Lodges & partnersBurunge WMA
Fifteen tents among the baobabs on thirty hectares of Sangaiwe Hill, less than a kilometre from the new western gate of Tarangire, looking out to the park and Lake Burunge.
From $120 per person per night
About
Sangaiwe Mbuyu Tented Lodge stands on Sangaiwe Hill on the western rim of Tarangire, less than a kilometre from the newly opened western gate, on thirty hectares of hillside the local community entrusted to the owners and which has been kept in its natural state. The hill is baobab country. Mbuyu is the Swahili word for baobab, the trees give the lodge its name and its logo, and they stand among indigenous African hardwoods across the whole property. The ground falls away east towards the park and south towards the shallow alkaline sheet of Lake Burunge, so the view from the main building and from every tent deck is a long one over bush and water.\n\nThe lodge opened in 2025 and is the newest property its group runs, which shows. The main building is a long open sided hall under thatch, raised on timber stilts and built to settle into the slope rather than announce itself, with a generous pool cut into the terrace below it. The fifteen guest tents follow the same idea, canvas under thatch on raised wooden platforms, strung along the hillside with paths between them so each one keeps its own pocket of bush and its own view.\n\nInside, the register is unpretentious bush comfort rather than high design. Timber floors and timber half panelling, white linen under a four poster mosquito net, saffron cushions, a chair by the window, a writing desk and a lamp at the bedhead. Bathrooms are honest and generous: a stone topped vanity, a framed mirror, a walk in shower and a separate toilet, with a dressing area alongside. Every tent has twin or king beds, ample luggage storage, seating indoors and out, and a private deck pointed at the park. The dining hall is one long room open on the view side, with tables looking out and food served from a kitchen that works with locally sourced produce and handles special diets with notice.\n\nThe proposition is position. Guests are through the western gate and into Tarangire before the vehicles coming down from Arusha have arrived, which in the dry months means the elephant herds on the river in the best hour of the day. It suits travellers who want an early start on Tarangire, who want a real view rather than a camp closed in by forest, who are happy with a sociable table, and who want comfort and genuine Tanzanian service without the price of a top tier camp inside the park. The lodge calls itself a birding paradise, and the acacia and baobab mosaic with the Burunge shoreline below backs that up. Because it opened recently, there is no body of guest reviews yet, which is worth knowing before you book.
Signature experiences
The gate is less than a kilometre away, so guests are inside Tarangire before the vehicles coming down from Arusha arrive. In the dry months that means the elephant herds on the river in the best light of the day.
The main building is open on the view side, raised on timber stilts, and the tables are laid looking out over the plains towards Lake Burunge. Breakfast and dinner are served family style from the kitchen straight to the table.
A generous rectangle cut into the terrace below the main building, with loungers along one side and the country opening out beyond. The lodge says wildlife turns up at it from time to time.
Thirty hectares of hillside left in its natural state, thick with baobabs and indigenous hardwoods. The lodge calls itself a birding paradise and the Lake Burunge shoreline below backs that up.
Gallery
Room types
The tented room taken by one guest. Canvas under thatch on a raised wooden platform among the baobabs, with a bed under netting, a writing desk, luggage storage, and an attached bathroom with a walk in shower and a separate toilet. Private deck facing Tarangire and Lake Burunge.
The tented room with a king bed under netting, a writing desk, luggage storage and seating indoors and out. Attached bathroom with a walk in shower, a dressing area and a separate toilet, and a private deck over the park.
The same tented room set with two beds under netting. Writing desk, indoor and outdoor seating, attached bathroom with a walk in shower and a separate toilet, and a private deck towards Lake Burunge.
The tented room set for three. Writing desk, indoor and outdoor seating, attached bathroom with a walk in shower and a separate toilet, and a private deck facing Tarangire. Available on request.
At a glance
Best time to visit
Best months: June to November.
Location & access
Burunge WMA
The lodge publishes no airstrip and no transfer time. The practical landing point for the western side of Tarangire is the Lake Manyara airstrip, about twenty five to thirty minutes from Arusha Airport by light aircraft, then roughly an hour and a quarter by road south to the Sangaiwe gate. Kuro airstrip inside Tarangire lies on the far side of the park. Most guests arrive by road.
About three hours and forty five minutes. From Kilimanjaro International Airport the road runs west to Arusha, then southwest on tarmac through Makuyuni and past Minjingu on the Babati road, before turning east for the Sangaiwe gate and up onto the hill. From Arusha itself it is about two hours and forty five minutes. These times are taken from the sister lodge on the same hillside, since Mbuyu publishes none of its own.
On the map
3.956° S, 35.869° E
What's included
Frequently asked
On Sangaiwe Hill on the western border of Tarangire National Park, less than a kilometre from the newly established western gate, with views over the park and Lake Burunge. It sits on thirty hectares of community land among baobabs and indigenous hardwoods.
They are two separate lodges a short distance apart on the same hillside, under the same owners. Mbuyu is the newer and larger grounds property, opened in 2025, with fifteen tented rooms spread across thirty hectares of baobab country. Sangaiwe Tented Lodge is the older one with twenty tents on forty acres.
Fifteen, all with their own bathroom. Each is raised on a wooden platform with twin or king beds, a writing desk, luggage storage, indoor and outdoor seating, and a private deck.
In 2025. It is the newest property in the Bougainvillea group, which also means there is no long record of guest reviews yet.
By road, about three hours and forty five minutes from Kilimanjaro International Airport or about two hours and forty five minutes from Arusha, southwest through Makuyuni and past Minjingu. The lodge publishes no airstrip of its own. Flying in means Lake Manyara airstrip and roughly an hour and a quarter by road afterwards, so most guests drive.
Full board, so breakfast, lunch and dinner, with tea, coffee and water, plus the Tourism Development Levy and VAT. Park entry and conservation fees, Wildlife Management Area fees, game drives, transfers, other drinks and gratuities are settled separately.
Yes, and the contract prices a triple. Note that the contract does not price children staying in a room without an adult, so those bookings are not quoted automatically. The lodge publishes no dedicated family unit, so tell your Expert the ages and we will confirm the arrangement.
There is a swimming pool on the terrace below the main building, with loungers and an open view. Wifi reaches the common area rather than the tents. Water is solar heated, and there is 24 hour security and parking on site.
The lodge advertises none of its own beyond swimming and birding on the property, and it will make up a lunch box for a day in the park. Game drives, walking and cultural visits are arranged through your Expert rather than at the lodge.
June to November is the dry season and the best window for Tarangire, when the bush thins and the elephant herds gather on the river. April and May are the wettest months, when game disperses and the park is green and quiet.
From two in the afternoon, with check out at ten in the morning.
Full board, served in the long open sided dining hall looking out over the plains. The kitchen works with locally sourced produce, breakfast is continental and cooked, and special diets are catered for with notice.
What's nearby
Less than a kilometre to the western gate. Dry season elephant concentrations among the baobabs, and large numbers of grazers on the river.
Below the lodge on the park boundary. A shallow soda lake that draws waterbirds, with the Rift escarpment behind it.
The sister lodge, a short distance away on the same hillside. Useful when one of the two is full.
About an hour and a half north. Groundwater forest, elephant, baboon troops and flamingo on the lake.
About two and a half hours to the Loduare gate. Black rhino, lion, elephant and buffalo in one morning on the crater floor.
Plan this stay
Build your bespoke Tanzania safari with our team. Real lodge rates and itemised pricing throughout.
Build & price your trip
