About This Property
Serengeti Pioneer Camp is an Elewana Collection tented camp on its own kopje in the south-central Serengeti, near the Moru Kopjes. Go2Africa calls it a throwback to 1930s-style mobile camping, with high service levels and views over the kopjes and Lake Magadi — a favourite sundowner spot on that page. The camp is built for Big Five game and for reaching the southern wildebeest migration, especially the January–March calving on the short-grass plains.
There are 12 tents: 11 en-suite safari tents and one two-bedroom family tent. Elewana: canvas-covered floors, throw carpets, writing desk, queen beds with mosquito nets, solar-heated hot showers, flush toilet, vanity basin, indoor lounge chairs and a canvas awning with outdoor furniture. Africa A-Z: safari tents about 38 m² (up to three adults); family tent about 75 m², a double en-suite plus a twin en-suite sharing a sitting room (unit rate for two adults and two children; the same page says it can take up to six adults).
Breakfast and dinner are in the dining tent; lunch is in camp or in the bush. An elevated viewing lounge has spotting scopes. Go2Africa lists a small swimming pool from about October to April. Bar, laundry, library, lounge, in-tent safe and Wi-Fi in public areas are on the Go2Africa / Elewana facility lists. Africa A-Z: 100% solar with a backup generator; charging in the main area.
Game Package rates include twice-daily shared drives, a two-hour walking safari, Seronera transfers, a bush sundowner and a sunrise rock breakfast. Full Board is meals, house drinks and laundry only — drives are then extra. Park fees are extra on both. Seronera airstrip is about a 50-minute drive; the flight from Arusha is about an hour.
Go2Africa welcomes children under 12 and flags the camp for honeymoons. Walking safaris are typically 16 and over. Combine with Elewana’s Serengeti Migration Camp in the north if you want both ends of the park.
Why We Love It
We love Pioneer for the site. It sits on its own kopje in the south-central Serengeti, looking at the Moru Kopjes and Lake Magadi, which is exactly where you want to be for southern calving and for a quieter corner than Seronera’s busiest tracks.
Twelve tents, including a proper two-bedroom family unit, is the right scale. The 1930s canvas look is the point of the camp, not a marketing line — Elewana still sells solar showers, campaign furniture and a dining tent. A small pool (Go2Africa dates it to the warmer months) is unusual inside the park at this size.
We would book the Game Package, not Full Board, unless you already have a private vehicle: Go2Africa’s headline is the Game Package, and that is the stay that includes drives, the short walk, sundowner and the Seronera transfer. Park fees still sit outside the rate.
It is a classic park camp, not a private conservancy. You share roads, you stay on them, and you come for lions on the kopjes, not for a spa. Pair it with Migration Camp in the north if you want both ends of the Serengeti in one circuit.
Rooms & Details
Safari tent (11)
Eleven en-suite safari tents in a 1930s campaign style. Elewana: enclosed tents, canvas-covered floors with throw carpets, queen-size mattress beds with mosquito nets, bedside tables and period lamps, a clothes dresser and hat stand, writing desk and stationery, indoor lounge chairs, and a canvas awning with outdoor furniture.
En-suite flushing toilet, vanity basin and solar-heated hot shower. Africa A-Z: about 38 m², up to three adults (a triple rate is published). Safari Awards: convertible twin/doubles and a personal room attendant. The camp sits on a kopje in south-central Serengeti National Park.
Family tent (1)
One two-bedroom family tent: a double en-suite and a twin en-suite joined by a sitting room (Africa A-Z / Elewana). About 75 m². No dedicated family-tent photo sits in this listing’s gallery.
The official family-suite rate is for two adults and two children; extra adults and children can be added at extra cost. Africa A-Z says the unit can take up to six adults. Go2Africa flags it for small groups travelling together.
Main camp
Dining tent, bar and an elevated viewing lounge with spotting scopes (Go2Africa), plus a library. Africa Travel: fireplace in the bar and lounge; Wi-Fi in the main lounge; central charging bay. 24-hour security on the Wetu facilities list. No spa is listed.
Go2Africa dates a small swimming pool to about October–April. Elewana’s northern sister camp is Serengeti Migration Camp. Other live Serengeti canvas on this site includes Osero Serengeti Luxury Tented Camp. Many itineraries add Ngorongoro Conservation Area after the southern plains.
Fire pit
The campfire is the evening gathering point on the kopje, with views over the Moru Kopjes and Lake Magadi. There is no spa.
Amenities & Features
Photo Gallery
Rates
Prices start from $678 per night. Final pricing depends on season, room type, and availability. Check current rates on our booking partner's site for the most accurate pricing.
Rates are per person sharing unless noted. Go2Africa publishes USD 998–1,351 per person sharing on a Game Package. Official Elewana rack (live Aug 2026): Full Board from USD 678 PPS (green season, 1 Apr–31 May); Game Package from USD 978 PPS. High season FB 1,020 / GP 1,320; mid FB 825 / GP 1,125. This row uses 678 as the lowest published nightly PPS figure (green-season Full Board, meals and house drinks, no game drives). Flag if you prefer Go2Africa’s 998 Game Package headline. Family suite is a unit rate (2 adults and 2 children). First single in a booking has no supplement on the Africa A-Z / Elewana card. Park and camping fees, premium drinks, flying-doctor cover, flights and gratuities extra on both bases.
