 4.1 · Guiding 4.0 · Location 4.4
- Best for
- Guests who want a large, beautiful suite and resort comforts in camp, guests traveling with their own guide, and anyone who wants the central Serengeti away from the crowds around Seronera
- Not ideal for
- Guests who want a small camp and personal service, where the safari is the whole point of the trip
- Getting there
- Fly to Seronera airstrip, then about an hour's drive to camp that doubles as a game drive. Game drives, park fees and airstrip transfers are booked separately from the room rate.
Lemala Nanyukie is a fifteen-suite tented camp on the eastern side of the central Serengeti, about an hour's drive east of the Seronera airstrip. It opened in 2018 and is run by Lemala Camps & Lodges, which has camps and lodges across northern Tanzania.
Lemala is a brand we already sell, and we have guests booked into Lemala properties in the coming year. We wanted to see Nanyukie for ourselves, so we know exactly which of our guests it suits. Lemala doesn't divide its properties into tiers, so we reviewed Nanyukie on its own terms.
I traveled with my father-in-law, Mo, for two nights in mid-August. We came down from Mara North in Kenya and went on to Mila in the Serengeti's Western Corridor afterward. Benson wasn't with us on this leg, so everything here is what any guest should expect.
How the rate works matters here, because it isn't fully all-inclusive. Lemala's standard rate covers your suite, all meals, house drinks, Wi-Fi and laundry. Game drives with a Lemala guide and vehicle are a separate package, and so are park fees and airstrip transfers. We booked the game drive package. Guests can also book the room on its own and arrive with their own guide from a safari operator, and some of the guests in camp had done exactly that.
The short version: Nanyukie is a beautiful property. The suites are large and modern, each with its own plunge pool, and the main pool feels like a resort. It also sits within reach of Namiri Plains, one of the best places to see cheetah, and our full day there gave us one of the best sightings I have ever had. But it feels much more like a big lodge than a small safari camp, and the service, while reliable, waits to be asked. It was a good stay rather than a memorable one, and the best of it happened out on the plains.
Getting There
Our route in was an adventure of its own. We flew from Serian The Original to Migori in western Kenya, crossed the border into Tanzania by road, and then flew on to Seronera, with a few stops along the way. It was a long day, and we arrived without having had lunch.
Our guide for the stay, Ludovick, met us at Seronera. The drive to camp takes about an hour and doubles as a game drive. We were tired and would happily have gone straight to camp, but it paid off: we saw two cheetahs on the way. We also saw how busy the roads around Seronera are, with a crowd of vehicles at most of the sightings we passed.
We reached camp at around six and were met with cold towels. We went to our suite to freshen up and came back to the fire just after seven.
Setting & Location
Nanyukie sits on the eastern side of the central Serengeti, on open grassland broken up by rocky outcrops, or kopjes, and big old acacias. That puts it within reach of the central Serengeti's wildlife while keeping it away from the busiest area around Seronera.
The big draw is to the east. Namiri Plains is a vast stretch of wide-open plain, exactly the kind of country cheetahs like to roam, and one of the best places to see them. That is where we spent our full day, and it is where we found the sighting of the trip.
This is a national park, and the main roads are busy. The bigger sightings near the main routes were crowded, and that isn't our scene. On our way out to the airstrip, we passed a cheetah sighting with about fifteen vehicles around it. Your experience here depends heavily on your guide. We asked Ludovick to skip the radio and find our own sightings, even if that meant fewer of them, and the result was a day of wildlife that was amazing and almost never crowded.
Off-road driving isn't allowed in the Serengeti, so you stay on the tracks.
The camp is unfenced, and the wildlife moves through it freely. At night the camp was full of buffalo. For that reason guests are escorted to and from their suites at all times of day, not just after dark.
The weather in mid-August was cool in the mornings and wonderful for the rest of the day. It was also windy, which ended up shaping our best sighting.
Facilities
The main area is split into two raised sections, a lounge and bar in one and the dining area in the other. Between them, a little lower and almost at ground level, is the fire pit, where we spent both evenings before dinner. The dining area is large and very nice.
The pool is large and very pretty, and the area around it feels like a resort. Even in August, guests were using it during the afternoon siesta.
The spa is in its own tent. I saw it but didn't have a treatment.
There is a small shop by the entrance to camp.
Wi-Fi was good, and I got some work done on our first night. Power worked well throughout, with no issues.
The paths between the suites and the main area are at ground level. Our suite was about a five-minute walk away. Maasai staff walk guests to and from the rooms, and each suite has a phone to call the front when you need an escort.
Scale shapes everything at Nanyukie. With fifteen suites, the camp felt full, and with some guests on Lemala's game drives and others with their own guides, everyone keeps different hours. That makes it hard to manage a camp this size, and it is a big part of why it feels like a lodge rather than a camp.
