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Lodges & partnersTarangire National Park

Hilala Camp

Six new tents on the edge of the Gurusi swamp, in the quiet south western corner of Tarangire, where you can still drive at night and walk in the morning.

01 / 06
Tier
Premium
Location
Tarangire National Park
Reviews
5.0 ★ on TripAdvisor
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About

About Hilala Camp.

Hilala sits on the eastern edge of the Gurusi swamp, in the south western corner of Tarangire, a long way from the gate most people come through. The camp opened in November 2025 and it is still small, six tented suites set along a line of bush with the main tent in the middle. From the deck the ground falls away through grass and scattered trees to the open water, and in the dry months there is almost always something on it. Elephants come down in family groups and stay for hours.

The suites are about forty square metres with a verandah of another twelve, and they are more solid than the word tent suggests. Timber clad walls inside, canvas over the top, mesh windows on the bush side, a bed made up as a king or as twins, and a bathroom at the back with a shower that is properly plumbed and properly hot. The main tent holds a lounge at one end and the dining room at the other, with a fire pit on the ground behind it where everyone ends up after dinner. Meals are full board and the kitchen has had a good run of guests saying so.

What the camp can do that a Serengeti camp cannot is drive at night and walk in the morning. Tarangire allows both with the right permit, so the day does not have to end when the light goes. A guided walk of about two hours goes down towards the swamp with an armed ranger, which is a different pace entirely, and the night drive turns up the animals that the park hides from a midday vehicle. The same owners run Nyumbani Serengeti Camp in the north, and a trip that takes in both gives you the quiet, close, on foot side of Tanzania and then the open plains.

Signature experiences

Why guests choose it.

  1. A night drive out of camp

    Tarangire is one of the few parks where a lodge with the right permit can drive after dark. The spotlight picks up genet, civet, bushbaby and sometimes a leopard on the move, and it is a different park from the one you saw at four in the afternoon.

  2. Walking the swamp edge with an armed ranger

    Two hours on foot in the morning, down towards the water where the elephant paths run. Minimum age sixteen, minimum two guests, and the weather has to be with you.

  3. Elephants on the Gurusi swamp

    Through the dry months the swamp is the water that holds southern Tarangire together, and the elephant herds that come down to it are the reason most guests stay a second night.

  4. The quiet side of the park

    The main gate is a long way north of here. Guests regularly report drives without seeing another vehicle, which in a park this well known is the thing they remember.

Room types

Where you will sleep.

Tented Suite

A suite of about forty square metres under canvas, with timber clad walls, mesh windows onto the bush, a verandah of about twelve square metres and an en suite bathroom with a plumbed hot shower. The camp has six of them.

Family Suite

Two suites joined so that a family has its own pair of rooms. The camp lists one on its website and the contract says more tents and a family suite are being added. It is not on sale here because the contract prints no rate for it, and we do not show a price the supplier has not published.

At a glance

The essentials, in brief.

Amenities

  • Six tented suites, each about forty square metres with a twelve square metre verandah
  • Timber clad interiors with mesh windows onto the bush
  • Beds made up as a king or as twins
  • En suite bathroom with a plumbed hot shower
  • Main tent holding a lounge and the dining room
  • Fire pit behind the main tent
  • WiFi In Camp
  • Safe, wardrobe and bathrobes in every tent
  • Kitchen cooks for children and for special diets
  • Night game drives and guided walking safaris bookable at the camp
  • Quiet corner of the park near the Gurusi swamp

Best for

  • Families
  • Night Game Drives
  • Walking Safari
  • Birding
  • Quiet Corners Of The Park

Wildlife and nature

  • Elephant herds working the swamp through the dry months
  • Lion, giraffe, zebra, buffalo and antelope on the surrounding grassland
  • Leopard seen in the trees around camp by guests through 2026
  • Birding along the swamp edge, strongest when the water is up in April and May

Best time to visit

When to go.

  • January: best
  • February: best
  • March: not a best month
  • April: not a best month
  • May: not a best month
  • June: best
  • July: best
  • August: best
  • September: best
  • October: best
  • November: not a best month
  • December: not a best month
Best months

Best months: January to February and June to October.

Location & access

Getting there.

