About this hotel
General information
Singita Sasakwa Lodge sits on a high plateau on Sasakwa Hill, with the Serengeti plains running out to the horizon below. The main house is built in the manner of a stately Edwardian manor, with a grand entrance, verandas wrapping around the building, long rooms lined with books and photographs, and wide lawns. Inside, antiques, silver candelabra and collected pieces sit beside local artefacts, so that European classicism meets East African character.
The lodge has ten cottages and a separate Hillside Suite, each with its own pool. Around it lies the Singita Grumeti Reserve, more than 350,000 acres of private land in the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem, cared for by the non-profit Grumeti Fund; buffalo, wildebeest and elephant numbers have recovered here, and critically endangered eastern black rhino have been returned to the reserve. All meals and drinks, premium wines and spirits included, twice-daily game drives, tennis, laundry and airstrip transfers are part of the stay. Children of all ages are welcome.
Location
The lodge lies in the Singita Grumeti Reserve along the western corridor of the Serengeti, next to Serengeti National Park. All flights land at Sasakwa Airstrip inside the reserve, where the lodge team meets guests; return airstrip transfers are included. A direct flight takes about 1 hr 15 min from Kilimanjaro International Airport and about an hour from Arusha. Partner airline Grumeti Air flies daily from Arusha via Kilimanjaro, and private charters can be arranged. The lodge can be reached by road, though flying is recommended.
Spa
Treatments are given at the lodge’s wellness centre or in the privacy of a cottage, each one shaped around the guest and drawing on the culture and traditions of the region. Qualified instructors lead yoga sessions in the suite, in the lodge’s shared spaces or out in the bush, and every room has a yoga mat and a card with a sequence for self-led practice.
Sports & leisure
Game drives in open vehicles leave early each morning and again in the late afternoon, led by a guide and a tracker. The reserve holds lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, elephant, bat-eared fox, Maasai giraffe and the rare colobus monkey, and the wildebeest migration usually passes through between May and July. Other experiences include:
- guided bush walks with a field guide and tracker (a minimum age of 16 is suggested);
- sunrise hot-air balloon flights of about an hour, daily all year when the weather allows, with partner Serengeti Balloon Safaris (children over 7);
- two private tennis courts looking over the bush, with rackets and balls provided;
- a fitness centre with free weights, elliptical trainers and treadmills, plus Pilates, resistance-band workouts and guided sessions;
- birdwatching with the lodge’s field guides, and stargazing;
- wine tastings with a sommelier at the lodge or out on the plains at sunset;
- visits to neighbouring communities and to the Grumeti Fund’s education and research centres;
- the Singita Boutique & Gallery, with sculpture, homeware, jewellery and fine-art prints from across the continent.
For children
Young guests can take the Mini Rangers course, which covers animal tracking, astronomy, bush survival skills, game, tree and bird-spotting contests and nature quizzes. There are also cooking sessions, board games, stargazing, arts and crafts, films, activity booklets, swimming and tennis. Childminding and babysitting are available, and children join game drives and walks at the guide’s discretion.
Restaurants & bars
Meals are served in the main house and on a stone terrace under the trees overlooking the plains, with the kitchen opening onto the dining area and some of the produce grown in the lodge’s own vegetable garden. The wine list centres on South Africa, from private reserves and rare auction bottles to limited single-vineyard releases, and a four-course food and wine pairing dinner can be arranged, as can sundowner cocktails out in the bush. Halaal meals are prepared on request with advance notice. All meals and drinks, premium wines and spirits included, are part of the stay.
Swimming
A large swimming pool lies beside the main house, looking out from Sasakwa Hill across the Serengeti plains. Loungers line the water, drinks and snacks are served poolside, and the pool is open for a late swim under the stars. Every cottage also has its own plunge pool, and the Hillside Suite has a private pool.
Rooms
Ten cottages — six with one bedroom, two with two, one with three and one with four — and a single dual-level Hillside Suite for two. The cottages have polished parquet floors, vintage collectables, living rooms with fireplaces and French doors onto verandas.
Each cottage has a private plunge pool, a living room with a fireplace, a dressing area, a spacious bathroom, a veranda, complimentary Wi-Fi, a hairdryer, and a yoga mat with an instruction card.
One-Bedroom Cottage
A cottage with a double bedroom, a living room with a fireplace, a dressing area and a spacious bathroom. French doors open onto the veranda, and there is a private plunge pool.
Hillside Suite
A dual-level one-bedroom suite for two with a private pool and its own access road. A dedicated host looks after guests, and a private field guide and vehicle are reserved for their game drives.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.