A Signature Northern Tanzania Safari Trip

Overview

Each of the six garden cottages has their own private veranda and is beautifully decorated with a nod to a bygone era with the choice of antique furniture. They have large and extremely comfortable beds and a lounge area with a fireplace to take the chill off the cooler African nights.

The family cottage has two bedrooms and a private garden which is a superb way to spend some time relaxing in absolute luxury during your stopover before or after your safari. Two cosy en-suite rooms in the Old Farmhouse provide a comfortable retreat from which you can explore the grounds of this genuine coffee farm.

After roughly an hour’s drive through Arusha, you will arrive at the farm and have the chance to either relax and spend time in the well kept grounds, or venture into the city to see some of the museums and markets on offer. The service at Legendary Lodge is excellent, without doubt one of the premier hotels in the area.

Overview

Ideally situated on the outskirts of Arusha, this lodge is a brilliant spot to stay either before, or after your safari in Tanzania. Hidden on the grounds of one of Tanzania’s largest coffee farms, with wonderful views of the Tanzanian countryside and away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Arusha. The cottages offer you a homely space to either relax after a long international flight, or to flick through your photos before you head home again. In the main lodge you can enjoy the warmth of open log fires while sipping a well-earned gin and tonic or spend time in the gardens breathing in the smells of the coffee bushes around you.

The farm itself can be explored on a two hour guided walk which gives a superb insight into the methods of coffee farming and ends with an excellent brew of the local beans. You have the chance to venture into Arusha if the need takes you, but otherwise you can just make the most of the large grounds. If the midday heat gets a bit much, they also have a refreshing outdoor pool with shaded sun loungers among the manicured gardens and patios.

Overview

Rather uniquely designed, this lodge sits in its own private game reserve on the fringes of Tarangire National Park.

The main area is built around a remarkable 700 year old Baobab tree, and is warmly decorated to fit in with the African bush that surrounds the lodge. Each of the 20 open-fronted tree houses (yes, tree houses!) are enormous and offer a luxury that is rather bizarrely perched up high with views spanning the Tarangire’s splendour.

The large deck in front of your house is ideal for bird watching or simply enjoying an ice cold drink after some great game experiences.

You have prime access to the National Park itself and can spend the day driving through the park, but due to restrictions of the Park you would have to return for the evening. You will not miss out of night drives however, as the lodge has access to the private reserve that it is located within and this affords you opportunities to see nocturnal animals on their moonlit strolls. You are also able to participate in some excellent guided bush walks to witness some of the finer details of the bush.

Overview

Located in a wonderfully rich wildlife area, Oliver’s Camp overlooks a flood plain of the Minyonyo Pools (part of the Tarangire River) which attracts dense concentrations of game.

Exclusively placed, the ten spacious and tastefully decorated tents offer you the chance to while away your afternoon listening to the typical Mourning Dove calling in the distance. Each tent has a view over the permanent water resource they are situated along and are covered by traditional thatch to cool the tents down in the midday heat.

If you don’t want to be left to your own devices in your beautiful tent, you could choose to make use of the extremely comfortable dining and lounge areas instead, and chat with other guests about the sightings of the day.

A variety of activities will keep you busy and completely immersed in the game experience this camp has to offer.

Wildlife in the area is prolific and during the dry months congregates around the pools, desperate for the cooling splash of the waters. Lions, cheetah and the elusive leopard can be seen in this park as well as huge herds of elephants wallowing in the muddy waters.

Overview

An off-shoot of Chem Chem Lodge, Little Chem Chem is an intimate camp on the eastern side of the private reserve that embraces the elegance and simplicity of a more traditional safari.

Six tents are far from basic, with en-suite shower rooms housing hot-water bucket showers and flushing toilets, a study desk, rocking chair and a dressing room. Outside, find a private fire pit whose crackles twinned with the sound of the African wilderness at night evoke a prehistoric notion of place.

Meals are served in the mess tent, although private dining is available too, where guests can dine by their campfire. For lunch, you can disappear for a private picnic lunch in the African bush.

Of course, game drives and walking safaris are the order of the day here at Little Chem Chem, and there’s also the option to embark on a sunrise drive or night safari – a perk of staying on a private reserve. Around the camp, you’ll find elephants, lions and cheetahs, with wildebeest and zebra calving during the wet season (December to March). For adventurous guests, there are hot air balloon rides available, too.

