*Denotes local charge
*Denotes local charge
Elewana Tarangire Treetops is a secluded lodge set at the border of Tarangire National Park – an area renowned for its baobab tree population and some of the largest herds of elephant in Africa. This is a beautiful area of Tanzania, and your visit will be made even more memorable with a stay at this luxury lodge with its elevated treehouse suites set among the branches of ancient baobab and marula trees. The food here is an inventive fusion of international and African bush cuisine. Dinner is served in either the open-plan dining area or on the outside decking, a beautiful spot that overlooks the infinity pool and busy watering hole beyond. For a more cultured evening, there is also an outdoor boma, where amid tree-strung lanterns and a glowing bonfire, you'll enjoy a delicious buffet and traditional showcase of Maasai song and dance. All of the luxury suites are elevated on wooden stilts among the surrounding baobab trees. Open-fronted and extremely spacious, the suites combine locally crafted furnishings with authentic African décor to evoke a wild and rustic opulence to each room. We love the tree house façade, but the highlight has to be the private balconies that afford an incredible view across the Tarangire plains.
There’s possibly no better way to explore Tarangire National Park than beginning perched on the rocks of Lemala Mpingo Ridge, elevated over the grasslands with nothing short of sensational views. Here, luxury design meets natural landscape and shows how a contemporary aesthetic and traditional craftsmanship can go hand in hand with the African wild. But where do you start? There’s the bathtub on your private deck where soaking as the sky turns pink captures all those feelings of being in untamed territory. Then there’s that infinity-edge swimming pool where, get up early enough and you’ll be lucky to see the far peak of Mount Kilimanjaro before the sun appears. And then those cloud-like kingsize beds draped in nets as you fall asleep to the after dark sounds of Tanzania. The 15 luxury tents are fine-tuned to perfection and more like super chic cabins with high-spec everything. And the main lodge – all earthy tones and light and airy spaces – has a stylish outdoor/indoor bar, a collective camp fire, oversized loungers on viewing decks and a breezy all-day à la carte dining room. This is the best place to come if you want to see giant ancient baobab trees and the extraordinary Silale Swamps, which bring large herds of elephant to the park. It’s not unusual to see over one hundred in a day at arm's length. If you want to split up your game driving days, you’ve got Champagne and snacks followed by afternoon siestas on your private deck's sunken bed, and nocturnal drives are also on offer before safari sundowners around a blazing camp fire.