Tanzania for Two

From the southern airstrip it is a short drive to Swala Camp, your home for the next three nights, with good game-viewing opportunities en route.

Swala Camp
Nestled in a remote pocket of Tarangire National Park, Swala Camp is an isolated safari hideaway that offers a glimpse of an Africa untrammelled by tourism. It perches on the edge of the Gursi Swamp, from where it offers impressive views of the Tarangire grasslands and a well-frequented waterhole, with the lodge lounge, dining and mess area built on raised decking to make the most of the views.

Swala's nine private permanent tents have en-suite shower areas, with fittings and fixtures crafted from local materials. The elevated terraces on the tents overlook a nearby waterhole which attracts wildlife year-round, though particularly during the dry seasons. Meals are taken in the comfortable dining tent, with full silver service, Pan-African cuisine and fine wines adding to the "country house under canvas" ambience.

Throughout your stay at Swala, you will be surrounded by the wildlife of Tarangire National Park, which includes impala, waterbuck, lion and tremendous elephant herds. There is even a resident leopard that puts in the occasional guest appearance at the waterhole during dinner!

Tarangire National Park is one of the lesser known of Tanzania’s safari parks, lending it a real air of undiscovered Africa. It is most famous for its huge elephant herds and staggering baobab trees. Although a small park, Tarangire accommodates a dense wildlife population, particularly in the southern regions. The birding is particularly good here; the southern swamps, tinged green year-round, provide a habitat for over 500 varieties of bird, besides much else. Swala Camp is well-placed to allow you to explore both the well-frequented northern plains, and also the less-visited southern and central marshlands.

Sasakwa Lodge
Resembling a turn-of-the-century east African ranch house, Singita Sasakwa is an upmarket safari lodge with a wonderful hill-top location in the private Grumeti Reserves. The marvel that is the Serengeti plains stretches before Sasakwa, and every effort has been made to celebrate the spectacular views.

The main ranch house includes a glamorous dining room, comfortable bar/lounge, garden room, family television room, library, wood-panelled billiards room and wine cellar. The interiors are beautifully furnished: Venetian mirrors and crystal chandeliers meet Congolese artefacts and leather armchairs – and virtually every one of the rooms opens onto the wide wrap-around verandah with a view across the lush lawns to the wilderness beyond.

Facilities at Sasakwa Lodge include two tennis courts (clay and grass), a gymnasium, spa & steam room, heated swimming pool and jacuzzi. Singita’s equestrian centre is only a few minutes' walk from Sasakwa and is home to sixteen well-bred horses.

Sasakwa Lodge has 7 luxurious cottages, offering between 1 and 4 bedrooms each. All cottages are en-suite with bath and shower, as well as a guest toilet. Separate dressing rooms and living areas, verandah with spotting scope, and private gardens ensure lots of space in each unit.

Activities available at Sasakwa include game drives, walking safaris, croquet, archery, badminton and billiards, tennis, mountain biking and star-gazing safaris. Horse riding safaris for experienced riders are a speciality of Singita Sasakwa, and only possible in the Grumeti region.

After lunch at the lodge, embark on an afternoon of game viewing in the Western Serengeti.

The activities available at Sasakwa are hugely varied. As the camp is located in a private reserve, outside of the Serengeti park boundaries, National Park guidelines do not apply. This opens up the possibility of walking and riding safaris as well as day and night game drives. The game-viewing is spectacular in this region of the Serengeti, particularly during the wildebeest and zebra migration, which can usually be seen here between July and September. Even outside of the migration months, however, Singita Sasakwa offers a chance to explore a remote region of the Serengeti far from the crowds.

On one of the mornings of your stay, you will have the option of a private hot air balloon safari for two (included). This is a wonderfully romantic way of exploring the wilderness as you gracefully and silently glide over the Serengeti plains, observing a wide variety of wildlife below.

On your final night, we’ll arrange for a private bush meal for two, served by candle light in the open plains.