This is the last of twelve posts on our safari in Tanzania. Check out our other posts here:

• One Week of Glorious Safari-ing in Tanzania
• 15 Tips for Better Safari-ing in Tanzania
• Moving in to the Maramboi Tented Camp
• The Elephants at Tarangire National Park
• The Start of the Great Migration: Lake Manyara
• 2 Nights at the Kitela Lodge
• A Close Encounter with a Lion at the Ngorongoro Crater
• Safari-ing in the Ngorongo Park: Day 1
• Glamping at Ndutu Under Canvas in the Serengeti
• Simba and the Rest of the Pride in the Serengeti
• Giraffe for Breakfast? Day 2 at the Ngorongo Park
• Hippo Serenade: Sleeping at the Lake Masek Tented Camp

For our last night in Africa, Mrs. Selfish and I stayed at the Lake Masek Tented Camp, a group of permanent tents on the shores of Lake Masek.

Unlike our accommodations at the Ndutu Under Canvas Safari Camp, the Lake Masek Tented Camp is a permanent lodge – where the “tents” are built on wooden platforms. The main lodge is pretty modern, with modern plumbing, wifi, and unlimited free booze.

We stopped at the lodge for lunch, grabbing some local beers and sampling the buffet. Though still a buffet, the lunch at the Lake Masek Tented Camp was better than most of our previous meals, thanks to its excellently charred roast beef.

After lunch, we headed to our “tent.”

Yep. Totally glamping it.

The tent was equipped with a separate living room area with a view of the lake. They also did an excellent job separating the “bedroom” from the bathroom area with the use of a wooden wall.

The bathroom came equipped with dual sinks, a free standing bath, and an outside shower. Totally baller.

While the tent is quite modern, it’s important to underscore the fact that it is still in the jungle. Just a week prior to our arrival, a lion was found on the lodge grounds, eating a recently killed wildebeest. As such, guests are escorted to and from dinner by armed guards.

As dangerous as lions are, Mrs. Selfish and I were interested in catching a glimpse of a much more dangerous animal – hippos! Lake Masek is home to several dozen hippos, which you can hear snorting at all hours of the night. Hippos forage on the banks of Lake Masek, so you aren’t allowed to go near the lake unaccompanied.

Fortunately for us, Masek Tented Camp employs members of the Maasai tribe as guides, so we were able to walk right down to Lake Masek.

The rest of the walk was fairly uneventful, though we did catch sight of a monkey and a dik-dik.

We also ended up learning a lot about the Maasai. Apparently most Maasaimen take 3-4 wives (our Maasai guides were incredulous that I only had one!). The Maasai are also legally allowed to kill lions in order to protect their cattle. Supposedly this happens less these days, but it is still very much respected in Maasai culture.

The Maasai previously lived in the Serengeti itself, but were relocated to the Ngorongo National Park with the help of the Tanzanian government. Although they live in Tanzania, they are a self-governed group. They dress in fiery red colors to scare off predators and carry spears to protect themselves (and in this case, us as well).

Mrs. Selfish with our two Maasai guides.

CONCLUSION

The Lake Masek Tented Camp wasn’t the coolest place we stayed in the Serengeti (that honor goes to Ndutu Under Canvas Safari Camp), but it was definitely one of our nicer stays. The tent was posh, the food was good, and the bar was fully stocked. The tour of Lake Masek with our Maasai guides, was icing on the cake and was truly worth while.