Kogatende · Northern Serengeti · Tanzania
Gnu Mara River Camp
- 10 en-suite tents
- Open 1 June to 15 November
- Full board dining
- The camp moves with the migration
The Camp
Great Migration Camp on the Mara River
The great migration is a year-long circle, and the Mara River is its most dramatic chapter. Between July and mid-November, the herds cross the river again and again, following rain and grass between Tanzania and Kenya. Crocodiles wait in the water, and lions and leopards wait on the banks.
Our camp exists for this chapter. It stands in Kogatende, on the Tanzanian side of the river, close enough that guests reach the crossing points in about 40-45 minutes.
The camp itself stays small, with ten tents facing the plains. Decks look out over the grassland. Waterholes near camp bring animals to you between drives, and elephants sometimes feed at the entrance.
Even without the herds, the north stays generous. Resident lions, elephants, giraffes, and hyenas live here all year. Guests who came outside the crossing weeks still describe the area as their favourite part of the Serengeti.
Rooms
Rooms and Accommodation
All ten tents are en-suite, with a flush toilet and a hot shower. Solar power runs twenty-four hours a day, so lighting and charging work at any hour. Each tent has a deck facing the plains, proper beds with mosquito nets, bottled water, and daily housekeeping. All tents are non-smoking.
The tents are spacious, and reviewers often mention the room to move. The floors are carpeted, which keeps the tents warm during the cold northern mornings. The walls are canvas, so the herds, the hyenas, and the river country reach you at night.
Double or Twin Tent (6 tents)
Our double and twin tents take two guests, with a double bed or two twin beds. These are the tents most couples and photographers book.
Triple Tent (2 tents)
The triple tents take three guests. Friends travelling together and parents with one child use them most.
Family Tent (2 tents)
The family tents keep parents and children together in one unit, with separate sleeping areas. Tell us your family size when you enquire, and we will match you to the right tent.
- En-suite bathroom with hot shower
- 24-hour solar power with charging points
- Private deck facing the plains
- Carpeted floors
- Wi-Fi in the main areas
- Mosquito nets and bottled water
- Daily housekeeping
- Escort to your tent after dark
- Laundry service
Chances to See the Mara River Crossings
Most pages about the crossings promise a schedule. We will not, because the river does not keep one. Here is how it actually works.
The herds reach the northern Serengeti from late June and July. From then until mid-November, they cross the Mara River in both directions, many times. A crossing can involve a few hundred animals or tens of thousands. It can last ten minutes or two hours.
Nobody can promise a crossing on a given day. The herds gather at the banks, wait, and sometimes turn away for no visible reason. Then one animal jumps, and thousands follow.
What we can promise is position and patience. Our guides track where the herds are massing each morning. Because our mara river camp is near to the Great migration crossing points, you can wait at the river without wasting your day, return for lunch, and go back. Guests who stay three nights during the season have very good odds. Some see several crossings, and one of our reviewers saw two in a single stay.
One Camp, Two Seasons
Gnu Mara River Camp does something most camps cannot. It moves with the migration.
From 1 June to 15 November, the camp stands in Kogatende, because that is where the herds are. When the migration moves south for the calving season, the camp moves too. From late December to the end of March, it operates as Gnu Ndutu Camp on the southern plains, where half a million calves are born.
This is why the camp only opens in the north for part of the year, and it is a strength, not a limitation. You are never booking a camp that hopes the migration comes past. You are booking a camp that goes where the migration is.
Travelling between December and March? Our Gnu Ndutu Camp page covers the calving season in the south.
Facilities & Dining
Facilities and Dining
The main tent holds the restaurant, the bar, and a lounge with Wi-Fi. Breakfast is served early, so you can be at the river when the herds start moving. Dinner is a full served meal with a choice of dishes. One family who stayed across several Serengeti lodges voted our kitchen the best food of their safari.
If you are waiting at the river over midday, the kitchen packs a breakfast or lunch box. Tell us about dietary needs when you book, or when you arrive. Vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free, and most other requests are simple for us.
Your stay at Gnu Mara River Camp is full board. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are part of your rate, and drinks from the bar cost extra.
The camp is sustainability certified, and moving twice a year keeps us honest about it. Solar power runs everything, waste leaves the park with us, and the site is restored when the camp moves. We aim to leave nothing behind but tracks.
Location
Our Location in Kogatende, Northern Serengeti
Kogatende is the heart of Tanzania’s crossing country. It faces the Mara River in the far north of Serengeti National Park, and it stays quieter than the central Serengeti even in peak season. This is also the greenest corner of the park, with rolling hills that surprise guests expecting flat plains.
The camp stands minutes from the river, and the main crossing points spread along a short stretch of it. Most guests fly into Kogatende Airstrip, with daily flights from Arusha and connections from Zanzibar. The transfer to camp is a game drive of about forty minutes.
Guests combining regions usually fly between camps. A common route pairs the north with our Mawe Tented Camp in the central Serengeti, and road travellers break the journey at our Karatu Tented Lodge near Ngorongoro.
Best Time to See the Mara River Crossings
July to October
These are the crossing months. The herds shuttle across the river in both directions, and predator activity peaks on the banks. This is the busiest and best window, and tents sell out months ahead. Book early for July to September.
