Chem Chem Lodge

Each of the 7 Luxury Tented Suites offers guests a private and authentic safari experience where you can enjoy the natural beauty of the landscape in utter comfort. The bedrooms feature your choice of a king-size bed or two single beds, a telephone for reaching loved ones back home, and a hairdryer. The room also features a reading corner where guests can immerse themselves in the books from the lodge’s library, and a dressing room. The luxury bathroom includes both a relaxing bathtub indoors and an outdoor shower. Signature toiletries and a dressing gown are provided. Enjoy watching game pass along the plains from the comfort of your private verandah, and have a relaxing stay in this peaceful sanctuary.

The Family Tent consists of two tented bedroom suites, the main tent and a children’s annexe which can cater for up to 3 children and connects to the main tent via a small wooden bridge. The annexe features a vintage-style room with single beds, fitted with mosquito nets. There is a reading corner and dressing room, and the bath includes both an indoor bathtub and an outdoor shower.

The main tent is much the same as the Luxury Tented Suites, with a king-size bed, elegant furnishings, telephone, hairdryer, yoga mats and signature toiletries and dressing gowns provided in the luxury bathroom. Each of the two rooms has its own private verandah, where guests can enjoy the sweeping views of the beautiful landscape and look out for passing wildlife.

Guests can enjoy 3 meals a day at Chem Chem Lodge, all made with fresh ingredients by the camp’s experienced chefs. Enjoy a light breakfast before your first activity of the day. Guests can pick from the buffet selection of cereals, fruit, freshly baked pastries, meats and cheeses, and you can also order hot food from the kitchen. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, or a fruit smoothie, before heading out on a game drive or exploring the plains.

Lunch consists of a three-course meal and typically starts with a salad and concludes with a light sorbet dessert. In the evenings, lanterns are lit around the lodge, providing a tranquil and romantic setting. Guests can enjoy a three-course dinner in a variety of locations, meaning that depending on your preferences, you can either have a private or communal experience. Finish off your day with one of a selection of indulgent desserts and a refreshing beverage while watching the stars emerge.

Sit back and enjoy a refreshing drink as the sun sinks down towards the horizon, leaving trails of blazing colour in its wake which are reflected in the calm waters of Lake Manyara. Watch as the birds swoop across the sky, searching for a place to roost, and the stars begin to emerge from above. Lakeside sundowners are an ideal way to finish off a brilliant day of exploring and learning about Tanzania’s incredible wildlife.

Embark on an exciting game drive to either the Little Chem Chem Concession or Tarangire National Park, and learn about the amazing animals that there. Guests will have the chance to view lions, leopards, cheetah, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest and zebra in their natural habitat from the comfort of an open 4×4 safari vehicle, and can take the opportunity to learn about these incredible creatures from Chem Chem’s expert guides.

The Little Chem Chem Concession is open for both morning and afternoon game drives, and guests hoping to visit Tarangire can choose between a full-day or half-day trip which picnic breakfast and lunches at a secluded private spot. Tarangire is home to many giants, including elephants and ancient baobab trees, and offers a wondrous experience for visitors.

Start the day with a gentle walk, followed by a delicious breakfast under the shade of a 3000-year-old Baobab tree. Guest can experience the stunning African sunrise while enjoying a mouth-watering Full English Breakfast in the heart of the wilderness. Watch as the local wildlife passes by, and predators slink off to find a place to snooze before the hottest time of day. Make the most of this private experience, enjoying a moment with your significant other with just the occasional elephant or songbird for company.

Visit a local school, supported by the Chem Chem Association, and meet the young pupils learning there. Join them for a day of insightful lessons, for both them and you, and maybe even teach a class yourself. Guests may also participate in a game of football, learn traditional African songs and dances, and discover what it’s like to grow up in Tanzania.

Guests can also visit Choroko, a Maasai Chief, and his wives, Sindani, Seeki, Nebulu and Nemburis. Learn about Maasai culture and swap stories and experiences. Cultural tours are an ideal activity for guests who want to learn more about the true culture and heritage of the land.

Learn about survival in the wilderness from Maasai warriors, who have lived and thrived in the bush for centuries. A Maasai warrior will teach you about the history of the land, as well as the creatures that inhabit it. Discover how humanity can live alongside nature and get by without the lavish conveniences we take for granted, as you walk through the wilderness and see it from a new perspective.

