HOTELS & CAMPS

Lemala Mpingo Ridge

LuxuryUltra-luxuryTarangire

What stands out here is the view. The lodge is built along a ridge inside Tarangire National Park, and everything — rooms, restaurant — looks down the length of the Tarangire valley. Plenty of hotels sell you on "staying inside the park"; Mpingo Ridge goes one step further: the game drive can be over and you are still sitting there watching Tarangire.

Why it spans several tiers

Truly top-end lodges in Tarangire are limited, and Mpingo Ridge is comfortable enough to hold its own at the Ultra-luxury tier, so we use it as the default for both Luxury and Ultra-luxury. Ultra-luxury guests who want to go further can stay two nights in Tarangire and upgrade to a Chem Chem property — not part of the standard default; it is a manual upgrade, quoted separately.

Why we chose it

Sitting high on a ridge sets it clearly apart from the many camps built on flat ground, and at sunrise the outlook is extraordinary. There are only 15 suites, each set along the slope so it keeps an open view: generous rooms, a private deck, indoor and outdoor showers, and — the signature — a private outdoor bathtub on the deck, so the day ends with a soak over the valley and plains of Tarangire.

The public areas are just as complete: pool, spa, indoor and outdoor dining, and a large lounge. The design is contemporary without losing the wilderness around it — the comfort is real, not just canvas dressed up as luxury. As a Lemala property, service and food are long-standing strengths, and recent reviews come back again and again to the view, the rooms, the food and the staff.

Our verdict

It suits the guest who wants to be in genuine wilderness without giving up the quality of the stay: a location inside the park, a ridge-top view few places can match, large and well-finished rooms, the private outdoor tub, a pool and settled service — all in one place. That is the main reason we make it our first choice in Tarangire at the Luxury tier.

If it is full

Tarangire Treetops (Elewana, the Luxury tier in Tarangire — our usual fallback when Mpingo Ridge is full).

A star bed sunk one step into the far end of the deck: a woven rope backrest, white linen, a tray of champagne, fruit and cheese, lanterns either side. Beyond the rail is the Tarangire valley, running out to a horizon tens of kilometres away — this is what "still watching Tarangire from the lodge" means.

The same deck at dusk: under the canvas roof the free-standing tub has been run with a bubble bath, an ice bucket, candles and a hurricane lamp beside it — this is the private outdoor bathtub the copy above means. The sunken seating at the bottom left is the star bed from the previous photo.

Inside a suite: a four-poster hung with white netting, wooden floors, and a dressing table-cum-desk with a round mirror at the back. A full wall of doors opens straight onto the deck — from the bed you look out over the bush below the ridge.

The pool sits right on the lip of the ridge, its far end open to the valley; loungers on the flagstone terrace, a waiter walking over with a drink. The drop is the point — the view from the poolside is the same valley you get from your own deck.

Official websitehttps://www.lemalacamps.com/stay/mpingo-ridge-lodge/(opens in a new tab)

← Back to hotels & camps

Want to stay here?

Pick the matching tier in the planner and this hotel appears in your itinerary, with a live, fully itemised quote.

Plan a trip with this hotel

WeChat

Your travel advisor

Want to know more about this camp? Ask your travel advisor

Emailhello@darajatravel.com