Retima hippo pool

Serengeti national park, Tanzania

One of the largest and more popular hippo pools in central Serengeti national park, located just a short distance downstream from the Nyabogati hippo pool. It is also inhabited by crocodiles, with a large parking area next to it.

What to do there?

Game drives of it and nearby areas, balloon safaris, camping etc.Though balloon safaris are available nearby, the actual route may not go through the area itself. For a list of other attractions in the area, please see the section below or the attractions page.

Best time to visit

Any time of the year, though the rest of the park may be better seen when the wildebeest and zebra have immigrated into the area. This would be during the months of December to June every year, using better 4x4s during the rainy season of March to June.

Location of Retima hippo poolRetima hippo pool is located a short distance off the road from Seronera to Fort ikoma gate, and well inside Serengeti national park. It also sits at a point where the Nyabogati is met by the smaller Seronera river to form the river Grumeti.

For more information on this place, please see the map below.

How to get there?

By air or by land, with the previous method using the larger Seronera airstrip, followed by a prearranged vehicle to get there. Depending on where you are coming from, you may also get to some parts of Serengeti and even Ngorongoro conservation area from above.

The longer, more scenic route would involve driving in from one of the gates into Serengeti, with several accommodation options in Seronera. There is no preference for 4x4s and the roads leading up to the place can be used all year round.

Nevertheless, you may need a good 4x4 for other parts of the park. For More information on park fees and tariffs, please see the TANAPA website.