The Room
The suites are beautiful, modern and large. They are tented, with high canvas ceilings and hardwood decks, but they feel more like a lodge room than a tent. They have real windows and a sliding door, which makes them noticeably quieter than a canvas tent.
Each suite has three spaces. At the front is a small seating area with a day bed. The middle space has the king bed, a large closet behind it, and a desk with charging points. At the back is the bathroom, with a freestanding tub, twin basins and an indoor shower. The water pressure was great. There is also an outdoor shower, which I didn't use.
Outside is a beautiful raised deck with places to relax and a private plunge pool. In August the plunge pool was covered and far too cold to use, so the main pool is where guests go in the afternoons.
There is a small fridge in the suite. I asked for soda water and Coke Zero, and they were added. There is no coffee station, but coffee arrives with your wake-up call, and a phone call to the front brings anything else you need. A cappuccino with the wake-up call is a nice way to start the day.
Airflow is the suite's weak point. Even in August, the coolest time of year, our suite was hot. The only cooling is a standing fan, and the windows have no screens, so you can't leave them open overnight. I asked the team to open the flaps, and that solved it for us. In the warmer months, guests should expect this to matter more.
One small design miss: there is a second desk in the seating area, facing the window, but it has no power outlets, so it isn't really usable as a desk.
The Vehicle
Nanyukie's vehicles are open-sided Land Cruisers, the standard camp game-drive configuration, with six seats. Mo and I happened to have ours to ourselves, but I suspect that was luck rather than the rule, so I wouldn't count on it. Guests who want a private vehicle should request one when booking.
The vehicles are average. They haven't been upgraded and have no extras, and ours was quite wobbly on rougher ground.
On board you'll find blankets and ponchos and a cooler, though it didn't keep drinks particularly cold. I didn't see bean bags, camera mounts or charging points at the seats, so photographers should bring their own beanbag.
Access is easy. Mo had no trouble getting in and out.
Ludovick guided solo, without a tracker. At our request he stayed off the radio and worked his own ground.
Food
The food at Nanyukie was good, and better than I expected. There was nothing I would call a standout, but nothing went wrong either.
Dinner is ordered from a menu with a choice of two or three mains each night. That is fewer options than at the smaller camps we know, which comes with the size. A waiter was assigned to us for the stay.
On our first night I had a tomato soup, a seafood curry and a date pudding. Mo had a salad in place of the soup and ice cream for dessert. Everything was tasty, and after a long day of travel with no lunch, very welcome.
On our second night I had a potato soup and a chicken main. Both were delicious. The tiramisu was just okay.
On our full day, Ludovick set up coffee with proper chairs while we watched the cheetahs from a distance. Lunch was set up nearby, and we sat over it for about half an hour while the cheetahs moved off. It was a simple lunch and a really good one.
Sundowners on our second evening were camping chairs at a beautiful spot, with soda water for me and a glass of wine for Mo. The drinks box was limited, and nobody asked us beforehand what we would like in it.
Breakfast on our last morning was a buffet with an egg station. It is included, as it is for all our guests.
Drinks are included at the bar and with meals, with premium brands charged separately. We were asked about dietary needs.
Service
Service at Nanyukie was good, and it was reliable. Everything we asked for happened quickly: the cappuccino with the wake-up call, the soda water and Coke Zero in the fridge, the flaps opened on our suite.
But nothing happened before we asked. For me, that is where the luxury in safari lives: a team that remembers how you take your coffee, or what you'd like in the drinks box, without being told. Nanyukie's service was efficient but not warm or personal, and it felt more like a hotel than a camp.
Abdul was our waiter for the stay. He was good at his job, though he didn't stand out.
The general manager, Andy, was friendly and present. He came and stood with us at the fire on our second evening. But we didn't see any guides or other guests at the fire, and the evenings were quiet. Some of that is the size of the camp and the split between guests on Lemala's game drives and guests with their own guides, who keep different schedules. It is hard to build the feel of a camp around the fire when everyone is on a different clock.
The transfer out was the one real misstep. Ludovick didn't drive us to the airstrip. Another driver did, and he drove it like a race, though we weren't running late. At times it felt as if we might fly out of the vehicle, and the drive still took about an hour and twenty minutes. On any safari, having your own guide collect you and drop you off at the airstrip makes for a better experience, and this drive showed why.
Activities & Guiding
Game drives run morning and afternoon on the game drive package, and full-day drives with lunch out are possible. Ballooning is available from another part of the central Serengeti at additional cost. Night drives aren't permitted in the national park, and walking wasn't offered to us.
Our guide was Ludovick, a good guide and a very good tracker. When we asked him to forget the radio and find our own sightings, he took it seriously, and his patience gave us the best sighting of our trip. He didn't do much to read how we were feeling or what we needed beyond that, but I would be happy to go out with him again.
