Grumeti Game Reserve, next to Serengeti National Park, is an integral part of the greater Serengeti ecosystem.
The Tanzanian government created the reserve in 1994 to protect the annual wildebeest migration route. The right to manage and conserve the 350,000 acres comprising Grumeti was granted to the Grumeti Community and Wildlife Conservation Fund (now known as Grumeti Fund) in 2002. This for the benefit of conservation in this area of the Serengeti.
In the remote western reaches of the Serengeti, there are only a few lodges here, and one seldom sees other safari vehicles. As Grumeti is in a remote and beautiful corner of Serengeti National Park, it perhaps is one of its best-kept secrets. Because of its remoteness, it makes for an exceptional game viewing experience with the feeling of the exclusivity. The numer of visitors in Grumeti is limited to around sixty guests in only a few small Serengeti luxury camps, this is a prime quality area devoid of tourist crowds. Looking for a private experience without the crowds? Grumeti allows you to experience a private Serengeti.
Grumeti is known for its large lion prides comprising between 20 and up to 60 individuals. The opportunities for seeing lions in Grumeti are outstanding; this is also the place where you can enjoy a sighting alone.
Only a few places in Serengeti National offer walking safaris, which makes this option in Grumeti Game Reserve a special treat. You can spend hours on foot in the bush with your guide, learning about birds and insects and tracking animals, but also discover cultural and medicinal uses for indigenous plants. Being outside Serengeti National Park boundaries means that your guide is not bound by park regulations and has much greater freedom to operate a wide range of safari activities. Vehicle safaris can be operated by during the day but also at night; and the opportunity to drive off-road guaranteed making the most of special sightings.
Game viewing is good throughout the year. The broken savannah south of the Grumeti River supports resident populations of giraffe, elephant, wildebeest, zebra, and lion. The little-visited vistas of open grassland north of the Grumeti River are especially good for cheetah sightings.
Riverine forest along the river harbours a few troops of the beautiful black and-white colobus monkey, the area is also home to plenty of hippos, crocodiles and birds.
Lesser known than the crossing of the Mara River, is the crossing of the Grumeti River, usually in late June or early July: it is one of the most dramatic sequences in the annual Great Migration, and a feast for the population of outsized crocodiles.
Only a handful of top end lodges can be found in the Grumeti area. During the Great Migration period, May-July, this changes and several mobile camps will set up camp in the area.
