Elewana Tarangire Treetops is the lodge to book if you want your Tanzania honeymoon to start somewhere that feels a little like a fairy tale. Twenty rooms sit high on stilts among marula and baobab trees on the edge of Tarangire National Park, each with an open front and a private balcony that looks across the plains. You fall asleep to the sounds of the bush and wake at eye level with the birds.
It suits couples who want romance and good game viewing without the crowds of the Serengeti. Tarangire's dry-season elephant herds are the headline. Because the lodge sits outside the main park it can offer things the park itself cannot: walking safaris with an armed ranger, night drives to look for genets and bushbabies, plus a bush lunch under the trees. The main lodge is built around a baobab said to be about a thousand years old, which sets the tone for the whole place.
Rooms are large by safari standards at around 65 square meters. Expect full-board stays, a candlelit pool area and a boma dinner on some evenings. It works well as the first stop on a northern circuit before Ngorongoro and the Serengeti.
Highlights at a glance
- 20 raised treehouse rooms of about 65 square meters
- Main lodge built around an ancient baobab
- Night drives and walking safaris outside the park
- Boma dinners with Maasai songs
- Water hole that draws game near the lodge
Why Couples Love Tarangire Treetops
The treehouse idea is what sells it. It delivers. Climbing the wooden stairs to your room at dusk, with the plain turning gold below, is the kind of moment honeymoons are planned around. The open-fronted design means there is very little between you and the bush, yet you still have a proper bed, a double shower and enough room to spread out.
The lodge is small, with just 20 rooms, so meals and sundowners never feel like a crowd scene. A water hole near the lodge draws animals in, which means elephants or buffalo sometimes wander into view while you eat. Because Tarangire is quieter than the Serengeti, game drives here tend to feel unhurried. Your guide can sit with a herd for as long as the two of you like.
The Treehouse Rooms
All 20 rooms follow the same basic design, which makes choosing easy. Each is raised on stilts at canopy height, with a floor area of about 65 square meters. Elewana describes them as among the largest bedrooms of any camp or lodge in East Africa.
- Open fronts face the Tarangire plains, so the view is part of the room.
- A large private balcony is the place for morning coffee and evening binoculars.
- En suite bathrooms have a double shower, handy when you both come back dusty from a drive.
When you book, ask for a room with the clearest outlook over the plain and away from the main lodge path. Mention that you are on honeymoon; safari lodges often arrange small touches such as turndown surprises or a private dinner set-up. Expect steps up to every room, which is worth knowing if either of you has trouble with stairs.
Dining by Candlelight and in the Boma
Meals are part of the full-board stay and lean toward hearty, well-cooked safari fare with East African touches. The lodge serves dinner in a traditional boma on some evenings, an open-air enclosure around a fire where Maasai songs and chants accompany the meal. Other nights you can eat by candlelight beside the pool, which is quieter and more intimate.
The lodge also offers sundowner cocktails out on the plains and bush lunches during longer outings, two of the most memorable ways to eat on any safari. If you would rather have an evening alone, ask about a private table on your balcony or at the pool. Dietary needs are usually handled well if you send them ahead. Drinks policies vary by rate and season, so confirm what is included before you arrive.
Why guests fall for it
Game Drives, Walks and Night Drives
Elewana lists seven core activities here: day game drives, night game drives, walking safaris, a Maasai village visit, the boma dinner, sundowners and bush lunches. Day drives head into Tarangire National Park, where the dry season from roughly June to October brings elephants, zebra, wildebeest and buffalo to the river. Lions and leopards are seen regularly. The park has a huge bird list.
Night drives are the one to try if you have never done one. You will spot animals you never see by day. The stars out here are spectacular. Walking safaris are quieter and slower, with a guide pointing out tracks, insects and plants that you would never notice from a vehicle. The Maasai village visit is a chance to meet local people; ask the lodge how the community benefits from the visit.
Getting There
Tarangire Treetops sits on the edge of Tarangire National Park, a couple of hours southwest of Arusha. Most couples fly into Kilimanjaro International (JRO), the main international airport for the northern circuit, then either drive with a safari guide or connect to a small plane. By road, allow about 2.5 hours from Arusha and closer to 3 from Kilimanjaro, with a stretch of bumpy track at the end.
Light aircraft fly from Arusha (ARK) to airstrips near Tarangire, where the lodge can arrange a pickup. Many itineraries combine Tarangire with Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, so the lodge often comes first or second on a route. Small-plane bags are usually limited to a soft duffel of about 15 kilograms each, so pack light.
Is It Worth It?
For couples who want a memorable stay in Tarangire, yes. The treehouse rooms are genuinely different from the standard tented camp, the lodge is small and the extra activities outside the park add real variety. Rates sit in the upper-middle band of northern Tanzania lodges, below the most exclusive private camps.
It is less suited to couples who want total solitude or a luxury tented camp with a plunge pool at every tent; look at the smaller, pricier camps in the area for that. The steps to the rooms may be hard for anyone with limited mobility. This is a malaria area, so talk to a travel doctor about antimalarials, use repellent at dusk and wear long sleeves. If you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices before you book. Tsetse flies can be a nuisance in the park. They are drawn to dark blue and black clothing.
Insider tips
- Visit from June to October for the biggest elephant herds along the Tarangire River.
- Book at least one night drive and one walking safari, since neither is allowed inside the national park itself.
- Pack neutral colors and avoid dark blue or black, which attract tsetse flies.
- Ask for a candlelit dinner by the pool on a night when the boma is busy.
