Heard of Mwiba Lodge? No? Well you’re not alone, the lodge is so new and exclusive it doesn’t even have it’s own website yet! Known in circles as the safari lodge where the super-famous go to hide, Mwiba is in a league of it’s own. When you arrive, the staff is there to warmly great you with champagne and hand-towels after your journey to the camp. The camp is so expansive and exclusive; the only thing around seems to be the wildlife. Mwiba Lodge is located on 125,000-acre private wildlife reserve in the heart of the Serengeti Plains and was designed to make you feel as if you have the private reserve all to yourself.

There are only 8 tents, all beautifully identical; the only thing that changes is the view. The tents are sophisticated but understated; however they offer the height of luxury and serenity. The lodge and the tents are situated on the big beautiful Arugusinyai River, so Tents 1 – 4 are low and along the riverbed, while Tents 5 – 8 are higher up on stilts and offer more of a tree house feeling. Anywhere in the world you can eat a meal indoors, so at Mwiba Lodge most meals are eaten outdoors, to truly soak up the atmosphere and wildlife. While the menu varies and caters to each group’s individual needs, it is consistently traditional Western palates, featuring dishes such as butternut squash salad, steak, and a fig tart with a South African Cabernet.

The center of Mwiba is the main lodge. The entrance is set amongst two massive boulders, narrowly set apart, that open up into an elegant and vast space. The view from the main lodge expands miles across the Serengeti Plains. There’s also a stone fireplace, a bar and a separate library accommodating the beautiful main lodge. Coming this close to the great outdoors most people only get to experience through National Geographic. It is awe-inspiring and had me speechless. It is an indescribable feeling seeing an animal so magnificent out in the wild, and something you need to experience for yourself.

All the activities, meals, etc are very flexible and adjustable to each guest’s needs and desires. Because the Lodge is on a private reserve it creates a lot of flexibility within the schedules of each guest. Guests are offered private bush walks (with a well-equipped guide) and night game drives with a spotlight, which in a lot of places are prohibited. Mwiba truly is the way of the future for African safaris. It is the only place in the world that you could dangle your legs in their infinity pool, cocktail in hand, as elephants and zebras come to drink at the springs below. I can honestly say that falling in love at Mwiba Lodge would not be a hard fête.

 

Photographs courtesy of the property.