With a plethora of national parks and reserves Tanzania is renowned for excellent wildlife experiences. Choose the right area and property and you can have the camp or lodge for just your family or group of friends. We’ve rounded up some of our favourites below which vary from luxury lodges to simple sleep outs.

Mkombe’s House, Singita Serengeti House or Kiba Point followed by Thanda Island

The northern and Western Corridor regions of the Serengeti always have great wildlife. This is particularly true when the wildebeest herds pass through on their way to the Masai Mara, but the resident wildlife at other times of year is still superb with elephants, giraffe, lions and other predators present in good numbers. This area offers a couple of super exclusive use options with Mkombe’s House and Singita’s Serengeti House both in this region.

Mkombe’s House is a private safari house built around the rocks of Kogakuria Kopje. It has four bedrooms, allowing up to four adults and six children to stay in complete comfort. There is also a lounge to relax in, plunge pool to cool off in or a larger swimming pool to enjoy, and being an exclusive use property, it means timings of meals and wildlife activities are completely up to you.

Pools at Mkombe’s House overlooking the Serengeti.

Singita’s Serengeti House is another idyllic exclusive use property with two spacious suites in the main house and two more garden suites, accommodating a total of up to eight guests. One of the internal suites has a luxurious two bathrooms and dressing rooms, and all the other suites have private outdoor showers and terraces. There is also large dining and lounge areas, a large deck, a 25m swimming pool, private tennis court, a gym and a spa. Located within sight of a well-used water hole, there are plenty of chances to admire the area’s amazing wildlife from the property itself as well as during private wildlife drives and walks.

Zebra grazing at Singita’s Serengeti House.

In the south of the country in Nyerere National Park (the new name for Selous Game Reserve) Kiba Point is a four-bed house perched on an outcrop of rocks overlooking the Rufiji River. Wildlife viewing in the area is excellent, with the chance to see a large number of predators and prey, and packs of wild dog and large herds of giraffe among the area’s main highlights. Guests can choose from a variety of activities including walking safaris, boat trips and wildlife drives. It is even possible to book a night’s simple camping in a ‘fly camp’ (originally named as such because it would just use fly sheets) in advance.

Kiba Point giraffe.

For some R&R, before or after the safari, Tanzania certainly isn’t short of white sandy beaches and is located on the edge of the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

Thanda is a tropical Indian Ocean island just off the coast of Tanzania and houses a single luxurious villa and two traditional ‘bandas’. The whole island is booked on an exclusive basis and is a wonderful private getaway for a family or group of friends travelling together. here are nine bedrooms on the island, accommodating up to 27 guests.

The villa comprises five luxury bedroom suites, each opening directly onto the beach. The sumptuous living area is furnished with a Steinway grand piano and features an indoor aquarium. There is a glass rim-flow swimming pool, dining area with wonderful ocean views, outdoor BBQ, cocktail bar and pizza oven. On hand to look after every need is a chef, a butler, a hostess, a housekeeper, a cocktail barman, a boatman, a snorkeling guide, a dive instructor, a fishing guide, and a spa therapist.

Thanda Island is situated in its own marine park and guests can swim with whale sharks and watch sea turtles nesting. There are also numerous water sports and activities available for thrill seekers as well as beach volleyball, a gym, tennis court and yoga sala.

The beachfront property at Thanda Island.

Singita Explore

Designed to offer guests a truly luxurious wilderness experience whilst staying in luxury, Singita Explore is a private mobile camp located within the Singita Grumeti Reserve. The camp has a maximum of six large, traditional safari tents each with en suite bathrooms with bucket showers as well as uninterrupted views across the grassy plains. It is the perfect escape for a large family or multi-generational family looking for an immersive but still luxurious holiday surrounded by Tanzania’s best wildlife.

The camp is available to book all year round, and with no set camp sites the location is selected for the very best wildlife viewing and scenery for the time of year. The camp offers complete flexibility to guests with a private camp team, sole use safari vehicle and expert safari guide at your disposal.

Bedroom at Singita Explore.

Explore a Treehouse at Beho Beho or Sleepout at Chada Katavi

The Treehouse at Beho Beho is a wonderful hideaway providing an exceptional sleep out experience for two guests. The Treehouse experience starts in the afternoon where guests leave the main Beho Beho camp with an expert guide to walk through the splendid Nyerere National Park to their isolated home for the night. Perched alongside and inside an ancient leadwood tree overlooking a dry riverbed, the treehouse gives guests a real ‘sleeping up a tree experience’ but with the difference that this tree has a four poster double bed, ensuite bathroom complete with hot and cold water as well as a flushing toilet. The sheltered platform, comfortable bed and fine bed linen is everything you could wish for when spending a night up a tree in the African wilderness.

The Treehouse at Beho Beho.

Another exciting opportunity to get close to the Tanzanian wilderness is offered by Chada Katavi Camp, with the chance for guests to stay in a simple fly camp and explore the more remote reaches of the park. In a national park that boasts lions, big herds of buffalo and roan antelope, there is nothing that lets you feel as close to your surroundings as escaping the main camp to walk into the wilderness and spending a night in the bush. The fly camp is secure and safe whilst still providing a bucket-list night close to nature and under the stars.

A meal on the plains when fly camping from Chada Katavi.

Ngorongoro Crater Walking Safari

Mobile safaris are an excellent way to see Tanzania and to get off the beaten track but also follow animal movements and to reach the areas of greatest wildlife concentrations throughout the year. Wayo Africa operates traditional tented safaris enabling guests to get back to basics and experience the African bush in a way not possible from a permanent lodge or camp. Among their most spectacular walks are their Ngorongoro walking safaris which allow guests to experience the breath-taking scenery and landscape of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and its famous crater. Walks can cater to up to six guests on an exclusive basis and are led by expert guides with extensive knowledge and experience of the area.

A three-day Ngorongoro walk which includes wildlife drives on the crater rim and the crater floor on the first day, before beginning the walk that will traverse through thick forests, following the contours of the crater, and providing superb views of the floor below. The walking is easy and follows animal trails, meeting local Masai and their cattle along the journey.

Views of the Ngorongoro crater.

What next?

We would be delighted to help you plan a safari encompassing any of the exclusive stays and trips mentioned here. Our team of experts has travelled widely throughout Africa and can offer expert advice on every type of safari from family and beach holidays to riding and primate safaris. Do get in touch – chatting to people by phone or email is what we do best. We listen, we explain, we answer all sorts of questions even those you didn’t know to ask, and finally we make suggestions. If this is your first time to Africa or your twenty first, we have a team standing by to help make the planning easy and the journey the best ever. Please get in touch whatever stage you’re at.

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