Luxury

andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas

Tanzania | adventure, all-inclusive, eco-friendly, escourted, family, group, honeymoon, safari, solo, tailor-made | safari-tented | national-park | luxury

Your adventure begins the second you arrive in one of the many camp locations, be it Seronera, Ndutu, Grumeti or Kogatende. The wonders of the Great Migration await all guests. So, wherever you start this wildlife viewing adventure, you’re all but guaranteed the sights of spectacular game – particularly migrating wildebeest. The spectacular array of intimate and airy tented accommodation is sure to impress, reminiscent of the classic safari style, there are options for single and family sized units, all decked-out with the many furnishings and amenities you would expect of a 5-star eco-camp. Here, there’s much to see and even more to do, from the infamous Tanzanian safari in open 4×4 vehicles to hot-air balloon excursions across the vastness of the Serengeti landscape, with opportunities for bird watching, bush walks, al fresco dining and evening stargazing, you’re sure to find something to your taste.

Safari Game Drives

Tailored to suit your preference, you have the opportunity to embark on two shorter length daily game drives or a single extra length game drive with a stop halfway for an al fresco picnic lunch. Set forth for the vibrant and fertile plains of the Serengeti in open 4×4 safari vehicles for a game viewing experience of a lifetime. Seasoned guides, familiar with the land and wildlife will lead you through the expansive landscape in search of wild game, with regular sightings of lion, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, and leopard, among other staple safari favourites throughout the 10,000-hectare wildlife concession. Please note, night drives are not permitted.

Guided Bush Walks

For all those seeking an authentic, grass-roots great plains safari excursion, a guided bush walk will allow you to soak up the intricacies of nature while traversing the land at a more intimate and leisurely pace than is applicable with other modes of safari game viewing. Watch birds, explore a dry riverbed, walk in the footsteps of zebra or giraffe, sit in stillness in the shade of an ancient tree, unravel the stories behind animal tracks or simply stretch your legs. The choice is yours!

Bird Watching

The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is one of Africa’s Endemic Bird Areas, featuring over 500 exotic species waiting for you to discover. Bird watching in the Serengeti is phenomenal year-round, but at its absolute best during November through April. Not only is this when European and North African migratory birds are present, but it is also nesting time for resident species. Keep your eyes peeled for the likes of the black-headed gonolek, Fischer’s lovebird and Verreaux’s eagle.

The Great Migration

The infamous Great Wildebeest Migration is a year-round cycle in which 1.5 million wildebeest, 400,000 zebra, 300,000 Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, and 12,000 eland participate. These animals move from the dryer southern part of the ecosystem – the short-grass plains of the south-eastern Serengeti, and head to the moister northern region, the northern Serengeti woodlands and the Maasai Mara plains, and back again. This staple attraction is not to be missed, so be sure to bring a camera.

Hot-Air Ballooning

Traverse the skies of the Serengeti for an exclusive birds-eye view of the Great Migration below. Watch as vast mammal herds pass beneath you as the morning winds direct your course from the vantage of basket high in the sky. This truly unique game viewing experience draws to a close with a delicious breakfast spread in the heart of the Serengeti plains. Please note, hot-air ballooning is charged at additional fees.

Stargazing

Take in the atmosphere of the pristine Serengeti night sky while gathered around a cosy campfire in the company of friends and family. Untarnished by light pollution, the remote areas of the Serengeti bush provide the perfect arena for a picturesque star-gazing experience. Marvel at the infinite sky, which features the Big Dipper in the northern hemisphere and the Southern Cross and Pointers in the southern hemisphere.

Olduvai Gorge & Shifting Sands Tour

When the camp is in Ndutu, Southern Serengeti, explore the breath-taking surrounds of the archaeological site of Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of mankind, best known as home of the earliest recorded Homo sapiens. Move onto the crescent-shaped volcanic ash dunes knows as Shifting Sands, which slowly creep across the desert floor in response to prevailing winds.

Lake Victoria Trip

When the camp is in Grumeti, this full-day trip to the shores of Lake Victoria promises a combination of wildlife adventures, sightseeing, fishing thrills and cultural enlightenment. Visit Lukungu Primary School, set off on a fishing safari excursion in a traditional African dugout canoe (colloquially known as mokoro), meet a traditional doctor, or simply admire the awe-inspiring landscapes. Please note, trips to Lake Victoria are charged at additional fees.

