Swala Camp, Tarangire

Introduction

Swala, meaning gazelle in Kiswahili, is a picturesque safari hideaway exclusively situated in the south western corner of Tarangire National Park.  Within the park borders, this lodge affords guests private game viewing, wilderness luxury, and a privileged glimpse of an Africa.  Swala enjoys the position of being in a section of the park that is exceptionally private with no other camps around, the only species you are guaranteed to find less of in this region are the tourists. A stay at Swala Camp is always rewarding.

Camp Description

Swala's nine private, permanent tents feature ensuite-bathrooms with showers, complemented by fittings and fixtures crafted from local materials to mirror the understated elegance of the time-honoured safari style. Each tent is attended by a personal butler and all placed to offer maximum privacy and tranquillity.

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. Swala's accomplished hosts, per sonal tent attendants, safari guides and Masai askaris that accompany you to your tent at night enhance your stay with their own personalized African aff ability, professionalism and knowledge.

The elevated terraces on the tents are appointed towards the waterhole that attracts wildlife year-round to ensure that your African wildlife experiences do not finish when you leave your vehicle. Throughout your stay, you will be serenaded by the resident wildlife, including impala, waterbuck, lion and various elephant groups. There is even a resident leopard that puts in the occasional guest appearance at the waterhole during dinner.

Game Viewing

Tarangire is noted for its elephant population and spectacular baobabs of every shape and colour.  The parks name is derived from the Tarangire River, the parks only source of permanent water. In the dry season this river is the lifeline, attracting much of the game. Huge herds of elephant, Zebra, buffalo, wildebeest and rhino and lion enjoy this terrain and are frequently seen.  The Tarangire park is also synonymous with two of the rarer game species; The greater kudu and the Fringe-eared Oryx.   In addition, leopard and tree-climbing pythons often inhabit the trees.

Due to the low volume of traffic in the park, the game is wild, being unaccustomed to vehicles, this offers a truly unique experience.

For guests on the Full Game Package, two game viewing drives in open-topped 4WD vehicles are included in the package.

Large herds of antelope of all sorts including: eland, lesser kudu, Kongoni, impala, Zebra, gazelles, buffalo, wildebeest, leopard, elephant, rhino and lots of smaller mammals.

Camp Facts

Age Restrictions

Children of all ages are welcome at Swala.

Children up to 2 years are free of charge. Children between 2 & 11 years will be required to share with an adult. A 50% reduction off the adult sharing rate will be given to 1 child per full paying adult. This reduction is only applicable for children up to and including 11 years.

A third and fourth child between 2 & 11 years will be required to pay the full adult rate.

Special Requests

Swala prides itself on their personalized services. Please do alert us to any special requests, dietary requirements, allergies or medical conditions. Please advise this information at the time of booking, so that we may better prepare.

Communication

All communication to the camp is relayed via radio. The Camp maintains 24-hour radio contact with the Central Reservations Office in Arusha and all vehicles are equipped with two-way radios. In addition all the tents are equipped with VHF radios to enable guests to contact the management in the event of an emergency. The camp is also equipped with a satellite telephone which guests have access to. 

EXTRAS PAYMENT

Curios and or imported drinks will be billed to the guest and settled on check out. If guests feel that they want to tip, our recommended tipping schedule is as follows:
Guides - US$5.00 per person per day
General Camp Staff - US$3.00 per person per day
Specialist Guides (if applicable) - US$10.00 per person per day
(This is the suggested gratuity schedule only and is subject to service standards)

SEASONS

There are two rainy seasons, the short rains which generally occur in November and December, and the long rains, from mid March to the end of May. Although many visitors are anxious about the rains this can be a great time to visit the park. Dramatic skies and fabulous sunsets are not uncommon. Rain showers are usually heavy but short, allowing plenty of time to get out and see animals indulging on the flush of verdant grass.

The best time to visit Tarangire is towards the end of the dry season (September to November), when animals from the surrounding ecosystem concentrate in large numbers near the Tarangire River, which is the only permanent water source in the area.

Pricing

Please contact us for current rates:

Suggested Daily Activity Schedule

Please contact us for suggested itineraries.

How to get there

The park is an easy 115 Kms from Arusha on an excellent roads and the camp itself is another 67 Kms into the park.  Aircrafts land at the Kuro Airstrip which is in the park and about half an hours drive from the camp. Occasionally, for Private Charters, planes land at Mamire.  The latter being a 15 minutes drive from the camp.

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