January 2026

Grumeti & Lamai

Share:

Grumeti & Lamai: January 2026

In January, the weather has generally been dry, except for the last few days of the month. After brief rainfall in December the heat and moisture on the ground helped create the perfect conditions for grass to grow quickly. This rapid growth has attracted herds of plains game, such as topi, eland, Thomson’s gazelle and zebra, that are now seeking refuge in areas where the grass is shorter.
These areas, located to the south-west and west of Sasakwa Hill and Beribai Plains, are part of a watershed. The land in these areas is dryer and the grass is short and green, making it a desirable spot for the animals. The changing weather patterns and the quick growth of grass have created an interesting shift as to where the animals are choosing to stay and feed. The Grumeti River has been flowing low and puddles of standing water on the plains have been sustaining the game.
January sightings snapshot for Grumeti:
Lions
January has been an exciting one for lion sightings, with lots of activities across the property.
  • The Sabora Pride was mostly seen west of Sabora Camp stretching all the way to the Marula Bush Breakfast site. Their nine cubs are healthy and growing well.
  • Momukomule Pride has been seen mainly in their territory which is Sasakwa Hill, Dikdik Ridge and occasionally they ventured close to the community grazing boundary.
  • The Ridge Pride was seen frequently around Ridge Hills and occasionally below Milele Hills.
  • The Nyasirori Pride spent most of the month along the boundary between the Serengeti and Grumeti Concession, these areas are productive in prey availability.
  • The Butamtam Pride has been settled on the southern plains of Sasakwa Lodge, with all 18 cubs in good health. What an incredible sight it is to see this large pride at the moment.
  • Mkuyu Pride was frequently seen along Grumeti River as their territory expands from Faru Faru Lodge to German Bridge.
Leopards
This month we had some amazing leopard sightings amid the growing grass:
  • The Mbogo Drainage male was often seen along Mbogo Drainage, and north of Faru Faru Lodge.
  • The Maridadi female was seen along Raho Drainage and east of Sabora Camp.
  • Momukomule male was seen south of the rhino sanctuary.
  • The skittish adult male was seen along Raho Drainage bordering Serengeti National Park.
  • The skittish female was frequently seen south of Sasakwa Plains.
  • A relaxed female was frequently seen north of Sabora Tented Camp. Also, a relaxed female was seen frequently below Sasakwa Hills.
  • A relaxed adult male was seen frequently west of Sabora Camp, and a very relaxed adult male was seen often, north-west of Faru Faru Lodge.
Cheetahs
Due to the rainfall and tall grass in some areas, the general game has moved to higher ground across the reserve, which has led the cheetahs to these spots.
  • The well-known Junior Veteran was seen on the southern side of Sabora, patrolling the territory on the plains and in search of prey.
  • The female cheetah and her nearly full-grown cub were frequently seen on the southern plains of Sasakwa Hill and Nyasirori Plains.
Elephants
In January, we continued to see vast matriarchal herds roaming on the plains in significant numbers, throughout the reserve. It was normal to view a herd of about 100 elephants in one herd. The plains of Sasakwa, west of Sabora Camp, and along Grumeti River, were alive with the movements of these large pachyderms.
Buffalo
  • One large herd roamed the Sasakwa Plains for the whole month of January. Further east was another large herd in the marsh areas.
  • A large herd was frequently seen north of Faru Faru Lodge. West of that was a large herd roaming along Grumeti River.
  • Sabora Plain also had a large herd seen to the north and south of Sabora Camp.
  • As usual Kawanga Plain had the largest herd, to the west of Balanitis Explore Camp.
  • Other large herds were seen across the reserve, feasting on the lush green grass.