Singita Sasakwa Lodge is a turn-of-the-century-style manor house steeped in the grandeur of a bygone age. Located on the unfenced slopes of Sasakwa Hill in the 141,000-hectare Grumeti Reserve in Tanzania, it enjoys sweeping views over the endless plains of the Serengeti to the blue hills on the distant horizon.

The Serengeti is the scene of one of nature’s greatest spectacles when over a million wildebeest, zebra and gazelles migrate through the region on their endless quest in search of fresh grazing and water. Undeterred by a host of predators that lie in wait or perilous river crossings teeming with crocodiles, blind instinct drives the herds forward in a relentless dance of life and death. Year-round game drives both in and out of the Migration season consistently produce excellent Big 5 sightings, not to mention other lesser-seen creatures such as bat-eared foxes.

There are 10 private cottages at Singita Sasakwa Lodge in 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom configurations, each with an infinity plunge pool overlooking the plains. Your butler will ensure impeccable service, right down to keeping your favourite white wine on ice for you to enjoy in the wood-panelled bar while playing a game of snooker. Adults can unwind in the gym and spa or on the tennis and archery courts while children have a special programme that includes a mini ranger course and baking with the skilled chefs. Stately, gracious and refined, Singita Sasakwa Lodge provides only the very best in service, accommodation and game viewing.

Highlights

• Excellent Great Migration viewing
• Year-round Big 5 sightings
• Guided safari walks
• Butler service & Internet connectivity
• Children’s programme & babysitting service
• Private cottages with plunge pools
• Tennis, gym, spa, Jacuzzi & archery

Activities

• BIKING
• BIRD WATCHING
• GAME DRIVES
• HOT AIR BALLOONING
• SPECIALIST GUIDES
• STAR GAZING
• TENNIS

Singita Sasakwa is a great choice for families or guests who enjoy the bush but still have all the luxuries of a 5-star establishment. The private cottages are huge and offer sufficient space for smaller or even large families. Other than the games and activities you can enjoy tennis, a gym and there is a wide range of activities for children!

Rooms

Cottage

Nine guest cottages offer between one and three bedrooms for guests. Each has its verandah and garden with an infinity plunge pool that is positioned to maximise the stupendous views. Elegantly furnished in the same comfortably refined style as the main house, the suites feature enormous 4-poster beds draped in mosquito netting and separate sitting rooms with televisions. The spacious en suite bathrooms have rain showers and claw-foot bathtubs positioned near enormous windows, allowing you to enjoy a blissful soak while soaking in the view of the Serengeti. Suites are furnished with all the creature comforts, including fireplaces for chilly evenings, wood-panelled dressing rooms and beautiful chandeliers and wingback chairs.

Facilities

Based around a stone manor house atop Sasakwa Hill (which has the dual benefits of spectacular vistas and minimizing the presence of flies and mosquitoes), Singita Sasakwa feels timeless. Patinated antiques shine while glittering chandeliers send a kaleidoscopic scattering of light across the spacious rooms. Plush sofas and divans invite you to sink into them and gaze out across the plains. The wide terrace leads off to the main swimming pool, which is adjacent to the Bush Spa, itself the serene setting for signature therapies like the Serengeti Stress Relief Ceremony and the Njozi za Africa (‘Dreams of Africa’) Body Ritual using Dermalogica products. Those wanting to work up a sweat and an appetite can take to the tennis and archery courts or gym. For a magnificent view of the Serengeti plains, take to the cool dawn mists in a hot-air balloon or reserve a private 4x4 game-viewing vehicle for your party’s exclusive use.

Children are especially welcome at Singita Sasakwa, where staff enjoy delighting the littlest safari-goers. In addition to a professional babysitting service, the lodge offers a well-rounded children’s programme that allows them to have fun baking with the chefs, stretching their creativity at Arts & Crafts, learning from wildlife DVDs, visiting the Environmental Education Centre or getting messy with face painting in the Bush Spa. The mini rangers’ course is particularly engaging with tracking, frogging, butterfly capture-and-release, beginner’s astronomy and flower pressing among the many educational activities included. Singita Sasakwa Lodge also has a boutique and library as well as a butler, laundry, Internet and international telephone services.

Dining

Every meal at Singita Sasakwa is an event: from the early breakfast table groaning with fresh pastries, breads and fluffy crepes, piled with luscious fruits and other temptations, to the refined elegance of candlelit dinners either in the dining room warmed by a log fire or out under the stars. Served on starched white linens with crystal glasses glinting in the firelight, this must be one of the most romantic places on earth to indulge in world-class cuisine and the finest wines, listening to the sounds of the Serengeti echoing up the hill toward you.

Singita maintains a carefully collated cellar of 222 different fine wines and prides itself on pairing each vintage with guests’ preferences and meals. Afternoon tea is a decadent repast of airy macaroons and perfect petit fours.