An elephant drinking at a shrinking waterhole while zebra and wildebeest wait along the far bank
Tented · Classic

Tarangire — camps above the river

In Tarangire

Good to know: this page describes a type of place, not one property. The camp we actually book depends on your dates, your budget and what's free when we quote, so the useful part here is the decision. Your shortlist of named camps comes with your itinerary.
Type
Tented
Level
Classic
Typical size
10 to 20 rooms
Rooms are
Tents on raised decks
Children
5+
Pool
Usually
Wi-Fi
Usually, in the mess
The area

Camps set above the Tarangire river put the dry-season action right on your doorstep. From about June, the river is the only water for a long way, and the elephant herds are on it all day long.

The decision

In the dry season, the Tarangire river is the only water for miles, and the elephants come to it. Stay at a camp above the river and you'll watch it all from your deck instead of driving out to find it. It's one of the few places in Tanzania where where you sleep changes what you see before breakfast.

The trade-off: it's seasonal. From roughly November to May, the rains spread the animals out across the wider ecosystem, and the river loses its pull. Tarangire is still lovely then, but location matters far less.

Worth knowing

What stands out

  1. 01 Overlooking the river
  2. 02 Elephants from your deck in the dry season
  3. 03 Baobab country
Facilities
PoolMess tentCampfireWi-Fi in public areas