Paul Oliver founded this camp in 1992 in the far south-east of Tarangire National Park, close to the Silale Swamp. New custodians run it now, but his original intent still holds: an unpolished bush camp in genuinely wild country. The main gate lies to the north, and the traffic that clusters there rarely reaches this far south.
New custodians run it now, but his original intent still holds
The swamp is what makes the place. It holds water through the dry season, when the surrounding plains crack and empty, drawing elephant herds, buffalo and predators to a landscape most visitors never see. Tents and lounges face the Tarangire River floodplains, so game moves within view of the decks without a vehicle in sight. Walking safaris and off-road driving, both permitted here, are why guests choose Oliver’s over a standard game-drive camp.
The tents are furnished the way Oliver built the camp, with solid wooden furniture, hand-carved mahogany headboards and canvas walls. There is no pretence to any of it, and that is the point. At night, canvas is the only barrier between the bed and the bush, and the sounds of the floodplain come through it undiluted.
Night drives and off-road driving are permitted in this sector too
Walking safaris are the specialism here, led by experienced guides and an armed park ranger, a privilege granted to few operations inside Tarangire. Night drives and off-road driving are permitted in this sector too. Together they open up nocturnal sightings and the freedom to follow animals across the floodplains rather than keep to fixed tracks.
Tarangire fills up in the dry season, roughly June to October, as the herds funnel toward permanent water. The Silale Swamp is one of the great magnets, drawing elephants in large numbers alongside buffalo, lion, leopard and cheetah. Birdlife gathers thickly around the permanent pools and wetland near camp. Being deep in the south-east means fewer vehicles at sightings and a wilderness feel that the busier ground near the main gate simply does not offer.
The camp reads as a classic tented safari camp, not a polished lodge. Its two-storey main area is an open-sided structure of timber and thatch facing the floodplain, with red leather armchairs that echo the ochre soils and a stone fire pit for the evenings. Days follow the rhythm of the bush. Coffee is delivered to the tent at first light, a morning walk or drive follows, meals are taken communally under canvas or the stars, and sundowners come as the light drops across the baobab-studded plains.
Birdlife gathers thickly around the permanent pools and wetland near camp
Elephants pass silently through camp at night, and their tracks are read in the sand along the paths the following morning, while lion calls and hyena carry across the floodplain after dark. Meals are taken at a long communal table with the guides and hosts, generous and fresh for a camp this far from anywhere. The crew has worked together for years, and it shows in a welcome that feels closer to staying with friends than checking into a hotel.
None of this stands apart from the country that holds it. Oliver’s Camp runs largely on solar power and offsets its remaining emissions through Carbon Tanzania. It was certified under Sustainable Travel International’s STEP programme, among the first African camps to hold it. It funds schools on the Simanjiro Plains, and partners with the Tarangire Lion Project on monitoring local prides.
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accommodation
Oliver's Camp has 15 canvas tents, among them two family tents and a honeymoon tent, split between two wings that each have their own lounge and dining room facing the floodplain. The tents sit on raised wooden decks under thatch, furnished with solid carved pieces. Each has a private veranda, and both indoor and outdoor showers.
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activities
Walking safaris with experienced guides and an armed ranger are the specialism, alongside day and night game drives and off-road driving, all permitted in this sector of Tarangire National Park. Fly-camping under lightweight tents and sunrise hot-air balloon flights over the plains can also be arranged.
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conservation
Oliver's Camp runs largely on solar power, offsets emissions through Carbon Tanzania, and was certified under Sustainable Travel International's STEP programme. It funds schools, and partners with the Tarangire Lion Project on monitoring local prides.
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.
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Tarangire National Park
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Tarangire National Park
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Tarangire National Park
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Tarangire National Park
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Tarangire National Park
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Tarangire National Park
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Tarangire National Park
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Tarangire National Park
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Tarangire National Park
You fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport on your international flight, and from Arusha nearby reach the park either by road, about three hours, or by a light aircraft hop to the Kuro airstrip, before a game drive to the far south-east of the park where the camp sits by the Silale Swamp. We build the flights and transfers in so the day joins up without long waits. If you prefer to fly to your own schedule, we can arrange a private charter to Kuro, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12.
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. 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. Tarangire lies below 1,800 metres, and current UK guidance from TravelHealthPro treats all of mainland Tanzania below that height as a malaria area. The camps provide screened tents, nets and repellent, 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, with comfortable days in the mid to high twenties and cooler mornings and evenings, and it can feel hotter and dustier in the open dry-season terrain.
Pack light layers with a fleece for early drives, in neutral colours, plus a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and good sunscreen, and a light waterproof if you travel in the green season.
Come between July and October, when shrinking waterholes draw Tarangire's big elephant herds and concentrated game back to the river and the thinning bush opens up clear viewing. August and September are the peak. The green season from November to May is quiet and best for birding, though the long rains of March and April disperse the game and close some camps.
Oliver's sits in the remote south-east by the Silale Swamp, which holds water through the dry season and becomes a lifeline when the surrounding plains crack and empty, drawing elephant herds, buffalo and predators within view of the decks.
Walking is the specialism here. Oliver's holds the permits for walking safaris and off-road driving in this sector, granted to few camps inside a national park, so you can leave the vehicle and the tracks and read the bush on foot with a guide and an armed ranger, with day and night drives and fly-camping alongside. The traffic that clusters at the northern gate rarely reaches this far south.
Yes. Among the fifteen tents are two family tents, and the walking, off-road driving and night drives give older children more than drives alone.
The camp is deliberately unpolished, with canvas the only barrier to the bush at night, so tell us the children's ages and we will say honestly whether it fits and confirm the family tents.
The northern circuit has better coverage than Tanzania's remote parks, but Tarangire is still bush. Expect wifi in the main area of camp, often slow, and patchy mobile signal that comes and goes and drops out on drives.
It handles messages and email more 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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