East African nations have recovered or exceeded their pre-COVID tourism levels, but there is mounting concern over the long-term sustainability of this growth and risk to the eco-sensitive Serengeti-Maasai Mara region. Tanzania, home to Serengeti, and Kenya, home to Maasai Mara, have reached their 2019 international visitor levels, with Tanzania racking up 1.8 million tourists in 2023, a 17% increase from its 1.5 million 2019 arrivals. These figures make Tanzania the second-best performing African country in terms of tourism recovery. Simultaneously, Kenya’s 1.95 million arrivals in 2023 sits at 97% of its 2019 levels. The specter of overcrowding during peak seasons and the environmental impact of large-scale infrastructure projects continue to loom over these figures.