Location

Tarangire National Park

Arriving by air

About 2 hours in total. Roughly 45 minutes by road from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha Airport, then about 20 to 45 minutes in a light aircraft to Kuro airstrip inside the park, and about 25 minutes by road to camp. Bush flights carry a soft bag limit of around 15 kg. The camp charges the airstrip transfer separately and it is not in the nightly rate.

By road

About 4 to 5 hours in total from Kilimanjaro International Airport. Roughly 1 hour to Arusha, about 2 hours south west to the Tarangire area, then a long drive in through the park to the south western corner. The Mamire gate on the southern side, reported open since April 2026, is the shorter way in and sits about 7 km from camp.

On the map

Where it sits.

4.068° S, 36.007° E

What's included

What the rate covers.

Included

  • Accommodation on a full board basis, meaning breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • Government Taxes And VAT

Not included

  • Tarangire park fees and the 24 hour special camping fees
  • Tourism Development Levy
  • Soft drinks and anything from the lounge list
  • Flying Doctor Medical Evacuation Cover
  • Travel And Medical Insurance
  • Flights And Airport Taxes
  • Airstrip transfers, which the camp charges separately
  • Gratuities and items of a personal nature
  • Compulsory Tanzania inbound travel insurance at 44 USD per adult, in force since 1 October 2026

Frequently asked

Questions, answered.

Where exactly is Hilala Camp?

In the south western corner of Tarangire National Park, on the eastern edge of the Gurusi swamp. The Mamire gate on the southern side is reported to be about 7 km away and the main northern gate is a couple of hours off.

How do I get there?

Most guests fly into Kuro airstrip inside the park and drive about twenty five minutes to camp, which is roughly two hours in total from Kilimanjaro International Airport. Driving the whole way takes about four to five hours.

When is the best time to stay?

June to October is the dry season, when the swamp is the only water left for miles and the elephant herds come down to it. January and February are high season here too, green underfoot after the short rains and quieter than the middle of the year. March to the end of May and November to mid December are the green season, when the grass is high, the birding is at its best and the camp is at its emptiest.

What is included in the nightly rate?

Accommodation on a full board basis, meaning breakfast, lunch and dinner, with government taxes and VAT. Park fees, the 24 hour special camping fee and the tourism levy are added to your trip price rather than paid at the camp.

Can I do a night game drive?

Yes. Tarangire allows night drives with the right permit, which this camp holds, so you can be out after dark with a spotlight looking for the animals the daytime park keeps hidden. It is added to your trip in the builder.

Is there a walking safari?

Yes, a guided walk of about two hours with an armed ranger, usually in the morning and weather permitting. The minimum age is sixteen and two guests are needed.

Can children stay?

Children of five and over are welcome and the camp publishes its own child rate for each season. They must share a tent with one or two adults. Children under five are only taken under special arrangements the camp makes itself, so we do not price them here.

How many tents are there?

Six tented suites under the 2026 contract. The camp says more tents and a family suite are being added, and its own website already shows a family suite, so the count may rise during the year.

Is there power and a phone signal?

There is wifi in camp and charging in the tents. Mobile coverage in this corner of the park is patchy, which most guests end up liking.

What is the camp like out of season?

In the green months the grass is high, the swamp is full and the birding is at its best. Game is more spread out because water is everywhere, and the camp is at its quietest.

Do I need travel insurance?

Yes. Tanzania has required inbound travel insurance at 44 USD per adult since 1 October 2026, and it is listed in your trip price. Your own comprehensive medical and travel cover is a condition of the camp contract.

What's nearby

Worth the short trip.

  • The Gurusi swamp

    On the doorstep

    A perennial wetland in the south west of the park that holds water when the rest of Tarangire dries out, which is why the elephant herds and the birding are what they are here.

  • Silale swamp

    North east, a morning drive

    The larger of Tarangire swamps, with hippo, buffalo and lion that follow them, and the palm stands that make the southern park look like nowhere else.

  • Tarangire river and the baobab country

    North, a full day

    The spine of the park, lined with ancient baobabs and busy in the dry season when the river is the only water for miles.

  • Night drive from camp

    From camp, after dinner

    Added to your trip in the builder. Tarangire is one of the few parks where it is permitted, and the camp holds the permit to run it.

Nearby

Other places to stay nearby.

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