Review: Singita Sabora Tented Camp

Why book? From high design to stellar service and an unbeatable location in Tanzania’s western Serengeti, this tricked-out tented camp offers a spirited, new-fashioned take on the timeless safari fantasy.

Set the scene: Jet lag is setting in from the long flight to Tanzania, but the imminence of safari keeps the adrenaline pumping. You’re at either Kilimanjaro or Arusha airport, ready to board one of Grumeti Air’s light aircraft bound for Sasakwa, the primary airstrip of the 350,000-acre Singita Grumeti Reserve. The 32-pound limit on checked baggage was a struggle at check-in, but it’s now time to breathe a huge sigh of relief: the small plane is beautiful and well-maintained and there are two well-trained pilots in the cockpit. In approximately one short hour, you’ll land in the heart of the Serengeti wilds, walk through a head-to-toe sanitization portal, meet and greet staff who will cater to your every need, and hop on an open-air Land Cruiser with destination Singita Sabora Tented Camp. Herein, begins the first of many game drives.

When the camp comes into view–which can be in as short as 45 minutes or as long as a few hours, depending on your eagerness for wildlife spotting versus the desire of simply getting to your tent and relaxing—another wow factor sets in. The next-level, understated design soothes with an aesthetic that at once captures the essence of exploration and the tranquility of nature. The nine tented suites and prolific common areas under canvas comprise a collective masterpiece of transitional indoor-outdoor space. And, best of all, the Serengeti’s splendor is all around you. Like everywhere! Somehow the jet lag disappears and the long journey getting here already feels worth it.

The backstory: The Singita brand is synonymous with Africa’s most luxurious hideaways, but it’s equally celebrated for its role in wildlife conservation and community empowerment throughout Africa. The company’s current presence spans four countries: South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda. In Tanzania, Singita is the steward of a 350,000-acre (about 550 square miles) private concession along the Western corridor of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, known as Singita Grumeti Reserves. Here, the company has five headlining safari camps and lodges, which claim exclusive access to the expansive Reserves (read: you’ll likely never see another vehicle or person on your safari.)

The latest in this esteemed Grumeti portfolio is Sabora Tented Camp, which opened in November 2020. Though the camp is entirely new, the name is not. The original Sabora Tented Camp was one of Singita’s first Grumeti properties, but it was completely dismantled in 2019. This new explorer-style tented camp was then brought to life from the ground up on the land of its predecessor, keeping the familiar title.

The room: Sabora’s nine canvas-topped tents are fresh takes on the timeless safari reverie. Each boasts a spacious open floor plan commingling indoors and outdoors over a single, continuous space. Inside discover the likes of a bedroom, bar counter, pantry, freestanding bathtub and double-sink vanity; outside, an alfresco living and dining area, comfy daybed, rain shower, and private meditation deck (just one indicator of a wellness theme found throughout camp.) Tents are adorned with explorer-style campaign furniture and Zanzibari trunks and illuminated by Earth tones that complement—but not compete with—the natural beauty of surrounding grasslands. Pitched at ground level, the tents feel like part of the landscape. Each is identical in shape and size and promises uninterrupted breathtaking views of the savannah, though we are partial to tents 8 and 9, which face a small watering hole attracting wildlife aplenty. Even a family of cheetahs, in our case.

Food and drink: Sabora Tented Camp excels in the first-rate food and drink experience crucial to a luxury safari. All meals and beverages including premium wines, spirits, and liqueurs are bundled into the daily rate, and farm-to-table dishes reflect seasonal ingredients and personal dietary desires. Unlike most safari lodges, Sabora doesn’t overwhelm with constant food presentations. Guests can grab snacks at leisure from a “Guest Deli” in the main lodge area, and fill picnic baskets with mason jars of salads, fresh sandwiches, fruits and more. Daily mealtime menus offer ever-changing choices of epicurean starters, mains, and desserts; you can consume as many or as few items as you’d like. Highlights from a recent brunch included fresh-baked blueberry almond pastries, avocado salad, and curry-brushed, grilled jumbo prawns flown in fresh from Zanzibar, all served from a pop-up micro-kitchen in the middle of the bush. A dedicated on-property sommelier suggests pairings with every meal and guides guests through Singita’s extensive cellar, rife with premium (and often hard-to-find) selections.

The spa: Massage treatments take place in a dedicated tent and are bespoke in nature. A nearby (air-conditioned) tent houses a fitness area equipped with yoga mats, cardio equipment and light free weights. In addition, individual guest tents are lined with expansive decks, designed with meditation and physical fitness in mind.

The service: As with all Singita properties, the service shines at Sabora Tented Camp. Staff stand at the ready to fulfill all requests and desires, big and small. Whether it’s getting another bottle of your new favorite wine delivered to the tent, organizing a special romantic bush experience, visiting a local community, or setting out early on a game drive to up the chances of a prize-worthy lion photo, expect flawless execution—with gusto!

Eco effort: Singita is a company rooted in eco efforts all around. Environmental stewardship of the 350,000-acre Grumeti Reserve has amplified viable habitat for Serengeti’s wildlife and nurtured population recoveries of species like elephant and buffalo. Singita’s non-profit conservation Fund & Trust partners, including the Grumeti Fund, have introduced anti-poaching canine units, delivered training and promoted job placement through the Singita Community Culinary Schools, and implemented the largest relocation and reintroduction of critically endangered Eastern Black Rhino into the Serengeti ecosystem. But that’s not all! Singita also runs an onsite Environmental Education Center which hosts field trips for local community schools and trains budding conservationists. In summer 2020, it also opened a new research facility called RISE. Standing for Research and Innovation for the Serengeti Ecosystem, this is a place for practitioners and scientists to work together to investigate and address intricate conservation issues. At the micro-level, Sabora Tented Camp operates within the One Planet Living framework, a set of principles for reducing waste, saving water, limiting energy usage and growing closer to a carbon-neutrality.

Anything left to mention? Game drives at Sabora are second to none. Thanks to the sheer size of the Grumeti Reserves and the limited development within, wildlife sightings tend to be excellent and rarely shared with other vehicles. The guides are top-notch and tailor each driver to meet your wildlife-viewing goals.

Though most visit this part of the Serengeti during wildebeest migration (typically May through October but varies depending on weather patterns), the rest of the year is equally rewarding. Even when the wildebeest aren’t passing through, you’ll meet many of the charismatic creatures that call this swathe of the Serengeti home: cheetah, leopard, lion, Maasai giraffe, elephant, and bat-eared fox to name a few!