Namiri Plains is named for its location in the Eastern Serengeti grasslands, an area with diverse wildlife and on the route of the annual Great Migration of wildebeests and zebras.

The vast grasslands of Namiri are rich in nutrients due to the volcanic soils in this area, which keep most trees from growing and thus creates an ideal habitat for grazing herbivores. The open plains are also well suited for cheetah, which require open spaces to chase down their prey, and visitors to the camp are very likely to see these sleek cats.

The camp is situated along the usually dry Nanyuki River bed and although the river is seasonally in terms of above-ground flow, there is underground water that keeps riparian vegetation growing and the river is popular with elephants and other species all year.

Resident wildlife around the camp includes lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, topi, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, hartebeest, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, warthog, and more. Rhino are seen on occasion. Various 'kopjes', protrusions of gigantic granitic boulders, are found throughout this area and they are often used by lion, leopard, and even cheetah, for sunning and scanning the plains for prey.

The camp is also well-positioned for viewing the annual migration of over two million herbivores, which are at their peak in the Namiri Plains area between December and February. The great masses of wildebeests and also some zebras can often be seen grazing right around and even right in the camp.

Activities at Namiri Plains Camp include morning and afternoon game drives, guided bush walks (seasonally when the grass is not too tall), birding, hot-air ballooning, and cultural experiences with a local Maasai tribe. Families with children are welcome and special activities for children are offered.

The Serengeti Cheetah Research Project has been ongoing in the Namiri Plains for over twenty years, and guests at the camp can spend an evening with the resident researcher, who will impart information about the project and its efforts to help protect these beautiful big cats.

The camp offers 10 spacious suites constructed mainly from calcrete, the volcanic soil found in this region. One of the suites has two bedrooms and is designed for families. The suites have plumbed en-suite facilities with hot and cold running water and flush toilets. Large verandas offer views to the riverbed and the grasslands beyond, where wildlife can often be spotted.

The main guest area includes a lounge, bar, and dining spaces and there is a refreshing swimming pool and sundeck with loungers for enjoying the midday time between activities. Guests looking for some pampering can enjoy a massage or wellness treatment at the spa or in their guest suite. The camp's library and Info Centre is a great place to learn more about the animals and history of the Namiri Plains area.

About the Serengeti

The Greater Serengeti is part of an extensive ecosystem that includes Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and other reserves, wildlife management areas, and game controlled areas.

The Greater Masai Mara (directly to the north in Kenya) includes the Masai Mara National Reserve, as well as numerous private Mara conservancies. Together, the combined Greater Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, which combines the areas described above, covers roughly 15 000 square miles (39 000 sq kms).

The Serengeti-Mara is home to a very large number and diversity of wild animals and is also the location of the well-known "Great Migration" of over 2 million herbivores (read more below). This is arguably Africa's greatest overall wildlife destination.

Wildlife densities in the Greater Serengeti are some of the highest in Africa, with commonly seen herbivores including blue wildebeest, plains zebra, Thomson's gazelle, topi, Grant's gazelle, hartebeest, giraffe, elephant, buffalo, impala, waterbuck, bushbuck, warthog, and many others. Predators seen often include lion, leopard, spotted hyena, cheetah, serval, and jackal. Hippo and crocodile are found in large numbers in the larger rivers, including the Mara River and the Grumeti River.

About Central Serengeti / Namiri PLains

The Namiri Plains are located on the eastern side of the Central Serengeti, which is also referred to as Seronera. Tributaries of the Grumeti River flow through Seronera, providing ideal habitat for leopards, which are here in good numbers. Between the rivers are wooded valleys and savanna grasslands, which attract all of the Serengeti's wildlife, including well-known lion prides, leopard, spotted hyena, jackal, serval, topi, impala, hartebeest, buffalo, giraffe, Grant's gazelle, Thomson's gazelle, waterbuck, reedbuck, dik-dik, warthog, and others.

