Fabia Bausch walked away from investment banking and Nicolas Nègre from safari guiding, and in 2008 the two of them found this stretch of the Kwakuchinja corridor. What they found was not much. Decades of hunting, logging and overgrazing had left it barren. On a private concession between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks they built Chem Chem Lodge Lodge, opened the lodge, and to this day they host their guests in person.
Decades of hunting, logging and overgrazing had left it barren
Eight tented suites look out across palm islands and open grassland toward the lake, where the rhythm of the day is set by whatever happens to walk past rather than by a game-drive schedule. Chem Chem Lodge Lodge calls it a slow safari, one built around long breakfasts, guided walks and sundowners on the lakeshore. Giraffe and zebra graze within sight of the suites, and a waterhole below the main lodge draws game through the hours.
Chem Chem Lodge Lodge sits inside neither national park. It lies within the Burunge Wildlife Management Area, some 283 square kilometres set aside by local villages as community-owned conservation land, co-managed with national authorities and forming part of the Kwakuchinja corridor along which elephants and other wildlife move freely between Tarangire and Lake Manyara.
Walking safaris and night drives are permitted on the concession
That distinction opens up what the parks cannot. Walking safaris and night drives are permitted on the concession, neither of which is allowed inside the parks, so guides can track game on foot and guests can join Maasai warriors for a sunrise run across the plains. When the classic game drives beckon, open 4×4 vehicles head into Tarangire and Lake Manyara for full days that end, as ever, with sundowners on the lakeshore.
The suites are tented but permanent, raised on stone plinths, their canvas walls and roofs drawing together wood, lava stone and cotton in earthy tones. Inside, a bedroom gives way to a reading corner, a dressing area and an en-suite bathroom with an egg-shaped bath and an outdoor shower, while a private veranda with a daybed opens onto long views across the lake or the plains. Spaced at least 80 metres apart, they hold a quiet that matches the view. One is a family suite, a full unit linked by a small wooden bridge to a second, smaller tented room for children or additional adults.
The main lodge is built to resemble a landing flamingo with its wings spread, a nod to the birds that gather on Lake Manyara. One wing holds the dining area and an outdoor fire, the other the bar, lounge and library, while timber, thatch and local lava stone carry the building into the landscape and raised walkways link it to the suites, the pool, the gym and the Amani Spa. The dining is gourmet but unfussy, built around fresh East African ingredients and rarely tied to set times, so meals might appear under a baobab, beside the fire, or deep in the bush.
Elephants and other wildlife have since returned to migrate through the corridor
The couple founded the Chem Chem Lodge Lodge Association, the lodge’s non-profit arm, alongside the safari company in 2008, its mandate to restore roughly 20,000 hectares of the corridor, land the government would declare abandoned the following year. Working with Tanzanian wildlife authorities, the Association funds anti-poaching rangers and runs a joint monitoring and protection centre. Elephants and other wildlife have since returned to migrate through the corridor, and the change is measurable rather than hoped-for.
The Association’s work extends well beyond wildlife. It gives local state schools infrastructure and teacher training, and it works with communities to reduce human-wildlife conflict by building predator-proof bomas and running a rapid-response team. In partnership with Hand in Hand International, it backs entrepreneurial training and village community banks that provide financial services, particularly for women. All of this is funded directly by guest stays, so every night spent here reaches beyond the concession.
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accommodation
Eight tented suites: seven individual suites and one family unit linking a full suite by a small wooden bridge to a second, smaller tented room. Built on stone plinths with canvas walls, wood, lava stone and cotton in earthy tones. Each has a bedroom, reading corner, dressing area, en-suite bathroom with egg-shaped bath and outdoor shower, and a private veranda.
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activities
Within the Burunge concession: guided walking safaris, night drives, sunrise runs with the Maasai and hill climbs, none of which are permitted inside the neighbouring parks. Open 4x4 vehicles head into Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks for day game drives. Lakeshore sundowners, bush breakfasts and lantern-lit dinners feature throughout, along with hot-air balloon and helicopter flights.
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conservation
Fabia Bausch and Nicolas Nègre founded the Chem Chem Lodge Lodge Association in 2008 to restore roughly 20,000 hectares of the Kwakuchinja corridor from land declared abandoned. It funds anti-poaching rangers, builds predator-proof bomas, supports local schools with infrastructure and teacher training, and partners with Hand in Hand International on village banks for women.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
You fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport on your international flight, then reach the area either by road along the northern safari route or by a short light aircraft hop to the Lake Manyara airstrip and a road transfer to the lodge, which sits on a private concession between Tarangire and Lake Manyara. We build the flights and transfers in so the day joins up cleanly.
Seats are shared and the exact departure is fixed the day before, once the airline sets its routing, so the final timings firm up close to the day. If you would rather not work around that, we can arrange a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, flown direct to the Lake Manyara airstrip at a time of your choosing. Luggage is soft bags only, with a weight limit of around 15 to 20kg depending on the airline, which we confirm with you before you pack.
Yes. Lake Manyara lies low beneath the Rift Valley wall, well below 1,800 metres, and current UK guidance from TravelHealthPro treats all of mainland Tanzania below that height as a malaria area. Screened tents, nets and repellent help, but antimalarial tablets and covering up after dark are the real protection.
Health advice can change from year to year, so we always ask you to confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and to take the usual care against bites after dark.
This is warm northern-circuit country: comfortable days in the mid to high twenties and cooler mornings and evenings beneath the Rift Valley wall. The long rains of March to May bring real mud.
Pack light layers with a fleece for early drives, in neutral colours, and add a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and good sunscreen. A light waterproof is worth having in the green season.
For dry-season game, come between July and October, when the corridor between the parks dries out and elephant and plains game gather near the lake and the springs. The green season is quieter and greener and best for birding, with the heaviest rains falling in April and May.
Because Chem Chem Lodge Lodge sits on its own concession rather than inside a park, the guided walks and night drives run year-round, which softens the seasonal swing. It pairs well with the Serengeti and Ngorongoro as the slower, unwinding stop on a northern journey, and we will shape the balance around your dates.
Yes. One of the eight suites is a family unit that links a full suite to a second, smaller tented room by a short wooden bridge, and the gentle rhythm of walks, the waterhole below the main lodge and the freedom to walk and drive at night on the concession suit families well.
Tell us the children's ages and we will confirm the layout and activities with the owners, who host their guests in person.
The northern circuit has better coverage than Tanzania's remote south and west. Expect wifi in the main area of camp, which can be slow, and patchy mobile signal that comes and goes and drops out on drives.
It is enough for messages and email rather than calls or streaming. Tell us if you need to stay reliably reachable and we will confirm the current setup before you travel.
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