Children's Activities

andBeyond's Impact Model

Since 1991, andBeyond’s company ethos has been “Care of the Land, Wildlife & People.” Always looking for ways to contribute to wildlife spaces and local communities and reducing their environmental impact, without compromising the guest experience. Each of their lodges have a “sustainability champion” who looks for ideas “to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, recycling initiatives, conservation awareness drives, water efficiency, addressing erosion and re-greening.”

Exclusive experiences are created for guests whilst showing lasting benefits which are meaningful for the communities around their camps and the natural environment. Currently andBeyond have 59 awards recognising their sustainability impact.

Care of the Wild

andBeyond protects endangered land and marine species in the areas they operate, and they focus on at least 3 endangered species in each area. In Botswana they support the Rhinos Without Borders initiative which so far has translocated 87 rhinos from South Africa to Botswana to keep them safe from poachers. They also help maintain biodiversity by actively managing the wildlife populations in the areas they operate. To help care for the wildlife andBeyond educate local communities in conservation, over 18,000 lessons on conservation have been taught.

Care of the Land

andBeyond understands that to protect the land they operate on they need to implement eco-friendly and sustainable initiatives. One of the aims is to reduce their direct carbon footprint by 8%, so far all of andBeyond lodges have been audited with an average sustainability score of 88% – which includes andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas Camp. Another way they are caring for the land is by resourcing and using their water sustainably, 96% of lodges use water sourced from water bottling plants and they are currently 85 litres/head better than their target of 500 l/head. A target for andBeyond is zero plastic water bottles through their camps, and so far, 740,000 plastic water bottles have been eliminated per year.

Care of the People

andBeyond “Maximise their localised shared value opportunities through economic benefit, capacity building and social service infrastructure.” They have created 101 jobs in the communities they operate within, offering life changing opportunities to local people. Through social service infrastructure initiatives 56,000 people from local communities now have access to clean water through water access sites and 4724 Hippo Water Rollers, which assist in the transportation of water. 532 school students have been provided with an opportunity for higher education in 285 new or renovated classrooms.

Rhinos Without Boarders

andBeyond has 23,763 hectares of conservation land under their care, meaning that all of this land, and the nature that inhabits it, is protected. andBeyond is also working with Great Plains Conservation for their collaborative project, Rhinos Without Borders. On average, one rhino is killed every eight hours by ivory seeking poachers. To help combat this, Rhinos Without Borders relocate rhinos from high-risk poaching areas in South Africa to Botswana’s wilderness areas. At present, Rhinos Without Borders has been able to translocate 93 rhinos, who as a result will be far safer from poachers.

Oceans Without Boarders

andBeyond recognises the threat posed to the world’s oceans and marine resources. Efforts to combat the peril of ocean degradation have inspired a partnership with fellow bastion of ecological awareness, Africa Foundation. In addition to the over 3.6 million hectares (9 million acres) of protected wildlife sustained through the Care of the Wild initiative, andBeyond’s footprint now covers an additional 2000 km (1242 mi.) of African coastline, striving to conserve and enlarge Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

andBeyond seek to apply their trilogy philosophy to their marine operations in order to better care for/impart a positive ecological effect on the areas of ocean under their jurisdiction. This philosophy comprises Protecting Reefs, Protecting Marine Species and Community Empowerment, which have thus far, through the facilitation of partnerships with likeminded institutions, have proven initial levels of success and sets optimistic targets for future projects.

andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas Impact Initiatives

Serengeti Under Canvas Mobile Camp follows a variety of sustainable initiatives unique to Tanzania and the Serengeti as a whole, with a wide variety of community projects and partnerships aimed at empowering local communities to provide education, employment, and support. For instance, andBeyond have partnered with the Africa Foundation on various community development programmes, investing over 420,000 USD into the education and healthcare of neighbouring communities.

