Sanctuary Swala Camp Hotel Review

While the iconic Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area may be the best known parks in Tanzania the lesser know Tarangire National Park is a great opportunity to explore off-the-beaten-path! Located around two hours by car (or a quick 20 minute flight) southwest of Arusha this is a great first safari stop on a Tanzania itinerary before heading north to Serengeti or Ngorongoro.

While there are animals of all types in Tarangire, the park is most known for its high population of elephants, large number of bird species and the famous tree climbing lions of Tarangire and it’s sister park Manyara. Sanctuary Swala Camp’s ideal location in a secluded area of the park means that you’re often sharing breakfast with elephants and enjoying sundowners while monkeys and more play on the property.

Style

Thanks to its secluded location Sanctuary Swala Camp offers guests expansive and uninterrupted views across the lakefront of one of the park’s major watering holes. The camp’s twelve (Yes! Only twelve!) tented suites are spacious and elegant, with contemporary African designs throughout. The large outdoor spaces including a private deck and indoor/outdoor shower make the accommodations feel expansive and a very low carbon footprint means that guests can feel good about the environment while still having an amazing experience.

Culinary

With such a small footprint and only 24 guests in house at a time, Sanctuary Swala Camp is able to personalize service for each guest. Each meal is served on the main dining deck, which also happens to be the best place to gather for sundowners. Breakfast means fresh squeezed juices, bread and pastries made in house and eggs cooked to order, while lunch and dinner normally mean a couple of delicious options to choose from. If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous ask about setting up a picnic lunch in the bush!

On Site Activities

As with any National Park, Tarangire is all about the safari experience, but since it’s a lesser traveled location there are a lot of opportunities to explore in new ways. For travelers looking to venture out in alternate modes of transportation you can take to the sky in a hot air balloon, cast off in a canoe or even trust your own two feet on a walking safari. Not quite sure you want to leave the safari truck, but you still want a different experience, consider staying out late on a night game drive. Search for the nocturnal animals of the park as your guides use a spotlight to check for “eye flashes” along the ground, in trees and even on top of the park’s famous termite mounds.

Get out & Explore:

Canoe Safari

Hot Air Ballon Safari

Game Drives

Bush Breakfasts, Picnics & Dinners

Walking Safaris

Game Drives at Night

Plan Your Tanzania Trip:

Ready to go and in need of expert trip planning?

Getting There:

The camp is accessible by air from:

Arusha (ARK) to Kuro Airstrip – 25 minutes
Kuro airstrip to Serengeti South (SGS) airstrip – 1 hour 30 minutes

There is a once a day scheduled light aircraft flight into Kuro from Arusha. Private charters are also available. Luggage restrictions of 15kg in a soft sided bag are applicable to all scheduled light aircraft flights.

Ideal Length of Stay:

3 – 4 days

When to go:

A year-round destination
Peak season from June to September

Who should go:

Families, Couples, Animal Lovers, Elephant Seekers

Combine with:

Arusha,

Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area

Serengeti National Park

Zanzibar

Kenya

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Sanctuary Swala Camp