Serengeti Pioneer Camp — Hotel in Simiyu

Our second camp on our African trip was Pioneer Camp by Elewana (11-05-23 through 11-08-23). The Pioneer Camp by Elewana was a little more rustic, but, fabulous. My husband's main goal on traveling to Tanzania was to experience the migration of the Wildebeest in Serengeti National Park. And let me say we were beyond overjoyed when we caught the first siting of the Wildebeest starting the migration and continuing on for three days through the park until they were gone. For three days we were able to experience thousands, and thousands, and thousands of Wildebeest as they went on the circular movement across the East Africa plains. It was totally beyond AMAZING!! It was mind boggling!! The accommodations were great, the service was wonderful, and the food was fabulous!! I would like to acknowledge the General Manager Rodgers, for his welcoming personality, and kindness, every time we returned to camp. Juma Dali our Butler Attendant for taking such great care of us each day. Taji, our server in the dining room, and Calvin our server, in the dining room, who spoiled us rotten. Thank you, Chef Joseph, who prepared the best yummy food each meal period. Last, but, not least our wonderful, knowledgeable, funny, oh so perfect timing Safari Guide Mokili Olesokoi. I thank Mokili from the bottom of my heart for driving us around all over Serengeti National Park each day in order for us to see the most AMAZING, animals in the world. The roads were tough driving and rough some days due to the rain. Mokilli was diligent, earnest, focused, and hard working and drove us safely and carefully around the park each day. I took my best photos in Serengeti National Park. WOW, WOW, WOW. what an exceptional trip to Tanzania. We are still...

What an experience! This was our favorite lodge we stayed at throughout our safaris through Tanzania for first and foremost its incredible location, setup, views, and accommodations, but just as important, the staff’s genuine and superior hospitality. The entire staff from the welcome we received each day back to their constant attention to our needs to their love of telling us about their land was consistently delightful all day every day. Out housekeeper, Alex, always made up our room special for our honeymoon, and our butler, Ben, was always attentive and overly pleasant. The two Maasai tribe members who walked us to our tent each night and morning always engaged us in stories while the managers always made sure we were satisfied. Chef Joseph treated us to breakfast on the rocks one day, and we always looked forward to breakfast and dinner. Cannot say enough about EVERY staff member – they fully immersed us into the Tanzanian culture – Hakuna Matata.

In addition to the world-class hospitality, the experience and venue was out of this world. We had a private tent suite that was visited regularly by a herd of impalas. The gathering space gave a sprawling lookout of the whole Serengeti and the local mountain hyraxes. There was even a male lion just outside our camp the first two nights we stayed there – we will never forget drinks and falling asleep to the lion’s low rumbling roars claiming his territory. Our room had a sultan king bed with the softest linens and we had two separate sets of chairs setup for viewing animals outside and relaxing. The lodge was Tanzania at its finest – we will definitely look into other Elewana properties as we visit Africa again! Thank you Pioneer team for an...

This is one of those camps that’s a challenge to review. On one hand, it’s a perfectly serviceable hotel. And if you haven’t stayed in other luxury safari properties before, then this could very well be an upgrade. But comparing this with Singita and Asilia properties, one can’t help but feel disappointed given the high rack rates. It’s only accommodation, but falls short of an experience.

The primary problem with this camp is that nothing is ever done to make you feel special. Other camps surprised us with bush breakfasts, sundowners by rocky outcrops or lakes, and even dances with song on different days. But the closest we ever got to any of that here was a pamphlet noting the extra charge for a meal in the bush.

General guiding service could also be improved. In all other camps, our guides would proactively offer to fill our bottles, or ask us what our preferred spot for photos was. Our guide, Jackson, was an excellent spotter of animals and predictor of animal behaviour, but fell short in this hospitality aspect. (In fact, one thing that annoyed me slightly was his lack of an eye for good camera spots, compared to other guides in the same trip. Most of my photos were from awkward angles)

Service from mid-level management was also slightly robotic. They just asked about our day in a way that never really came across as sincere — other camps always used this chitchat to figure out our preferences and ways to surprise/delight, not here.

The best part of this camp was probably the view out from the elevated lobby structure. But it could be so much more if the service...