Chem Chem Lodge offers a range of fun activities for young explorers, such as building recyclable footballs, visiting a local school and decorating safari-themed cupcakes. Most exciting of all, children can learn bush skills from the Maasai warriors and practise making a campfire, using a bow and arrow and throwing spears. These activities allow young travellers from the age of 4 to forge incredible memories, learn new skills and give parents some time off.

Take a trip to Lake Manyara National Park and gaze upon its beautiful shores, pink with flamingoes. The elegant birds gather in the water in their thousands, and guests can enjoy watching them from the safari vehicle with a hot drink and snacks. Take a pair of wellies and wade out to the birds as the setting sun lights the flamingos up in a rose-gold glow. Be sure to take a camera to capture this extraordinary sight.

Set off early and witness the start of a new day as you climb the hills that divide Chem Chem Lodge and its sister properties, Little and Forest Chem Chem. One of Chem Chem’s professional guides will lead you across the grasslands as you admire the rising sun, bringing a vibrant glow to the landscape. Gaze across the protected land and appreciate both how beautiful the wilderness is and why it is worth saving.

Balloon safaris offer guests a chance to have a bird’s eye view of the vast plains and take in the incredible wildlife from above. Drift over the tops of the giant baobab trees and view enormous elephants from above. Guests can enjoy floating silently over prowling predators and grazing impala without the noises of an engine to disrupt the game. Watch dramatic shadows shift across the plains as the sun rises higher in the sky, and take in unique sights over the course of this hour-long flight.

Experience a truly unforgettable wedding ceremony against the stunning backdrop of the beautiful shores of Lake Manyara. Make the most of your special day by spending it beside a tranquil and picturesque setting that will add an artistic touch to your wedding photos. Guests who are already married can choose to renew their vows in a private ceremony.

The Chem Chem Association works to prevent human conflict with wildlife which can be damaging to both animals and humans and result in the destruction of lives. Frustrated herders and farmers can be driven to retaliating and killing predators in order to protect their livestock. Additionally, crops can be trampled or attacked by elephants, damaging the livelihoods of local villagers. Without a source of income, families suffer as they cannot provide necessities for themselves and their children.

‘By supplying predator-proof bomas that protect livestock against predators, monitoring lion movements and persuading elephants back into the reserve, we are working to prevent the damaging clash between people and animals. We have planned for future projects in all our conflict areas such as building more predator-proof bomas, establishing education programs that will teach children that peaceful coexistence with our wildlife heritage is achievable and expanding our Lion Sentinel programme, to strengthen and extend our initiatives in preventing the damaging clash between people and animals.’

By helping to prevent this conflict, Chem Chem is protecting both wildlife and local people, as well as educating communities about finding harmonious solutions.

The Chem Chem Association works to support the local communities in the Tarangire region by providing education and career opportunities to villagers, as well as much-needed resources. Chem Chem has been supporting a number of schools in some of the villages, and also donated a bus that collects children in remote locations, making it easier for them to get to school. Chem Chem offers English courses for youth and women, broadening their education and opening new opportunities. They have also added a Marketplace Literacy course to teach women about starting their own business enterprise where they would be able to generate a self-sufficient income and provide for their families.

‘We hope to give as many people as possible an equal chance to expand their knowledge and skills in order to amplify their opportunities. Our intention is to expand our reach to include all 10 villages across the WMA, bringing as many people as we can, enhanced support in all areas of education, and improved living conditions.’

Chem Chem tackles the issue of illegal poaching with their antipoaching initiative which focuses on training rangers to protect targeted animals, the removal of traps and snares, and providing the equipment and manpower needed to monitor and guard the wildlife.

‘The Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem has become a refuge for elephants, a place where they can be safe from the cruelty and the wanton destructiveness of poaching. It now supports not only the largest concentrations of elephants in Tanzania, but also the highest numbers of big tuskers of Tanzania. We conduct joint anti-poaching initiatives with government agencies and coordinate them throughout the ecosystem with intelligence-led operations. These operations are not only undertaken in order to protect wildlife against poaching for ivory and items traded on the black market, but also against the destructive practice of bushmeat poaching. Future projects we have planned include undertaking aerial patrols and training anti-poaching teams in state-of-the-art techniques.’

Chem Chem also runs research projects in order to monitor wildlife populations and to learn more about them. This is crucial in protecting wildlife as it helps them to understand what measures need to be put in place to better ensure the safety of each species living within the concession.