Tours
Why a concession changes your safari#
Tanzania's national parks ban three things that experienced safari-goers often rate most highly: night drives, off-road tracking, and guided bush walks. The prohibition is a deliberate conservation tool — it keeps 14 million hectares of wilderness undisturbed after dark and channels visitors onto defined tracks. Private concessions operate under different rules. They sit on land leased from Maasai communities, conservation bodies, or government authorities adjacent to the parks, and because they sit outside TANAPA jurisdiction, a licensed guide can do all of the above. After-dark drives are when roughly a third of the Serengeti's predator activity happens — leopard hunting, aardvark at termite mounds, hyena clans on the move. Walking at ground level is a different discipline: you read tracks, learn alarm calls, cover ground at the pace a lion cub travels. And when your guide spots a sighting across open grass, there is no park track you are required to stay on, and — in most cases — no other vehicles sharing it.
Grumeti Reserve & Loliondo — Western and Northern Serengeti#
The Grumeti Reserve is a 350,000-acre private concession on the western edge of the Serengeti ecosystem, managed by Singita since 2002 with a $1m+ annual investment in anti-poaching and habitat restoration. Loliondo, to the northeast, is a Maasai communal concession adjoining Serengeti's Klein's Gate — the furthest-north access point, positioned for the July–October Mara River crossing season.
Singita Sasakwa Lodge — Singita's flagship on the Grumeti Reserve: nine cottages with personal infinity pools set in an Edwardian manor, 222-bottle wine cellar, an equestrian centre, and Big Five on the doorstep. Night drives and walking safaris are unrestricted across the 350,000-acre concession.
Singita Faru Faru Lodge — Contemporary 9-suite lodge on the same reserve, with a kids programme and dual waterholes that draw animals to the camp perimeter. The Grumeti Fund's conservation team offers behind-the-scenes anti-poaching briefings for guests who want them.
Singita Sabora Tented Camp — A 1920s explorer aesthetic in nine air-conditioned tented suites. Two waterholes, a wine cellar stocked from the Grumeti wine programme, and the same full night-drive and walking access as the other Grumeti camps.
Singita Explore — Singita's exclusive-use mobile camp: six tents pitched wherever wildlife peaks on the reserve, with open-fire dining and the flexibility to move camp entirely if the game shifts. No other guests within sight.
Singita Serengeti House — The most private address on the reserve: a four-suite villa with sole use of the entire 350,000 acres, a 25m infinity pool, tennis court, and a private vehicle and guide for each guest group. The definition of a concession used exclusively.
andBeyond Klein's Camp — Nine stone cottages on a 10,000-hectare Maasai concession in Loliondo, reached via Klein's Gate. Night drives, off-road tracking, and chef-led bush dining; zero other safari vehicles on the traversing area.
Taasa Lodge — A luxury lodge 5 km from Klein's Gate on the Loliondo concession, with an infinity pool, unlimited night drives, walking safaris, and Maasai village visits. A more accessible price point than Singita for the same north-Serengeti concession access.
Mwiba Lodge by Legendary — Cliffside ultra-luxury on a 51,000-acre private concession in the Serengeti ecosystem, with a wine cellar, Hadzabe foraging walks, and night drives across open grassland. Cultural immersions with the Datoga community add a layer most Serengeti stays skip entirely.
Tarangire Corridor#
The concession land between Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara — known as the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem — holds some of Tanzania's most celebrated private-land lodges. The corridor is an elephant migration route and holds high baobab density year-round.
Elewana Tarangire Treetops — Twenty suites built into and around ancient baobab trees on a private concession bordering the park. Night drives and walking safaris run from camp; daytime game drives head into Tarangire through the main gate a short drive away.
Mikumi Private Concessions#
Two operator-held private concessions adjacent to Mikumi National Park bring the full concession activity suite — night drives, walking, off-road — to the southern circuit.
Jongomero Camp — Mikumi Extension — Eight suites with personal plunge pools and butler service on a private Mikumi concession. Night drives and walking safaris are included in an all-inclusive plan; the camp is the most luxurious southern-circuit concession option in the database.
Kigelia Ruaha — Mikumi Fly Camp — A five-tent seasonal fly camp on the same Mikumi concession area, tightly priced and deliberately simple. Night drives and walking safaris are included and fly camping is offered for guests who want a full-night-in-the-bush experience.
Saadani — Coast and Bush#
Saadani National Park sits where the bush meets the Indian Ocean coast north of Dar es Salaam. The adjacent private concession is the only place in Tanzania where you can combine after-dark game drives with a wild-beach setting.
Bagenya Camp Saadani — Six tented villas with private plunge pools on Saadani's only ultra-luxury private concession. Night drives operate by special permit; the combination of mangrove, beach, and open savannah means a single after-dark drive covers habitats you will not find in any other concession camp in Tanzania.
Mafia Island Marine Concession#
Mafia Island's concession model is marine rather than terrestrial, but the principle is the same: private-access to a managed conservation area where standard rules are replaced by the operator's own. Both properties sit inside Chole Bay, within the Mafia Island Marine Park.
Kinasi Lodge — Sixteen makuti bandas on a Chole Bay headland, with a PADI dive centre, whale-shark excursions October through March, and dhow cruises to the ruins of Chole Island. The marine park concession gives Kinasi exclusive boat access to sections of reef not open to day visitors.
Thanda Island — An entire private coral island for up to ten guests, with a resident marine biologist and citizen-science whale-shark programme. Glass-edge infinity pool, cigar lounge, and 100% off-grid. The island itself is the concession.
Zanzibar Marine Reserve#
Chumbe Island Coral Park — Seven zero-footprint eco-bungalows on Zanzibar's only privately managed marine sanctuary. The reef is a 400-species no-take zone; guided snorkel with park rangers is the centrepiece activity. Conservation-model concession: no motorised watersports, no other day-trippers.