Randilen WMA · Safari Lodge
Tarangire Treetops by Elewana
Twenty stilted treehouses around a thousand-year-old baobab in Randilen WMA, with night drives, walking safaris, and Tarangire National Park at the gate.
About
Tarangire Treetops sits in the Randilen Wildlife Management Area, adjoining Tarangire National Park's eastern boundary. The signature feature is twenty stilted treehouses built around a thousand-year-old baobab tree, with the central decks and a swimming pool clustered around the baobab's massive trunk. Each treehouse is set high enough above the ground that elephants pass beneath unbothered, with a private deck looking into the bush canopy. The bathroom and a small lounge sit at the back of each unit.
Randilen WMA's status as a Wildlife Management Area (rather than a national park) is the product differentiator. WMAs unlock activities that are not permitted inside Tanzanian national park boundaries: night game drives, walking safaris, and visits to Maasai bomas — none of which can happen inside Tarangire National Park itself. For a Tarangire-focused trip, basing in Randilen instead of inside the park triples the activity menu.
The accommodation is a single category — the Tree House, available in Single, Double, Twin, or Triple configurations. Each treehouse is en-suite with hot water, hardwood floors, and a private deck. The architecture is part of the experience: walking through the camp at night, you climb wooden stairs between trees rather than walking on ground level. The main pool and dining areas use the central thousand-year-old baobab as the architectural anchor.
Best for guests combining Tarangire National Park with night drives and walking safaris in the adjacent WMA, families using the Family room or Triple configuration (children typically love the treehouse novelty), photographers chasing the baobab landscape, and travellers who want a base 2 hours from Arusha as the easiest first park on a northern circuit.
Access is straightforward: 2.5 hours from Kilimanjaro International to the camp gate by road, or 30 minutes by Cessna to Kuro airstrip followed by a 45-minute game drive transfer.
Signature experiences
Night game drive in Randilen WMA
Included in the Game Package rate (excluding the WMA night-drive fee). Different animals from the day drives: bushbabies, civets, hunting cats, white-tailed mongoose. The WMA setting is what makes this possible.
Two-hour walking safari
Included. Walking safari with an armed professional guide on the WMA's open ground. Tracking, birding, small-game observation on foot.
Boma dinner
Included. Traditional open-air dinner served around a central fire, with Maasai hosts.
Tarangire National Park game drives
30-minute transfer to the Tarangire gate for full-day or half-day game drives in the park itself. Ancient baobabs, 300-strong elephant herds in the dry season, 550+ bird species.
Amenities
- Treehouse
- Walking Safari
- Night Game Drive
- Pool
- Boma Dinner
- Wi-Fi
- Airstrip Transfer
Best for
- First-Time Safari
- Family
- Night Drive
- Walking Safari
- Treehouse Stay
Wildlife you might see
- Tarangire Elephants: Densest Population In Tanzania, 300+ Strong Herds In Dry Season
- WMA-permitted Night Game Drives, Animals Not Seen On Day Drives
- Ancient Baobabs, Some Over 1,000 Years Old
- 550+ Bird Species Recorded Across Tarangire And The Surrounding WMA
- Tree-climbing Lions In Tarangire Central Kopjes
Best time to visit
June, July, August, September, October
Location & access
Randilen WMA
Fly-in: Approximately 2hr 30min total: 1hr JRO to Arusha Airport (ARK) by road, then a 30-minute Cessna Caravan from ARK to Kuro airstrip, then a 45-minute game-drive transfer to camp. Kuro airstrip transfer is included in the Game Package rate.
Drive: Approximately 2.5 hours total: 1hr JRO to Arusha, then 1.5hr Arusha to the Randilen WMA / camp gate.
Room types
Tree House
Stilted treehouse with en-suite bathroom, hardwood floor, private deck looking into the bush canopy, and elephants passing beneath unbothered. Available as Single, Double, Twin, or Triple configurations.
What's included
Included
- Accommodation
- All Meals
- Soft Drinks
- House Beverages On The Property
- Laundry
- Boma Dinner
- Scheduled And Shared Game Drives Twice Daily (Game Package)
- Two Hour Walking Safari With Professional Guide (Game Package)
- Night Game Drive (Game Package, Excludes WMA Night Game Drive Fee)
- Kuro Airstrip Transfer (Game Package)
Not included
- Premium Drinks
- Four Hour Walking Safari (sold Separately)
- Maasai Boma Experience (sold Separately)
- Park Entrance Fees
- Conservancy Fees
- WMA Night Game Drive Fee
- Vehicle Entry Fees
- Flying Doctors Evacuation Cover
- Flights And Airport Taxes
- Gratuities
Reviews
Frequently asked
How many rooms does Tarangire Treetops have?
Twenty Tree Houses across single, double, twin, and triple configurations. Maximum capacity around 50 guests.
When is the lodge open?
Year-round. Best months are June through October (the dry season, with concentrated wildlife along the Tarangire River) and January to February for green-season birding.
How do guests reach Tarangire Treetops?
Either a 2.5-hour drive from Kilimanjaro International Airport via Arusha and the WMA gate, or a 30-minute Cessna flight from Arusha Airport to Kuro airstrip followed by a 45-minute game-drive transfer.
Are families with children welcome?
Yes. The Triple configuration handles families with one older child, and connecting bookings work for larger families. Children love the treehouse novelty. Night drives have age restrictions; check at booking.
What's included in the rate?
Accommodation, all meals, soft drinks, house beverages, daily laundry, boma dinner, twice-daily shared game drives, two-hour walking safari, night game drive (WMA night-drive fee excluded), and Kuro airstrip transfer. Excluded: premium drinks, four-hour walking safari, Maasai boma experience (sold separately), park and conservancy fees, vehicle entry, flights, gratuities.
Can guests do night drives inside Tarangire National Park?
Night drives at Treetops happen in the surrounding Randilen WMA, not inside the national park itself. WMA status is what makes night drives possible — TANAPA does not permit night drives inside most Tanzanian national parks.
What's nearby
- Tarangire National Park30min drive. Full-day or half-day game drives in the park itself. Combined with Randilen WMA-based activities for a fuller experience than either alone.
- Lake Manyara National Park1.5hr drive. Tree-climbing lions, large baboon troops, alkaline lake with flamingos.
- Maasai boma visitCultural visit in the WMA, hosted by Maasai families. Frank conversations rather than performative dance.
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