Tl;dr – Marriott will open a safari camp featuring 16-tented suites in the Serengeti later this year.
If you’ve been reading You Are Travel for a while, you’ll know that I love covering all things’ safari on points.’ I maintain a reasonably accurate list of all the places you can redeem points for a safari in Africa, wrote the first blogger review for Leopard Sands Kruger Park – Marriott’s newest safari output in South Africa’s famed National Park – and generally like to keep tabs on the space. So when I saw Marriott is opening yet another safari venue, I was super excited. This fall, we’ll see the debut of the Mapito Safari Camp, Serengeti, Autograph Collection.
This property departs from Marriott’s current safari holdings in that the accommodations are all tents. This puts guests right in the mix, smack dab in the middle of the Great Migration, which will likely make rates higher between May and July. The property may be an overhaul of this now-closed safari camp, as the location on Google Maps would match the location’s description included in the press release (linked above).
As far as we can expect, all 16 suites will feature “an outdoor deck, fire pit, and retractable roof for open-air stargazing.” Though it may not include all of these amenities upon its debut, ‘plans for the camp include a spa, fitness center, and swimming pool.’ There will also be ‘multiple dining options, such as ‘The Boma,’ a communal restaurant inspired by traditional bonfire gatherings.’
If the boma is anything like the one at Leopard Sands, it’ll be a treat, and things can get festive:
Is the JW Marriott Serengeti Still Happening?
When I read the press release, the first question that came to mind was, ‘Does this impact the planned JW Marriott Serengeti?’ The development team behind the Mapito Safari Camp, Serengeti, Autograph Collection is Delaware Investment Limited, headed up by Rishen Patel. The name of that firm sounded familiar to me, and I remembered it’s the same development team Marriott partnered with when it announced the JW Marriott Serengeti in 2023.
So, is this a new project between the two entities, or was the JW Marriott scrapped in favor of the Mapito Safari Camp?
I believe both of these properties will come to market within a year of one another. The location identified in the JW Marriott announcement is close to but not the same as that of the Mapito Safari Camp, pointing to the Mapito being a ‘sister property’ and not a replacement for the JW plans.
Marriott has been trying new things with its JW Marriott brand, including introducing all-inclusive properties in the Caribbean. The JW Marriott brand holds Marriott’s flagship luxury safari lodges, while the Ritz Carlton fills the premium luxury safari lodge tier. The Autograph Collection owns the ‘lifestyle’ safari lodge segment. (It’s thought that Leopard Sands will formally become part of the Autograph Collection soon too).
Ugh, ‘lifestyle’. There goes that word again.
Conclusion
The Mapito Safari Camp is scheduled for a Q3 2025 debut. This property looks intriguing, and outside of Leopard Sands Kruger, it’s a departure from the JW and Ritz-Carlton brands Marriott has chosen for its other safari outposts. If you’re planning to visit it, comment and let us know.