The full day was the heart of our stay. We left at 6:30 and headed toward Namiri Plains, taking our time, looking and listening, and steering away from other vehicles. Along the way we found elephants and plenty of plains game.
Then we found a female cheetah with four cubs. A few other vehicles came, three at one point, and then moved on. We stayed. She went after a Thomson's gazelle and missed. Then the cubs lost track of her. They called for her, but the wind was carrying their calls away, and she couldn't hear them. Eventually they found each other and settled together under a tree, and some of the cubs began climbing it. It was pure magic, one of the best sightings I have ever had, and it only happened because we were willing to wait.
Ludovick set up coffee and chairs at a distance so we could keep watching. Then lunch, where we sat for about half an hour. When the cheetahs moved off, we finished up and gave them their space. We were back at camp at about half past two.
The second afternoon we went out at five for a short drive near camp and a sundowner, with chairs set up to watch an absolutely gorgeous sunset. We were back by seven.
Across the stay we saw cheetah, elephant, wildebeest, zebra, impala, Thomson's gazelle and plenty of other plains game.
The Good & The Bad
| The Good | |
|---|---|
| A cheetah mother and four cubs. | Mostly to ourselves for a whole morning: a failed hunt, a lost-and-found reunion and cubs climbing a tree. One of the best sightings I've ever had. |
| Namiri Plains on the doorstep. | Some of the best cheetah country anywhere, within a day's drive. |
| Away from Seronera. | Central Serengeti access without staying in its busiest corner. |
| Large, modern suites. | Real windows and a sliding door, a freestanding tub, great water pressure, and a raised deck with a private plunge pool. |
| A resort-style pool. | A large, pretty main pool, plus a spa tent. |
| Ludovick's patience. | He went off the radio on request and worked his own ground. |
| Coffee and lunch at the sighting. | Chairs set up so we could keep watching the cheetahs. |
| Better food than expected. | Nothing went wrong, and a cappuccino arrives with the wake-up call. |
| Reliable basics. | Requests handled quickly, and Wi-Fi and power that worked throughout. |
| The Bad | |
|---|---|
| A big lodge, not a safari camp. | With fifteen suites and guests on different schedules, the camp felt full and the evenings quiet. We didn't see guides or other guests at the fire. |
| Service waits to be asked. | Everything we requested came quickly, but nothing was anticipated, and it didn't feel warm or personal. |
| The suites run hot. | Only a standing fan, and no screens on the windows, so you can't leave them open overnight. Ask for the flaps to be opened. Screens would fix it. |
| A desk with no power. | The second desk in the seating area faces the view but has no outlets. |
| Average vehicles. | Not upgraded, wobbly on rough ground, and the cooler didn't keep drinks cold. No bean bags, so bring your own. |
| A basic sundowner. | The drinks box was limited, and nobody asked what we'd like in it. |
| The transfer out. | Another driver took us to the airstrip, too fast, though we weren't late. Your own guide should handle airstrip transfers. |
| Busy roads and crowded sightings. | This is a popular national park. Expect crowds near the main routes, and ask your guide to find your own sightings. |
| Fewer menu choices. | Two or three mains a night, as you'd expect at a bigger camp. |
Conclusion
Lemala Nanyukie is a beautiful place. The suites are large and modern, the plunge pool decks and main pool give it a resort feel, and it sits within reach of Namiri Plains, one of the best places to see cheetah. Our full day out with Ludovick was one of the best days of the whole trip.
What it isn't is an intimate safari camp. It is a big, polished lodge in tented form, where service does what you ask quickly and well but rarely gets there first.
Who should book it? Guests who want a large, beautiful suite with a private plunge pool, and a pool and resort comforts back in camp. Guests traveling with their own guide, who want a comfortable base rather than a camp to shape their days. Anyone who wants the central Serengeti without being right in the crowds around Seronera. And guests for whom safari is part of the trip but not its whole purpose.
Who should look elsewhere? Guests who want a small camp and personal service. If the safari is the point of your trip, with the guide, the fire and a team that knows what you need before you ask, there are better fits.
How should it be paired? Use Nanyukie for the central and eastern Serengeti, and pair it with Kenya's Masai Mara or other parts of the Serengeti, depending on the season. We went on from here to Mila in the Western Corridor.
Would we return, and would we send guests? I probably wouldn't return to Nanyukie myself, but I would like to try other Lemala properties. And I would send guests here when it matches what they want, because for the right guest it is a lovely place to stay.
“A beautiful base for cheetah country.”
- Room4.1
- Service3.5
- Food4.1
- Guiding4.0
- Location4.4
More reviews nearby
- Mila, Western Serengeti
- Namiri Plains, Eastern Serengeti
- Great Plains Mara Nyika, Naboisho Conservancy
- Wilderness Mara, Mara Triangle
Planning a trip? See our Tanzania safari guide or all our camp reviews.
