Masai Mara to Serengeti by road via Tarime and Lamai + map

[lioneldauchez]

Hi All,

 

I self-drived this route with my wife and 3 kids in a Prado last October. We camped for 4 nights in Serengeti. 1in Kogatende, then 2 in Lobo and 1 in Seronera, then back to Musoma / lake Victoria through the western corridor.

Please see the attached map for the route from Masai Mara to Serengeti via Tarime and lamai gate. A very unused route for those who lokk for quietness in the Serengeti. IN addition, we had plenty of wildebeasts in the Lamai wedge, and lions hunting with a rainbow in the background. .

As the copy-paste function doesn't work well here, I include a short description, but the attached map is very detailed.

day 1 : from Nairobi or from Masai Mara to Tarime, via Isebania border. 1 full day.

Day 2 : from Tarime, join Nyamwaga, turn right to go down the escarpment to the mara gold mine. There, stick to the main roads towards Mugumu, and after around 20 km south, find a clear T junction and turn let, heading east to a village called Gisondo. from this village turn right and reach lamai gate. 2,5 hrs from Tarime on good dirt road in great landscape.

The road from the mara gold mine to lamai is not on any map that I found, but you can spot it on google earth (not on google maps).

From lamai gate to kogatende, 2hrs of Superb game drive, all alone. Make sure the bridge on Mara river is not overflooded to reach Kogatende. There, you will always find a place to camp, even if the special campsites are reportedly booked, the rangers will find a place for you around their place.

Day 3 : full day to Lobo

Day 4 : lobo only

Day 5 : Lobo to Seronera

Day 6 : Seronera to Musoma, via grumeti corridor. + a flat tire in front of 2 lions...

day 7 : lake Victoria on boat

Day 8 : back to Nairobi. 1full day.

Map - Mara to Serengeti by road.pdf

[Gregor]

Thanks a lot. Very interesting and a good guide.

[apfac]

Thank you Lionel.

 

AP

[JulieM]

Would love to hear more about your trip.....how about a trip report?

[Hads]

Welome Lionel to safaritalk.

[lioneldauchez]

Hi all,

 

I actually write a long trip report.... but it is in French. In addition for unknown reasons I am not able to copy-paste from word to the Forum.

Though, I a sure some of you have blogs, or participate in other forums. Please publish and copy and spread the map as I saw so many people looking for information on that remote place. I don't claim any copyright on it ;-)

 

My next trip will be camping in the Masai Mara at sand river gate with 2 families (6 kids total) on 2nd July, as the migration just started to head there. I'll tell you more in 3 weeks !

 

best regards,

Lionel

[lioneldauchez]

let me just tell you some funny moments about this trip :

day 2 : as I didn't have the map before (I spoted the route on google earth only after the trip) we tried another route, east of the Mara gold mine. Except that at one point, the road construction stopped at the bottom of a steep slope. We got stuck there in the mud. Tanzanians don't speak a word of English and I speak hardly 20 words of Swahili ;-). Finally they helped us pull the car out of the mud, cut some cactus to open a way for the car, join the next village and a nice guy came with us in the car and guided me up to Gisondo ;-) . The reward was 10 min after we passed Lamai gate : right into the great wildebeest migration !

 

night 1 in lobo : woke up in the middle of the night by a loud noise... buffalos all around the tent. I never told the kids ;-). The ranger was quietly sleeping in my car. he laughed loud, and chased the buffalos with stones!

night 2 in Lobo : the ranger tried to go on foot to his place (around 500m from the campsite) at sunrise, but came back and asked me to give him a ride : a lioness and 3 cubs were eating a young zebra 250m away from the campsite !

day 6 : explosed a tire along the grumeti corridor. bad luck : it was right in front of a lion and lioness (100m). A tour driver told me "no worry" and jumped out to help me change the wheel, while my wife and kids were looking after the cats. Unfortunately the anti-theft nut of the spare tire would not get out. After 1/2 hour of struggle, the only other Prado in TZ pops up ! They were nice enough to give me their spare wheel, and we drove in convoy up to Musoma.

day 8 : after 12 hrs drive, just before reaching Nairobi at night, my 4years son says "can we turn and go back to Serengeti ?"

[cheetah80]

Don't know how I missed this. Thanks so much @@lioneldauchez for this info - not often you come across such maps for self-drivers. I will bookmark for future reference, might come in handy someday

 

Did you ever self-drive in the Masai Mara and Mara Triangle? It would be interesting to hear how they compare with the Serengeti for self-driving and wildlife viewing on a self-drive.

Edited October 10, 2016 by cheetah80