Like the Serengeti's southern grasslands, the Central Serengeti and Namiri have good wildlife numbers throughout the year, but the animal densities are at their highest during the rain season (November to May), when the fertile soils produce rich grasses for the migrating herds of wildebeest and zebra.

The wildebeests use the southern plains as their birthing grounds during January and February. After some time for the babies to grow stronger, the herds begin moving slowly north, usually reaching Seronera sometime in April.

Besides for the perennial Mbalageti and Orangi Rivers (both of which are small streams really and only flow during the rainy season), there is very little permanent water in the Central Serengeti.

Lake Magadi, a small saline pond of water fed by the Mbalageti River, supports superb bird life when water levels are sufficient, including flamingos in the many hundreds. Seronera's landscape is characterized by areas of Acacia woodland interspersed with grasslands. Sparse riparian woods grow along the river courses.

The Serengeti's National Park Headquarters are located in Seronera and its Seronera Visitor Centre offers permanent displays and exhibits, a shop, video screenings, and information on wildlife sightings and road conditions. The park's staff village is located here as well.

It is worth noting that because Seronera is the most accessible part of the park and also has a high density of safari lodges and camping sites, it is usually the busiest sector in terms of vehicles and tourist numbers.

The Great Migration

One of nature's greatest living spectacles is the Great Migration, a term given to describe the year-long, circular, clockwise march of over two million herbivores across the Serengeti and Masai Mara grasslands. The migration animals are made up entirely of two species: the blue wildebeest and the plains zebra (the majority of which are wildebeests).

The migrating herds follow their instincts to seek out fresh grazing and so the migration is ongoing, with the herds ever moving and taking a full year to complete a cycle across the Serengeti and Masai Mara. The animals move not as one herd, but as tens of thousands of animals in multiple herds of various sizes and spread out for many miles as they move.

The wildebeests and zebras take advantage of strongly seasonal conditions, spending the wet season (November through May) on the plains of Tanzania's Serengeti and the dry season in Kenya's Masai Mara. The wildebeests give birth between January and March on the short grass plains in the southern Serengeti.

The timing of the migration is rarely ever the same year-to-year, as local conditions influence grass growth and as such, the location of the bulk of there animals cannot be known precisely. Rains and other unknown conditions seem to direct the timing of the migration, but generally, it is known within several weeks when the animals will be in a general location.

The animals spread out to cover a vast area, but the main bulk of the animals moves south into the northern Serengeti around late-October and continue moving south towards the Serengeti's southern plains, arriving there sometime in January to graze on the rich grass growing on the volcanic soils. It is here on these short-grass plains, between January and early March, when the wildebeests give birth to their young en masse, producing some 500 000 baby wildebeests.

The herds remain on the southern short-grass plains until late March, giving the young animals time to grow and become strong, before heading north and west again. Many of the animals move towards the Serengeti's Western Corridor and Grumeti Reserve and the rest straight north into Central and Northern Serengeti, where they remain during June and into July. The herds move back into Kenya starting in late July, with the bulk moving into the Masai Mara in August.

Although many visitors time their visit to the Serengeti to coincide with the Migration, any region within the Serengeti offers very good wildlife viewing outside of the months when the migration may be present. This is because it is only the wildebeests and zebras that migrate, while the rest of the animals, including the major predators like lion, leopard, spotted hyena, and cheetah, as well as all the other herbivores, including springbok, gazelles, elephant, topi, hartebeest, and many others, do not migrate.

A popular aspect of experiencing the Great Migration is observing a herd as it crosses the Mara River, which requires animals swimming through waters inhabited by large Nile crocodiles that wait for a chance to get their first substantial meal in many months.

The dramatic river crossings (which take place along the Mara River in both Kenya and Tanzania) are certainly a spectacle and not for the faint of heart, with many of the wildebeest and zebras taken by crocs or succumbing to drowning or trampling in the chaos. The best chances for seeing a Grumeti River crossing is in June, while Mara River crossings are best in July and August.