What's Included
- Breakfast in the dining tent (sunrise rock breakfast included on Game Package)
- Lunch in camp or in the bush on a full-day drive
- Dinner in the dining tent
- House drinks on the property (teas, coffees, soft drinks, beer, house wines, selected spirits); premium drinks extra. Bush sundowner included on Game Package
- Twice-daily scheduled shared game drives (included on Game Package; USD 220 pp extra on Full Board)
- 2-hour guided walking safari (included on Game Package; USD 90 pp extra on Full Board; typically 16+)
- Bush sundowner (included on Game Package)
- Sunrise rock breakfast (included on Game Package)
- Birdwatching and game viewing from the elevated lounge / spotting scopes
- Moru Kopjes (Maasai rock art and Ngong musical rock) and Lake Magadi (seasonal flamingos)
- Children’s camp walks, Maasai / bush training and Animal Safari Bingo (operator family sheets)
- Seronera airstrip transfers (included on Game Package; USD 450 per vehicle on Full Board). Balloon safaris extra
Full Board (Elewana): accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner, teas, coffees, soft drinks, beer, house wines, selected spirits on the property, and laundry. Game Package adds scheduled shared game drives, the 2-hour walking safari, drinks on activities, bush sundowner, sunrise rock breakfast, and Seronera airstrip transfers. Go2Africa’s published stay is the Game Package. Park/camping fees, premium drinks, balloons, exclusive vehicles and flying-doctor cover extra.
Location
How to Get There
By air to Seronera
Go2Africa names Seronera as the nearest airport. Elewana: Seronera airstrip is a 1-hour flight from Arusha Airport and a 50-minute drive from camp. Scheduled flights listed by Elewana include twice-daily Air Excel from Arusha, daily Regional Air from Arusha, daily Auric Air from Arusha via Manyara, and Coastal Aviation from several Tanzanian airstrips, plus private charters. Game Package rates include the Seronera transfer; Full Board charges USD 450 per vehicle.
On arrival
The camp sits on its own kopje in the south-central Serengeti near the Moru Kopjes. Minor Hotels’ FAQ lists check-in from 12:00 and check-out until 10:00 (the same page header also prints 14:00 / 12:00 — we used the FAQ).
Nearby Attractions
Moru Kopjes (Maasai rock paintings; Ngong musical rock); Lake Magadi (seasonal flamingos; Go2Africa sundowner spot); southern short-grass plains (calving, typically January–March); Seronera; Serengeti Cheetah Project talks hosted at camp (Africa A-Z); Elewana Serengeti Migration Camp in the north
Things to Do
At the property
Watch the plains from the elevated lounge and spotting scopes, or from your tent awning. Swim when the small pool is in use (Go2Africa: about October–April). Board games in camp (SkySafari family sheet). Meals in the dining tent; private dinners are mentioned in a Go2Africa guest review but are not sold as a standard inclusion. No television.
In the area
Morning and afternoon game drives in the south-central Serengeti for the Big Five and, in season, the wildebeest herds on the southern plains. Guided 2- or 4-hour walking safaris (typically 16+). Visit the Moru Kopjes for Maasai rock art and the Ngong musical rock, and Lake Magadi for seasonal flamingos and sundowners. Africa A-Z: camp managers host Serengeti Cheetah Project talks and issue identification brochures.
Day trips
Full-day drives toward the calving grounds in January–March, returning to camp (Africa A-Z). Exclusive-use vehicles are extra (Africa A-Z 2026–27: from USD 540 per vehicle for 1–2 people; free for 5+). Balloon safaris are booked in advance and extra. Pair with Serengeti Migration Camp in the north for river-crossing season.
Good to Know
Children: Go2Africa: children under 12 welcome. Africa A-Z: 5 years and over; walking safaris from 16 at the guide’s discretion. Safari Awards / some Elewana sheets: children of all ages, with under-12s sharing free in stated configurations. Families of five or more with children 5–12 may get exclusive use of a vehicle free of charge (Africa A-Z, subject to availability). Confirm the minimum age when booking. Park rules: Inside Serengeti National Park. The Africa Specialists note you cannot drive off-road; Elewana nevertheless sells guided walking safaris from camp — treat walks as a booked, guided activity, not a wander. Power: Africa A-Z: 100% solar with a backup generator; lighting in tents and charging in the main area 24 hours; vehicle inverters on game drives. Wi-Fi in public areas (Africa A-Z / Africa Travel), not claimed in every tent. Pool: Go2Africa: small swimming pool roughly October–April. Other operator pages describe the pool without a season — confirm if you are travelling in the dry high season. Health: Africa A-Z: malaria risk described as extremely low above 4,000 ft; tents sealed against mosquitoes. Still a bush camp: unfenced, Big Five country. Board: Do not confuse Full Board (no drives) with Game Package (drives, 2-hour walk, sundowner, sunrise breakfast, Seronera transfer). Park fees are extra on both.
Who It's For
Couples, honeymooners and families who want a small classic-canvas camp inside the southern Serengeti rather than a large lodge, with real Moru Kopjes and Lake Magadi views. Photographers after calving-season plains (January–March) or a Big Five circuit. Children: confirm 5+ versus all-ages before you book; walking is typically 16+. Not for guests who need in-tent air conditioning, guaranteed year-round swimming, or off-road driving — this is a national-park camp on Elewana’s Game Package or Full Board card, with park fees extra.
Best Time to Visit
Open year-round. Southern calving and short-grass plains: typically January–March (Africa A-Z: some 400,000 wildebeest calves in a few weeks). Dry-season game and high rates: June–October. Green / wetter months November–May, with heavier rain often March–April; green-season rates are the lowest. Go2Africa flags the camp for migration access and Big Five viewing. Combine with Elewana’s Serengeti Migration Camp in the north to cover more of the park (Elewana: over 90% of the Serengeti between the two).
