Mbali Mbali Tarangire River Camp

Set within a 25,000-hectare concession bordering Tarangire National Park, Mbali Mbali Tarangire River Camp overlooks a branch of the Tarangire River from a bank shaded by acacia and baobab. The main entrance to the park lies 3.5 km away, close enough for early starts on game drives without breaking camp before dawn. Twenty tents stand on raised wooden platforms, a design that lets wildlife move beneath and around the camp rather than around it. The mix runs to doubles, twins, triples and family tents, plus one Honeymoon Safari Tent built around an old baobab with its own outdoor bath and shower. Thatch covers the main lodge building, which sits on an elevated deck above the riverbank. From the open-sided lounge and dining area, the drop to the water below opens onto long views across the floodplain. A fire pit and game viewing deck sit alongside, used for evenings once the light goes. Guests can watch elephant and impala move along the riverbed from the deck without leaving the camp. A small gift shop stocks handmade goods from nearby Maasai villages. Game drives run into Tarangire and Lake Manyara, and a hot air balloon safari over the baobab-studded plains is available, with children permitted from age seven. Staff speak English and Swahili.