It started with a ceramic totem at the 2022 Paris Biennale. Xavier Marie and Julie Brisson, owners of the Laba Laba collection, were stopped in their tracks by the work of South African artist Zizipho Poswa — and from that moment, the idea of a lodge built around African art took hold. The site came next: a hilltop in the remote western Serengeti, with the Grumeti plains rolling out in every direction and not another camp in sight. The building followed the instinct: stone walls, monumental carved doors, canvas tents within solid structure — something between a fortress and a safari camp. Forty-two works by ten artists from South Africa, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ethiopia are woven through every space, from the communal areas to all twelve suites. Opened in October 2025, it is one of the more singular things to happen to the western Serengeti in some time.
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The lodge rises from its hilltop like something between a fortified house and a tented camp — stone walls and monumental doorways giving way to canvas and open sky. The main living spaces are where the collection is most concentrated: Poswa's organic forms on plinths, Tariku's Nyala chairs (their backrests drawn from antelope horn silhouettes), Somian's wood furniture from Côte d'Ivoire conceived as sculpture as much as function. A spa, gym, and swimming pool complete the picture, though the terrace and its panoramic view of the Grumeti plains will compete hard for your attention. Dining is gourmet and clean — the kitchen's commitment to organic sourcing is genuine and the cooking does it justice.
Eleven double tented suites and one 180-square-metre family suite, all looking out over the Grumeti plains. The suites are 120 square metres, furnished with a king-size bed in organic cotton satin, indoor and outdoor showers, a freestanding bathtub, minibar, and coffee station — and, running through each one, works from the collection. Linen bathrobes, organic toiletries, walkie-talkies for reaching the team without fuss. The family suite connects two bedrooms through a shared living room. The hybrid Land Rovers — redesigned to run on a combination of three energy sources, which makes them considerably quieter in the bush than conventional vehicles — are a detail that matters more than it sounds on your first encounter with a pride of lions at close range.
The art isn't decoration — it's the architecture of the place. Poswa ceramics, Tariku furniture, Muholi photographs.
Ask for a walkthrough of the collection before your first drive. The stories behind specific acquisitions add a dimension that's easy to miss if you treat the works as background.
Remote by design and deliberately positioned away from other camps — a genuine draw, but factor in transfer times.
Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch
11 nights from $13.1K per person
9 nights from $9K per person
10 nights from $12.2K per person
12 nights from $11.7K per person
13 nights from $10.2K per person
8 nights from $7.5K per person
Grumeti Art Lodge can be booked with Timbuktu as part of a tailor-made Tanzania trip, rather than as a standalone room reservation. Start online, customising one of our recommended Tanzania trips featuring Grumeti Art Lodge or get advice and suggestions from one of our Tanzania specialists who will design the trip around your dates, check availability and handle every booking for you.
Stays at Grumeti Art Lodge start from around $1.1K, or US$1.1K, per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.
Home to the iconic Great Migration, endangered rhino, predator-filled plains and game drives galore.