Community Leaders Education

To date, a total of 42 tertiary level students have been granted support through bursaries aimed at fostering education and imparting valuable skills that can be shared throughout communities. The number of bursaries granted is ever rising, and the income raised through andBeyond experiences is used to fund this continuous and on-going initiative.

Conservation Lessons

Conservation lessons help to educate neighbouring communities on sustainable wildlife practices, offering support to the indigenous populations of the Serengeti to sustainably foster their way of life for generations to come. Over 130 children and adults partake annually, and this number is ever rising. Similarly, andBeyond’s Conservation Awareness programme attracts over 203 adults and children who partake in annual events.

Local Empowerment

AndBeyond are dedicated to sustainably utilising the land in which it operates, sourcing local produce and materials, as well as providing career opportunities for local inhabitants. As such, up to 79% of all goods are procured locally in Tanzania, negating the need to import vast quantities of products from neighbouring countries. And likewise, up to 79% of the andBeyond team employed at Serengeti Under Canvas Mobile Camp come from local communities.

Lionscape Coalition

andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas Mobile Camp are a part of the Lionscape Coalition, an organisation which supports lion conservation efforts through the Lion Recovery Fund. Conservation efforts such as these are of crucial importance, as without the staple safari attractions such as lions – or any other safari creature for that matter, sustainable tourism in would be at threat throughout the whole of Southern Africa.

Reducing Consumption of Plastic Water Bottles

Recognising the profoundly negative ecological effects that plastics pose to the environmental welfare of the sensitive ecosystems of Southern Africa, andBeyond have implemented ambitious measures prohibiting the use and importation of plastic bottles to all its properties – derived from the original target of installing water bottling plants at 100% of their lodges.

A target of reducing plastic water bottle usage by 90% was set for 2020, yet this figure was surpassed the year prior with a collective reduction of up to 99% spanning all andBeyond properties. In Southern Africa, all lodges utilise glass water bottles as opposed to plastic, reaping the many ecological and environmental benefits inherent to the change. Glass is 100% recyclable and has an unlimited recyclable life span, making it the most sustainable, if not logical alternative, posing an inherently smaller carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Building for Efficiency

In line with andBeyond’s stance on ecological sustainability and streamlined efficiency mandate, there currently exists a wealth of initiatives and protocols designed to mediate the ecological impact on areas built upon and utilised for means of ecotourism. For instance, careful site selection ensures that the areas chosen for the construction of all andBeyond properties are compatible with the surrounding landscapes, ecosystems, and wildlife.

The implementation of repurposed and recycled construction materials greatly benefits the ecology of the land, negating the need to source and haul industrial quantities of lumber and other construction materials across vast distances through otherwise undisturbed ecosystems. Minimal foundations and excavations are achieved using steel frame structures atop the designated areas of construction, minimising the imprint on the immediate environment.

Energy efficiency is maintained through the architectural use of very wide eaves, covered external terraces, cross ventilation, and maximised insulation. Heat pumps have been used to heat the pools, with gas used for water heating to greatly reduce the carbon footprint. State-of-the-art wastewater and sewer treatment systems enable all wastewater to be effectively recycled for irrigation.

Effective Waste Management

Above-ground wastewater treatment plants work on an environmentally friendly accelerated aerobic and anaerobic digestion process. Up to 57% of all andBeyond lodges now contain water treatment plants. Additionally, an ever-increasing number of andBeyond lodges have seen the installation of Hydraloop grey-water treatment systems, used to purify wastewater for gardens, irrigation, and cleaning solar panel banks.At andBeyond Phinda Mountain Lodge, more accurate water measurement systems have been implemented to trial more efficient water management practices that hold the potential for wide-scale implementation across all andBeyond ecotourism destinations.

Innovative water management initiatives are being rolled out across a variety of andBeyond properties. This is achieved through identifying the locations that would best benefit from these cutting-edge installations and trialing solutions to assess viability for future rollouts in equally affected areas. andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is currently testing an above-ground wastewater treatment system which will utilise laundry water to wash safari vehicles and flush staff toilets, saving 160 000 l (42 267 gallons) of water monthly. Proven successful, cutting-edge initiatives such as these are destined to be installed throughout all andBeyond properties, including Serengeti Under Canvas Mobile Camp.