Oliver’s Camp
Oliver’s Camp is a tented lodge situated in the south of Tarangire National Park on a ridge overlooking the course of the Tarangire River.
Oliver’s Camp is an excellent tented lodge located in an exclusive region of Tarangire National Park. Accommodation is a very comfortable and spacious, and the central areas are similarly comfortable and spacious, with a very permanent feel and lovely elevated views out over the Tarangire River course. Run by Asilia Africa, management is slick and personal, with good food and service. Oliver’s manages to combine the comfort of a permanent lodge with the intimacy of a bush camp. Many guests will drive in with a private guide and vehicle, but for those who fly in, high quality guiding is provided.
Rooms
Oliver’s Camp offers accommodation spread over two wings with 15 tents in total. There are 10 tents on one side and five tents on the other (the smaller five tent wing was formerly Little Oliver’s Camp, but the two have been merged), linked by a raised walkway. The smaller wing can be booked exclusively for small groups wanting a more exclusive safari experience. Tents are large and spacious and well furnished with a writing table, twin or double beds, comfortable chairs, luggage racks and a small screened changing area. Each has plumbed en suite facilities consisting of a flush toilet and both indoor and outdoor showers. To the front is a large verandah with two day beds.
Central Areas
Each wing has its own lounge and dining area, with access to a shared deck with swimming pool, bar and sun loungers. The central areas of the larger wing are double height and offer views and great star gazing. There is also a library here and the area leads out to a large deck, birding platform, fire pit and breakfast bar overlooking the Tarangire River. The central area of the smaller wing is more intimate and also includes a fire pit area.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
Tarangire is one of the more recently established wildlife sanctuaries, a 4,160 sq. km National Park which is often overlooked by travellers in their quest to see the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti. In the dry season (July to October), the Tarangire River is the main water source in the region and it attracts large concentrations of animals. The nine distinct vegetational zones within the park include savannah, woodland, riverine grasslands and the swamps in the south-eastern section. In the northern section, great baobabs dominate the undulating countryside – very picturesque.
The area supports a wide diversity of animals including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lesser kudu, lion, leopard, wild dog, Grant’s gazelle, wildebeest, Coke’s hartebeest (kongoni), zebra, eland, waterbuck, dik dik and reedbuck. On rocky outcrops, keep a special lookout for rock hyrax and klipspringer. Tarangire is also one of the few places in Tanzania where oryx can be seen. The park has long been associated with the Tanzania Bird Atlas and a phenomenal 550 plus species have been recorded with a good cross-section of species found in the various habitats. Tsetse fly do occur in Tarangire and can be particularly bad during the wetter periods (November to March).
Activities
Game drives by open or closed 4×4 vehicles are the principal activity in Tarangire. Drive in guests will have their own closed vehicle and private guide, whilst fly-in guests would share activities unless a private vehicle is paid for. Guided nature walks and night drives are also available at additional cost, which can be booked in advance or locally when in camp. Seasonal hot air ballooning is also possible at an additional charge.
Seasons
Oliver’s Camp is open from mid May through to February each year, though game viewing in Tarangire is best from late June to October. Birding is however best from October to February.
Oliver’s Camp accepts children five years and older. There are two family tents in the larger wing, each comprising an extra adjoining twin bedroom with its own smaller en suite bathroom behind. For larger family groups with older children, the smaller wing of five bedrooms can be taken exclusively (though note there is no family tent in this wing).
Staying at any of Asilia properties, owners of Oliver’s, sees guests automatically contributing to community and conservation projects through their guest conservation charge. By staying at Oliver’s guests are also supporting their in-house training schemes and responsible tourism efforts.
Asilia’s vision in East Africa is for both the local people and nature to benefit from crucial wilderness areas thriving. They work with local communities and offer primary, secondary and tertiary educational scholarships. Twende Porini, meaning ‘let’s go to the bush’, is a project which takes a group of children from their villages close to the areas in which Asilia operates, to one of their camps for several days. Whilst at the camp the children are mentored by Asilia guides and staff as well as local school teachers and engage in a range of activities from lectures to game drives in order to assist their understanding for the need for conservation in the wild areas close to their communities.
Sustainability efforts in Asilia’s camps include banning the use of cling film in their kitchens, using biodegradable lunch packs and providing guests with reusable bottles to reduce plastic water bottle waste.
AsiliaGiving is an online donation platform for their UK and US charities with total annual donations increasing significantly. The projects which AsiliaGiving support are both human and wildlife focussed.
Oliver’s, specifically, supports the Northern Tanzania Rangelands Initiative in Tarangire which works to ensure five priority livestock and wildlife movement corridors in the northern rangelands which will support the communities and wildlife both ecologically and economically.
