Lodges & partnersBurunge WMA
Tents raised on stilts up forty acres of wooded hillside on the quiet western side of Tarangire, every deck facing Lake Burunge and the Rift Valley escarpment.
From $120 per person per night
About
Sangaiwe Tented Lodge sits on the quiet western flank of Tarangire, on forty acres of wooded hillside on Sangaiwe village land, a few minutes from the park newer Sangaiwe gate. The ground is steep and genuinely wild, thick with indigenous African hardwoods and bush that the villagers who entrusted the land to the lodge asked to be left alone. Twenty tents are raised on stilts and wooden platforms and stepped up the slope among the trees, so each one sits in its own pocket of bush rather than in a row. The lodge was built light: solar power, solar heated water for the whole property, and planting kept mostly indigenous to hold water use down.\n\nThe point of the place is what you see from your own deck. The hillside falls away west to Lake Burunge, a shallow soda lake on Tarangire boundary, with the Great Rift Valley escarpment standing behind it. Every tent faces it, and so do the thatched common area, the viewing patio and the dining deck. Guests talk about sunrise over the lake and about hearing hyena and lion after dark. There is a guided walk of about eight minutes up towards the top of the hill to look down on game moving in the park below, which is the kind of small thing that makes a two night stay feel longer.\n\nThe tents themselves are plain and comfortable. Each is raised on a platform with a solid attached bathroom, toilet and dressing area, twin or double beds under netting, a writing desk, ample luggage space, and seating both inside and out. Decks all face Lake Burunge and the Rift Valley. The lodge also keeps family tents and two bedroom family cottages, each with a twin room and a double room and a shared sitting area, although the current contract prices only the Single, Double and Triple, so those larger units are quoted by hand.\n\nThis is an unpretentious, warm, Tanzanian owned lodge rather than a design led camp. It belongs to the Bougainvillea Group, founded by two Karatu businessmen, which employs over a hundred and fifty Tanzanians and takes most of its staff from the villages around the lodge. The cooking is fresh and straightforward and the service register is friendly rather than formal. It suits travellers who want to come at Tarangire from the quiet side rather than queue at the main gate, families, birders and walkers, and anyone content to trade a little game density for a much bigger view. One honest caveat: the hill is steep, and the climb between the upper tents and the main lodge is tiring for less mobile guests, so ask for a lower tent if that matters.
Signature experiences
The Sangaiwe gate is about five minutes away, so guests are inside Tarangire while the vehicles coming down from Arusha are still on the road. In the dry months that puts you among the elephant herds on the river in the best hour of the day.
The hillside faces west and down over Lake Burunge, so first light comes up behind the lodge and lands on the lake and the Rift escarpment. Every tent has a private deck pointed at it, and guests here are honest that sitting still is half the point.
A short guided climb of about eight minutes from the lodge reaches the high ground, where you look down on game moving in the park below. Best taken early before the heat.
The shallow soda lake and the acacia and baobab country around it make this strong birding ground, with flamingo on the water in the drier half of the year.
Gallery
Room types
The tented room taken by one guest. Canvas under thatch on a raised wooden platform among the hillside trees, with a bed under netting, a writing desk, indoor and outdoor seating, and a solid attached bathroom and dressing area. The private deck looks west over Lake Burunge.
The tented room with a double bed under netting, a writing desk, ample luggage space and both indoor and outdoor seating. Solid attached bathroom and dressing area, and a private deck facing Lake Burunge and the escarpment.
The same tented room set with two beds under netting. Writing desk, indoor and outdoor seating, solid attached bathroom and dressing area, and a private deck over the lake.
The tented room set for three. Writing desk, indoor and outdoor seating, solid attached bathroom and dressing area, and a private deck facing Lake Burunge. Available on request.
At a glance
Best time to visit
Best months: June to November.
Location & access
Burunge WMA
The lodge publishes no airstrip of its own. 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 is on the far side of the park and is a long drive from here. 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. The approach comes at Tarangire from the western side rather than the usual northeastern gate, which is why the lodge is quieter than the main gate properties.
On the map
3.951° S, 35.866° E
What's included
Frequently asked
On a wooded hillside on the western boundary of Tarangire National Park, about five minutes from the newer Sangaiwe gate, on Sangaiwe village land inside the Burunge Wildlife Management Area. It looks west over Lake Burunge to the Great Rift Valley escarpment.
Twenty tents, of which two are family tents, plus two family cottages of two bedrooms each. All of them are raised on wooden platforms with a solid attached bathroom and dressing area. Our current contract prices the Single, Double and Triple, so the larger family units are quoted by hand.
All year.
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. There is 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. The lodge keeps two family tents and two family cottages of two bedrooms each, 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.
There is a swimming pool cut into the slope below the main building. Wifi reaches the common areas, with the best signal at the main lodge. The whole property runs on solar, including the hot water, so lighting is soft at night.
Swimming, birding, and a guided nature walk on the hillside, including a short climb of about eight minutes to the high ground to look down on game in the park. Massage can be arranged. Most guests spend the day on game drives inside Tarangire.
It can be. The tents step up a steep slope and the walk between the upper tents and the main lodge is a real climb. Ask for a lower tent when you book if that matters to anyone in the party.
June to November is the dry season and the best window, when the bush thins out and the elephant herds and other grazers gather on the Tarangire river. Flamingo are on Lake Burunge from about July to November. April and May are the wettest months, when game disperses and the park is quiet and green.
From one in the afternoon, with check out at ten in the morning.
It does not advertise them. The lodge sits on Wildlife Management Area land where night drives are permitted, unlike inside the national park, so ask your Expert to check with the lodge if that matters to you.
What's nearby
About five minutes to the Sangaiwe gate on the western boundary, or about an hour round to the main gate. Famous for dry season elephant numbers among the baobabs.
Directly below the lodge. A shallow soda lake on the park boundary that draws flamingo and other waterbirds, with the Rift escarpment behind it.
About an hour and a half north. Groundwater forest, elephant, large baboon troops and flamingo on the lake.
About two and a half hours to the Loduare gate and a little over three to the crater floor. Black rhino, lion, elephant and buffalo on a single morning.
About five and a half hours northwest, which makes the lodge a natural first or last night on a northern circuit route.
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