“Smell it before you see it: dozens of hippos pile on top of each other in this muddy Serengeti pool, jostling and grunting in a single snorting mass.”
About Retima Hippo Pool
Retima sits at the confluence of two Serengeti rivers, where the water stays deep enough to shelter a large hippo population year-round. It became one of the park's designated stops where visitors may step out of their vehicles at a safe viewpoint, a rare permission in the Serengeti, making it a popular fixture on central-park game drives.
What Retima Hippo Pool actually is
Retima Hippo Pool is a natural bend in the Serengeti where the Seronera and Orangi rivers meet, forming a deep, muddy pool that gathers dozens of hippos into a single seething, snorting mass. It is one of the few places in the park where visitors can leave their vehicles, at a designated viewpoint, and watch the animals up close.
Retima Hippo Pool is a natural bend in the Serengeti where the Seronera and Orangi rivers meet, forming a deep, muddy pool that gathers dozens of hippos into a single seething, snorting mass.
A Crowd of Hippos
At Retima, hippos pile in on top of one another, sometimes a hundred or more, jostling, yawning and grunting in the shallow water, with crocodiles often lying on the banks nearby. The smell, a powerful blend of mud and dung, hits you before the sight does. Hippos spend the hot day submerged to protect their skin from the sun, which is why so many crowd together in this reliable pool.
The Experience
You arrive at the riverbank viewpoint to find the pool packed with hippos, their backs and heads breaking the brown water, the air thick with their distinctive smell. They yawn, splash and grumble at one another, while crocodiles sun themselves nearby. Being able to stand and watch on foot, rather than from a vehicle, makes the encounter especially memorable.
Why It Matters
Retima offers one of the best and most accessible hippo encounters in the Serengeti, a chance to understand these huge, social animals up close. As a rare designated walking viewpoint, it provides a different rhythm to the usual drive-through safari and a vivid sensory experience.
Retima offers one of the best and most accessible hippo encounters in the Serengeti, a chance to understand these huge, social animals up close.
Why Visit
An up-close hippo spectacle in the central Serengeti, one of the few places you can step out of the vehicle to watch dozens of them crowded into one pool.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
You can leave the vehicle here at the designated viewpoint, a rare permission.
- 2
Expect a strong smell; it comes with the dense hippo crowd.
- 3
Look for crocodiles basking on the banks beside the hippos.
- 4
Morning and late afternoon are best for active animals.