Overview

This is a wonderfully comfortable and charming lodge, set in a working farm within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. A short drive from the famous Ngorongoro Crater surrounded by forest and gardens Gibb’s Farm gives you some peace and quiet away from the bustling traffic that congregates around the busy crater rim. This interesting working farm is a great place to get out of the safari vehicle and walk the 95 acres of farm and forest that make up Gibb’s. The farmhouse itself is surrounding by rather charming English gardens and where you can simply relax and enjoy the organic coffee that is processed and roasted just outside the door of the lodge.

Each of the 18 cottages is very interestingly decorated with names and themes relating to different aspects of the farm and surrounding communities. Each cottage has its own unique story which certainly adds a certain charm to the place. The warm main dining area is perfect to relax with a good book, or you could simply enjoy a turn about the gardens. Activities around here are plentiful and either take in the surrounding farm and village or you could go further afield and explore the Conservation Area that the lodge sits adjacent to. Either way, Gibb’s Farm offers you the chance to relax within a beautiful area before you explore the Crater itself.

Overview

Echoing the style of an elegant farm home, The Manor is Ngorongoro Crater’s answer to luxury country living. Designed with Cape Dutch architecture, this is a sumptuous and indeed homely property found in a 1500-acre Arabica coffee estate, right next to the renowned Ngorongoro conservation area.

Accommodation comes in the form of charming, private manor cottages and one larger stable cottage. All enjoy bundles of comfort, lavish amenities and lush hill views, though the two-storey stable cottage features an impressive three bedrooms, dining and lounging areas and an upstairs playroom for little ones.

Besides witnessing the awesome game of the crater, your time here can be spent feasting on delicious cuisine, relaxing with a massage or dip in the pool and horse riding and cycling around the surrounding area.

Overview

Perched up high on the edge of this remarkable natural wonder, the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge holds a prime position. With views spanning the spectacular caldera, you can enjoy a relaxing visit to this otherwise bustling attraction and dip into a world that’s the permanent home to roughly 25,000 animals.

The huge amounts of game that find sanctuary here roam over 20 kilometres on the crater floor and this allows for some excellent game viewing opportunities. Prides of bachelor lions are sometimes seen spanning the landscape, on the hunt for their own families and, dotted among the plains game, you might be lucky enough to spot a rhino in the distance. Morning and afternoon game drives are taken by highly experienced guides with visits to the nearby Olduvai Gorge available when vehicle occupancy allows.

The crater itself can get quite busy but there’s a peaceful quiet that flows through the rooms, social areas and outside spaces of the lodge. North and South Camp both have twelve beautiful suites and the Tree Camp, slightly set apart from the others, has just six. Raised up on stilts, these rooms are all tastefully decorated with Tanzanian hardwoods and silk curtains which make the rooms cosy and warm; the ridge can get quite nippy, after all. The dining areas have viewing decks and comfortable indoor lounges which are ideal for catching up on some midday afternoon reading, or ticking off the birds that you might have seen so far. You could also decide to have a relaxing massage in your room, and completely pamper yourself.

Overview

Deep in the Serengeti National Park is where you’ll find Wilderness Usawa Camp, a mobile camp that follows the wildebeest migration. The location of the camp shifts as the migration progresses, with a preference for sites that offer easy access to key highlights, like river crossings, but that are also set apart from the more crowded spaces offering you a sense of privacy. Attention is also paid to the game-viewing experience in general when selecting camp locations from month to month.

Wilderness Usawa Camp accommodates 12 guests in six spacious en-suite tents. These are solar-powered and completely mobile so no fixtures are left behind, meaning only a light footprint is left on the Earth. During your stay you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a locally sourced and grown gourmet menu, which supports the surrounding communities, small businesses, farms and suppliers in Tanzania due to how the camp reduces food waste through its creative preparation methods.

As the seasonal migration moves throughout the year across the expanse of the park, the camps will be in rotation around the key locations closest to the herds. Though reasonably predictable, herd movements are dictated by rain and tend to migrate from the south in a north-westerly direction before making their way up north around September. From there, the journey begins back to the south. Locations include Kusini, Moru West Area, Ngarenanyuki/Gol Kopje area, Kilimafetha area, Grumeti, Bologonja and Lamai. The wildlife you’ll be able to spot include Thomson’s gazeles, Wildebeests and lions.

Activities to take part in during your adventure with Wilderness Usawa Camp consist of early morning game drives, during which you can watch as the sun’s rays seep across the Serengeti’s savannah,  along with guided walks across the plains. You can also settle back against a blanket under the night sky and watch as the stars shimmer above this African haven.

