Tl;dr – The Mapito Safari Camp in the Serengeti officially opens in September.
Back in April, I wrote about the announcement of Marriott’s newest safari project, the Mapito Safari Camp, Serengeti, which will join Marriott’s Autograph Collection. Alongside Leopard Sands in Kruger, this is only the second of Marriott’s numerous planned and existing safari projects to join as a softbrand. The safari-on-points landscape has grown quite impressively over the last few years and will only get stronger in the future. This Mapito Safari Camp recently opened for reservations, and there’s a solid introductory offer. Let’s dive in.
Mapito Safari Camp, Serengeti, Autograph Collection
A stay at the Mapito Safari Camp puts you right in the heart of the Great Migration Path – providing you with a front row seat to some of the most fantastic wildlife viewing in the world. You’ll have a chance to spot four of the Big Five: lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo.
There are four different room types, allowing guests to ‘sleep under the Serengeti stars in style.’ The rooms come equipped with a retractable roof that opens to the Serengeti stars for stargazing from bed, outdoor showers for refreshing ‘amid nature’s embrace’, patios to unwind post-safari, and private fire pits to warm your tent with a cozy glow.
You can choose from a Deluxe Tent, 1 Bedroom VIP Tent, 2 Bedroom VIP Tent, and a 2 Bedroom Villa, which comes with its own pool.
Dining and drinks take place at the Mapito Bar.
In addition to game drives, guests can enjoy the resort’s pool and fitness center.
Other experiences include visiting with the Ikoma tribe for a cultural dive into local traditions and hot air balloon rides soaring over the Serengeti’s plains.
Rates and Introductory Offer
For the avoidance of doubt, this is a true-to-form all-inclusive safari experience where everything from your game drives to your meals is included. The owners are trying to do it up right by providing bush lunches and sundowners. Rates are competitive. If you’re traveling solo, single occupancy rates are as low as $891 per night:
If you have a plus one, double occupancy starts at $1425:
Interestingly enough, redemption rates were only showing up for me once when I searched for two people. 145,600 is the lowest per-night redemption cost:
Notably, for early visitors, an opening offer includes a bonus of 50,000 points per stay. To be clear, you will pay more money for this offer, which essentially amounts to a subsidized Bonvoy points purchase – the non-discounted cost of 50,000 points is $625, so you come out $328 (the offer with the 50K bonus points is $297 more) ahead if you book that offer.
This property looks legit, and it’s in a great location. Though there haven’t been any recent updates, Marriott did announce plans to open another JW Marriott Safari Lodge – the JW Marriott Seregenti Lodge in 2026. Presumably, that property will more closely model the existing JW Masai Mara and the planned JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp in terms of room count and amenities. If the JW Marriott Serengeti comes to market as scheduled, a comparison trip with the Mapito Safari Camp sounds like a fun time.
