The Serengeti Autograph Collection property was recognised in Zanzibar as Tanzania and Serengeti also collected major honours at the Africa Gala.
Mapito Safari Camp in the Serengeti has been named Tanzania’s Leading Luxury Tented Safari Camp 2026 at the World Travel Awards.
- Mapito Safari Camp won Tanzania’s Leading Luxury Tented Safari Camp 2026 at the World Travel Awards.
- The award was presented during the Africa Gala Ceremony at Diamonds Bijoux in Zanzibar on 28 August 2026.
- The Serengeti property operates within Marriott International’s Autograph Collection and offers 15 tented suites.
- Tanzania also won Africa’s Leading Destination 2026, while Serengeti National Park retained major continental honours.
(NEWS) ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, 2026-Sep-01 — /Travel PR News/ — Mapito Safari Camp has been named Tanzania’s Leading Luxury Tented Safari Camp 2026 by the World Travel Awards, giving the relatively new Serengeti property a high-profile national accolade as Tanzania continues to build its position in the luxury safari market.
The award was announced during the World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony on 28 August at Diamonds Bijoux in Zanzibar. The official awards results list Mapito as the winner of the Tanzania-specific luxury tented safari camp category. At continental level, the separate Africa’s Leading Luxury Tented Safari Camp 2026 title went to Siringit Serengeti Camp, also in Tanzania.
Set beside Serengeti National Park in the greater Serengeti, Mapito operates as part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection. Marriott describes the camp as an all-inclusive safari property with 15 tented suites featuring retractable roofs, along with private game drives and other wilderness-focused experiences. Marriott also identifies the hotel as independently owned and operated by Delaware Investment Limited under a franchise arrangement.
The setting places guests close to one of Africa’s best-known wildlife landscapes, with access to the Serengeti’s resident wildlife and the seasonal Great Migration. The camp’s accommodation and service model is designed to combine a small-scale tented stay with the infrastructure and standards associated with an international hotel brand.
Rishen Patel, representing the camp’s ownership, said the property was created to bring together luxury, nature and a strong sense of place in the Serengeti. “Mapito was created with a simple ambition – to offer guests an exceptional Serengeti experience where luxury, nature and a genuine sense of place come together,” he said in the announcement.
The release also framed the award as significant for the Indian outbound luxury market, positioning Tanzania as an option for travellers looking beyond conventional resort holidays toward wildlife-led and experience-focused trips. That emphasis reflects Mapito’s attempt to appeal not only to established safari audiences but also to newer long-haul luxury travellers.
The camp’s win formed part of a broader strong showing for Tanzania at the 2026 Africa ceremony. Tanzania was named Africa’s Leading Destination 2026, completing a third consecutive win in that category after 2024 and 2025. Serengeti National Park was named Africa’s Leading National Park for the eighth year in a row, while it also received the Africa’s Leading Big 5 National Park 2026 title.
For Mapito, the national award adds visibility in a competitive safari market where travellers increasingly have a wide choice of high-end camps across Tanzania and neighbouring East African destinations. Its combination of tented accommodation, Serengeti access and Autograph Collection branding gives it a distinct position within that landscape as it builds international awareness.