Overview

Kimondo Camp is a camp of just eight tents, in a prime location overlooking the river. Watching the sun rise over the Mara river in front your tent in the morning is a special experience.

With just eight luxury tents, you will receive some excellent service and delicious cuisine right in the heart of the bush. The tents are spacious and comfortable but simply decorated due to the mobile nature of the camp. You will not miss your creature comforts here however, with flush toilets and proper sinks, it is a rather adventurous way to spend your safari with sights of the roaming animals around you.

Being a seasonal camp that moves twice a year in order to base itself in the best possible location for wildlife and the Migration. From 15th November to 15th March in the Southern Serengeti, Kimondo will be to the south east of the Kusini area, about an hour’s drive south west of Ndutu, one of the most peaceful parts of the Serengeti. The short grass plains play host to just three other camps, so other vehicles will be a rare sighting.

Overview

A larger scale of luxury based in the northern part of the Serengeti, Sayari has 15 permanent raised-deck tents with wide deck verandas that overlook the bushy scrubland around the camp.

The tents are palatial, with very comfortable beds and a large bath, ideal for sinking into after a great day of sightseeing.

The camp has a rather grand feel to it with spacious decking and intricately decorated areas that you can lounge in and relax when you aren’t out on game drives.

Service is of a high standard and this is definitely one of the most luxurious camps in the North Serengeti.

Overview

Lamai Serengeti Lodge has a pride of place up on a kopje overlooking the vast open Serengeti plains towards the Maasai Mara in Kenya. With just 12 delightfully stylish rooms all perched in, around and on top of the rock, you will be extremely well catered for and feel heartened by this little bit of paradise.

Ideally placed to catch sightings of the migration as it attempts to cross the Mara River (July to October), this lodge offers you an experience that is highly sought after in relation to the epic journey of these fantastic beasts. The northern Serengeti, which is where Lamai is perfectly located, is a rather different world to the southern part of the park.

With a continuous supply of lush foliage to munch on, the plains game in this area rarely needs to move on in search for greener pastures. This in turn means that the predators don’t have to leave the sanctuary of their territories to hunt and they remain rather smug in the areas around the lodge.

Although leopards have a larger territorial space to traverse, they don’t need to exhaust themselves and can sometimes be seen elusively stalking among the kopjes that are so typical of this part of the Serengeti.

Not far from the main lodge is a smaller, more private and exclusive lodge which has four rooms and neither lodge has any idea they exist. Each camp has its own pool, dining and lounge areas. Both are classically designed and made to completely fit in with their surroundings. Making use of the rocks they are built on, the rooms are a mix of canvas and more sturdy materials and have spectacular views from on high. Each has its own private viewing deck and veranda for those spectacular sundowners.

Overview

Singita Mara River Tented Camp is located on the northern banks of the world-renowned Mara River in the Lamai triangle and is celebrated for its annual wildebeest migration crossings. Stroll through camp and you’ll discover eye-catching designs inspired by Maasai geometrics and bursts of colour, as well as locally-made furniture and accessories.

Fitting perfectly into its natural surrounds, Mara’s six suites offer you a welcoming and comfortable sanctuaries which both excude modern luxury and are light-filled and functional.

Singita Mara River Tented Camp consciously seeks to eliminate the use of unnecessary energy and non-biodegradable materials. In keeping with this concept, the camp is truly ‘off the grid’ and relies entirely on a custom designed solar power array and uses recycled and natural materials.

The Lamai triangle covers 40,000 hectares (98,000 acres) of the northern most tip of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, neatly slotted between the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya in the north, and the Mara River in the south. This is a unique area of Tanzania due to its distinctive soil composition resulting in one of the highest year round concentrations of wildlife in the Serengeti National Park.

Overview

This is one of the most luxurious and opulent tented camps in Tanzania. With first-class comfort, space and style throughout.

The extremely large tents are built on raised wooden platforms on the hillside (ensuring they all have a good view of the landscape). There is an inner, closed part to the tent comprising of the bedroom and bathroom and an extremely large covered outdoor veranda outside of the this, with a seating area and jacuzzi from which to enjoy the surrounding landscape in style.

The large hotel restaurant allows individual dining and plenty of relaxation space. Service is professional and helpful, with butler service.

Another perk of staying here is the complimentary massages, included in your package. The excursion vehicles include a spotter (for a better chance of finding the big game) and the guides here are excellent.