Olkeri Camp sits in the Randilen Wildlife Management Area, on the northeastern edge of the Greater Tarangire ecosystem in Tanzania. That single line on a map changes everything. Because the camp lies beyond the national park boundary, guests can do what Tarangire National Park itself forbids: drive after dark, walk out with an armed guide, and spend a night fly-camping under canvas in open bush.
Elephant herds, giraffe and plains game move through year-round
Eight canvas tents look out over woodland, rocky hills and old baobabs. Six of them are doubles or twins, and two are joined by a walkway into a family unit. Few other camps work this corner of Randilen, so a morning here rarely means sharing a sighting with another vehicle. Elephant herds, giraffe and plains game move through year-round, drawn in part by land that doubles as dry-season grazing for Maasai cattle.
Entara Lodges and Camps opened Olkeri in September 2022, and chose to keep it plain. This is an understated bush camp rather than a polished lodge. The mess tent, lounge and bar are simple and comfortable, set to overlook a waterhole where wildlife appears within view of the campfire. Most of camp life happens here, or outdoors, over long meals and drinks under the stars.
This is an understated bush camp rather than a polished lodge
Days are built around what Randilen allows. Twice-daily game drives cover both the management area and the national park, while walking safaris and night drives belong to Randilen alone. Beyond the drives, the camp lays on bush brunches and private dinners out in the wild, and arranges visits to the Maasai communities whose grazing rights the area was created to protect.
The line between Randilen and the national park is the whole point of a stay here. Inside Tarangire National Park, the day is confined to drives on designated tracks, and it ends when the light does. Randilen runs on a different model. Here a guide will walk you out into the bush on foot, the vehicles keep going after dark to find the nocturnal species that daytime drives never reveal, and a night under canvas in the wider wilderness is yours for the asking.
The Randilen Wildlife Management Area was built to hold two things at once: wildlife and Maasai cattle. Through the dry season the land works as a grass bank for the herds, while the game moves freely across it the year round. That balance has held for more than a decade now, and the animals show it. General game across Randilen is settled and unbothered by vehicles, close enough to watch at leisure rather than glimpse and lose.
Beyond them, Randilen and the Greater Tarangire ecosystem carry giraffe
Baobab-studded woodland is the signature of this country, and elephant its most reliable sighting. Beyond them, Randilen and the Greater Tarangire ecosystem carry giraffe, buffalo and zebra, lion, leopard and cheetah, with birdlife best found on foot or from an open vehicle. And the viewing does not stop when the vehicles are parked. From the mess tent, the waterhole keeps the day’s parade going long after everyone has come home.
Reaching Olkeri is easy by light aircraft, a thirty-minute drive from Randilen airstrip or about ninety minutes from Kuro airstrip inside the national park. The eight tents suit couples and families in equal measure. But it is the travellers who have already ticked off the classic drive-only safari who feel the difference most sharply. The freedom to walk, to drive at night, and to sleep out under canvas is what sets time at Olkeri apart.
accommodation
Eight canvas tents look out onto woodland and baobab country, six of them doubles or twins and two joined by a short walkway into a family unit. They are simple and comfortable rather than opulent, done in a neutral safari style. At the heart of camp, a communal mess tent gathers the lounge, dining area and bar, all of it overlooking the waterhole.
activities
Twice-daily game drives run in both Randilen Wildlife Management Area and Tarangire National Park. Night drives and guided walking safaris operate in Randilen only, where regulations permit both. Fly-camping under mosquito-net tents, bush brunches, private dinners, sundowners, Maasai community visits, and hot-air ballooning can all be arranged from camp.
conservation
Olkeri Camp lies within the Randilen Wildlife Management Area, which combines wildlife conservation with Maasai grazing rights and provides a dry-season grass bank for cattle. The camp arranges visits to neighbouring Maasai communities.
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
Fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport, and from Arusha the light aircraft hop to Kuro airstrip takes about twenty-five minutes, or the drive out runs around two and a half to three hours on good tarmac for most of the way. A private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, can land at the Randilen airstrip much closer to camp, which is the neatest arrival of all.
On the scheduled flights, seats are shared and luggage is soft bags only, around 15 to 20kg per person depending on the airline, which we confirm with you before you pack.
Yes. Randilen and Tarangire sit at around 1,100 metres, below the 1,800 metre line at which the CDC and the UK's official travel health advice say malaria risk in Tanzania falls away, so antimalarial tablets are recommended here as across the rest of the safari circuit.
We do not make medical recommendations. We are travel planners, not doctors. Which tablets are right for you, whether they suit your own health or anyone else's in the party, and what is appropriate for a child, is a conversation between you and your doctor or a travel clinic. The practical side we can speak to is not medical: cover arms and legs from late afternoon and keep repellent to hand.
Comfortable savannah weather: days in the mid to high twenties, mornings and evenings that carry a genuine chill in an open vehicle, and dust through the dry season. The short rains fall around November and the long rains from March to May, when storms green the woodland.
Pack layers, a proper fleece or jacket for night drives, which run cold once the sun is gone, neutral colours, a hat, sunscreen and closed shoes for the walking safaris. A light waterproof earns its place in the green months.
July to October is the classic window, when the dry season pushes big elephant herds and plains game along the corridor through Randilen and the sightings inside the park peak. The difference here is that Randilen holds settled, confident game the year round, so the green season is far from a write-off, with superb birding and the same night drives running.
March and April are the wettest months and the quietest. Tell us what you want from the trip and we will place the dates honestly.
Better than Tanzania's remote south, but still bush. Expect wifi in the mess area rather than the tents, running at message speed, and mobile signal that surfaces and sinks as you move around Randilen.
It covers keeping in touch, not video calls. If you need more than that for work, tell us and we will confirm the camp's current setup before you book.
Two to three nights works well. The camp's whole argument is the things the national park next door cannot offer, so you want at least one night drive, one walking morning and a day sweep into Tarangire itself, which a single night cannot hold.
It slots naturally at the start or end of a northern circuit, pairing with the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, and the fly-camping night is worth adding for anyone who has already done the classic drive-only safari.
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
