Highlights
- Beautiful lakeside location
- Superb game-viewing
- Balloon safaris, archaeological visits
- Comfortable, static camp
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EnquireLake Masek Tented Camp is a good static camp located between the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area of North Tanzania. The Serengeti is a vast, year-round home to the Big 5 and this location is a major wildlife action area when the migratory herds come through.
The main building, with its thatched roof, is located on an elevated wooden platform with unimpeded views of Lake Masek. It houses the camp office, a comfortable, sociable lounge area, and a dining room which opens out onto a sizeable veranda where meals can be served on request. Electricity is provided by solar panels, water is collected during the rainy season and all products used are biodegradable, ensuring that the camp is fully eco-friendly.
Activities are centred largely on game-viewing. Elephant, giraffe, cheetahs, lions and baboons are here year-round and during the main migration season, usually December to April, the vast plains teem with wildebeest and plentiful birdlife. National Park regulations mean that no game drives are possible after nightfall; however, this is one of the few areas in Northern Tanzania’s wildlife parks where vehicles can go off-road and get closer to animal sightings meaning the game viewing is truly superb. Balloon safaris can be arranged during migration season and visits to the Olduvia and Laetoli Archeological sites are worth making. A variety of guided hikes with Masai rangers are also offered. Note that activities here are seasonal and pre-booking is essential. The area can become busy and the camp is a hub for vehicles from other safari companies. This, in conjunction with the relatively large size of the camp itself, means that it doesn’t quite have the intimate feel of some of the smaller camps, although ultimately nothing can detract from the spectacular intensity of the game-viewing in this stunning location.
The accommodation comprises 20 comfortable tents, each built on a raised wooden platform with a viewing veranda. All tents have a large bedroom area, a bathroom area with twin washbasins, a standalone bath, and a modern and private open air shower lined with natural stone. There is 24-hour electricity, although batteries/devices can only be charged in the main building, and guests are escorted to and from their tents after nightfall. The static nature of this eco-friendly camp means that it does offer a relatively high level of comfort for this area.
Children of all ages are welcome. However, there is no fencing so animals are free to roam through the camp. Although there is a 24-hour askari (guard) to keep an eye on wildlife movements, the camp is recommended for families with older children who must remain under their parents’ supervision at all times.
Lake Masek Tented camp provides pleasant and well-priced mid-range accommodation with friendly staff and spectacular game-viewing opportunities.
Thank you, Lisa! Our trip was wonderful even with the weather disruption. We loved seeing so many different parts of the country, meeting people and experiencing the culture. The desert was surely a highlight for our boys and the creativity and artisanship of everything from food to crafts were a highlight for me. A special shout out to our guide and driver, they became a special part of our trip and we will forever be grateful for meeting them and learning from them. I cannot believe we had to wait three years for this adventure but it was certainly worth the wait! Thanks for all your help building the itinerary, modifying it and troubleshooting during our stay. Leslie B
Leslie B
reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday
on 01 March 2023
Hi Lisa and everyone at Tourdust,
We've had a wonderful time on our holiday and wanted to pass our appreciation to you. Everything has been expertly planned and executed, allowing us to enjoy the holiday to its fullest. Special appreciation to Muhammed, Ibrahim, and Omar, our Atlas guide, cook, and muleteer, who couldn't have done more for us and were just generally wonderful and hardworking. Riad Hanane is a perfect base in Marrakech to complement the trekking as it's ina less touristy area of the medina, which we appreciated. The staff and accomodation was superb.Thank you again for a trip to remember!
Bob, May, Grace, and Lucas
Robert B
reviewing Marrakech & Mountains Family Trek
on 20 February 2023
Hello Lisa. We came back from our trip two weeks ago now so I am sending this email much later than I wanted to. Nevertheless, what I wanted to say was thank you very much for helping us organise an amazing trip. Our days in Mafia Island to celebrate my 50th birthday were exactly what I wanted them to be: a fantastic time with the family doing activities that we all love and enjoy in a relaxing, unusual, beautiful place full of sun, surrounded by water, wildlife and friendly people. We swam with whale sharks, did a lot of snorkeling, had two picnics on a beautiful sand bank, watched the sunset over the sea, did a bird watching excursion and tried scuba diving.
All merit to you because Pole Pole in Mafia Island was your recommendation. I never heard of Mafia Island before and didn't consider Tanzania to start with. It was an amazing place to stay: friendly, relaxed, beautiful, comfortable, with great food and fantastic service. Thanks not only for finding the place but also for your patience as we prepared the trip and I explored options and decided what I wanted. All went incredibly well (places, transfers, flights) and we had a very memorable time together that we will all remember forever - as we still do the safari trip to South Africa you organised for us 5 years ago.
I cannot wait to plan another trip! I am already thinking about where and when. Hopefully no pandemic will get in the way this time. And I will come to you as my favourite travel agent.
I copy in this message the Tourdust office because I want them to know how good you are and how much I appreciated the different trips you organised for us (including the trip to India for my parents that was cancelled due to Covid). I cannot thank you enough :o)
Kind regards, Carol
Carolina O
reviewing Relaxed Bush & Beach Family Holiday in Tanzania
on 25 November 2022