Tukaone Hembe Camp

Tukaone Hembe Camp stands in the middle of Central Serengeti, on ground looking out over the Hembe Hills and the plains beyond them. It is one of three camps run by the same family-owned company, all in the central part of the park, and it is permanent rather than mobile, open through the year. The tents are raised on hand-hewn timber platforms and sheathed in canvas, an old-fashioned way of building that keeps the camp light on the ground and hands the view to the verandahs. Accommodation is arranged for a mix of travellers rather than a single type. There are double tents for couples, twin and triple tents for friends and small groups, family tents for those travelling with children, and a honeymoon tent with a king-sized bed, locally inspired decor and a private terrace. Every tent has an en-suite bathroom with a flush toilet, a hand basin and a hot and cold shower, and mosquito nets and mesh-screened windows keep it open to the sounds outside. Daily life runs between the restaurant, the lounge and the campfire. The chef serves three multi-course meals a day, with lunch boxes for game drives and vegetarian or special dietary cooking on request, and sundowners close the safari day. The lounge holds a library of books and board games and a charging station, there is a gift and souvenir shop, and lighting runs on solar. Wi-Fi reaches the common areas rather than the tents. The camp is unfenced and the wildlife is audible at night, lion and hyena among it, so an askari escorts guests between the tents and the public areas after dark. Game drives run into the Seronera River Valley, the densest resident-wildlife area in the Serengeti, where lion, leopard and cheetah are found year round rather than seasonally. Seronera Airstrip is the arrival point, and the Great Migration crosses Central Serengeti in the shoulder seasons.