June
The camp opens on 1 June, ahead of the main herds. The advance columns begin arriving in the north from late June. Rates and crowds stay lower, and the resident game is already here. June suits travellers who want the north without peak pressure.
November
The herds begin drifting south as the short rains start, and crossings continue into early November. By mid-November the migration has moved on, and the camp closes and follows it. The camp reopens in the south for the calving season from late December.
Activities
Things to Do at Gnu Mara River Camp
Every activity starts at camp. Book ahead where you can, so we can arrange guides and permits.
01 — Crossing vigils and game drives
Crossing vigils and game drives
Game drives run in our 4×4 vehicles with our own guides. During crossing season, drives are built around the river, with our guides tracking where the herds gather each morning. The rest of the north, with its resident cats and elephants, fills the quieter hours.
02 — Hot air balloon safari
Hot air balloon safari
Balloons fly over the northern Serengeti at dawn, drifting above the herds and the river country. The flight ends with a bush breakfast. Seats are limited in season, so book this one well ahead.
03 — Evening drives and bush dinners
Evening drives and bush dinners
The day can end with an evening drive and a bush dinner under the stars. These need advance notice, and our team arranges the rest.
04 — Watching from camp
Watching from camp
The waterholes near camp draw animals through the day, and elephants sometimes feed by the entrance. Between drives, a deck chair and binoculars do real work here.
More Than a Place to Sleep
You do not need a separate tour operator to travel with us. Our team plans complete multi-day luxury safaris across the Northern Circuit, with our own 4×4 vehicles and guides. One route can join all five Mawe properties, from the Mara River to the central Serengeti, Ndutu, Karatu, and Tarangire. Send us your dates, and we will build the trip around them.
Rates and Booking
Rack rates, per person per night, full board. One rate applies across the season:
| Room type | 1 June – 15 November |
|---|---|
| Single (single occupancy) | $350 |
| Double / Twin (per person sharing) | $286 |
| Triple (per person sharing) | $262 |
| Family Suite (per person sharing) | $265 |
Included
Full board meals (breakfast, packed lunch or lunch, dinner), Wi-Fi in main areas, VAT and government fees, parking.
Not included
Serengeti park entrance fees, concession fees, and campsite fees, which TANAPA collects separately, drinks from the bar, activities such as balloon flights and bush dinners, transfers, gratuities.
For a camp minutes from the crossing points, these rates are best-value luxury. The crossing weeks from July to September sell out first, so enquire early for those dates.
Check live availability, or send us an enquiry, and we will reply with dates and a full quote.
What Our Guests Say
Marcel Z, July 2026
Edel M, July 2026
“Gnu migration camp “
J D, Oct 2025
Read all our reviews on TripAdvisor under Gnu Mara River Migration Camp, the listing that travels with us. Guests return most often to three subjects: the staff, the food, and the river.
Frequently Asked Questions
The same river and the same herds serve both sides. The Serengeti side in Tanzania offers a longer window, since the herds cross here in both directions from July to mid-November. Kogatende also stays quieter than the busiest parts of the Masai Mara. Our camp stands on the Serengeti side, 40-45 minutes from the crossing points.
The main window runs from July to October, with crossings continuing into early November. Within that window, crossings happen on no fixed schedule. The herds cross in both directions, many times, following rain and grass.
No, and no honest camp will promise one. The herds decide when to cross. What improves your odds is time and position. Staying three nights during the season, five minutes from the crossing points, gives you very good chances.
The camp is in the Kogatende area of the northern Serengeti, in Tanzania, a five-minute drive from the Mara River. It is on the Tanzanian side of the border, inside Serengeti National Park.
Kogatende Airstrip, with daily flights from Arusha and connections from Zanzibar and elsewhere. The transfer to camp is a game drive of about forty minutes.
The camp operates in Kogatende from 1 June to 15 November each year. Outside those dates, it moves south and runs as Gnu Ndutu Camp for the calving season, from late December to the end of March.
Because the migration moves. The camp follows the herds between the Mara River in the north and the Ndutu plains in the south. You always book the camp where the migration actually is.
Rates are per person per night, sharing a tent, on full board. A couple in a double tent pays twice the listed rate for the tent. Park, concession, and campsite fees are separate, and TANAPA collects them.
Yes. Two family tents keep parents and children in one unit, and the triple tents suit small families. Tell us the ages of your children when you enquire, so we can advise on river days.
Yes. We arrange everything from single game drives to complete multi-day safaris across the Northern Circuit, with our own vehicles and guides.
Continue Your Safari With Mawe Lodges
Gnu Mara River Camp is one of five Mawe properties across northern Tanzania. Many guests link two or three of them in one route.
Gnu Ndutu Camp
The same camp in its southern season, for the calving months.
Mawe Tented Camp
Resident big cats in the central Serengeti, all year.
Karatu Tented Lodge
Your base near Ngorongoro Crater, on the road route.
Baobab Tented Camp
Your nights inside Tarangire National Park.
See You Very Soon
Send us your dates and questions below. We reply quickly, usually within a day. For July to September, earlier is better.
