Little Chem Chem: Our full report

Little Chem Chem is situated in the eastern part of the 200 km² Chem Chem Concession which has protected ...

... an important wildlife corridor adjoining Tanzania's Tarangire National Park. The area is dotted with baobab trees and overlooks Lake Burunge. Guests can experience a variety of safari activities here, including game drives, walking and night drives.

Little Chem Chem is the sister camp to the larger Chem Chem Lodge and both share the same high standards and first-class service. Little Chem Chem is an intimate eco-camp that espouses the concept of 'slow safari', offering a variety of activities in very luxurious and relaxing surroundings. The pace here is certainly unhurried. On our most visit we were once again highly impressed with the camp’s set-up, the slick service and great guiding.

Little Chem Chem has six luxury safari tents including one family tent and, although they are not that far apart, each is surrounded by attractive stone screening for privacy. The well-appointed tents have vintage furniture, elegant fittings and authentic décor in the same earthy colour scheme as the rest of the camp. Three of the rooms are equipped with king-size beds, two with twin beds and the family room consists of two adjoining bedrooms (separate by a canvas wall and curtain). Triple rooms can also be made up.

All tents have a small seating area, two fans, bedside tables and a study desk. There are many thoughtful touches, from the jar of homemade sweet treats, to the ‘gym in a bag’ with a yoga mat, jump rope and hand weights. At one end of the end you’ll find a dressing area, with a wardrobe, full length mirror and twin wash basins. This leads to the en-suite bathroom with a flush toilet and an indoor and outdoor shower. As at Chem Chem Lodge, Molton Brown toiletries and other high-quality bath products are provided.

The camp's main tent has a rustic, stylish décor. The seating area is furnished with sofas and armchairs in natural colours, decorated with candles, making it an ideal place to relax between adventurous activities. There are coffee table books, board games, an iPod and concealed charging points to keep guests occupied. There is also a small gift shop near the main area.

Little Chem Chem has a separate dining tent, surrounded by several paved areas where guests can enjoy private evening meals. Guests eat in a different location for each meal, and are kept rather separate from each other giving each couple or group quite an exclusive experience. Each tent is assigned a butler who is on hand throughout each meal. Service is exceptionally attentive and while some guests will love the constant attention to detail, others may find it a little too much. All the main areas are within view of the waterhole, which is lit at night, and is visited by animals in the evening.

Situated a few minutes walk away from the main area, a number of sunloungers, surround the welcoming pool, where there's always someone on hand to take any drink orders.

Activities at Little Chem Chem focus on game drives, night drives and walking safaris in the private concession. Off-road driving is allowed here, allowing greater flexibility, and we were impressed with the responsible attitude of our guide was in this respect. The camp is in a relatively newly established concession, and the quantity of wildlife is steadily increasing. We were really impressed with the amount we saw, including some fantastic elephant and lion sightings, which were as good as or better than our experiences inside the Tarangire National Park itself – which you can easily visit from the camp.

There is also the opportunity for sundowners at Lake Burunge, which is an experience not too be missed – the set-up here is most impressive. Little Chem Chem also offers hot-air ballooning as a more unusual way to watch game. This gives you the opportunity to see wildlife from a different point of view, though at a relatively high additional cost.

Our view

Little Chem Chem is a good option for those seeking a relaxing safari, perhaps at the beginning or end of a trip. The high levels of luxury and excellent service make for a wonderfully pampered stay, with the bonus of some good wildlife experiences.

Parita Masani

Tanzania expert

Geographics

Location: Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Ideal length of stay: Two to three nights
Directions: Little Chem Chem is about 130km (about two hours' drive) from Arusha. It is located between the Tarangire and Lake Manyara national parks. It's about a 30-minute drive to Tarangire's main gate, a 90-minute drive to Lake Manyara's north gate and a 2-hour drive to Lake Manyara's south gate.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board & Activities
Food quality: The food at Little Chem Chem was a particular highlight for us – it was all extremely good, with high-quality, well portioned dishes that were imaginative and beautifully presented – altogether not dissimilar to what you might expect at a top restaurant anywhere in the world.

Breakfast is usually eaten in the dining tent or delivered to your own room. There is a small buffet of cereals, cheese, breads, pastries and fruit, and a choice of à la carte hot items including eggs Benedict and crêpes.

Lunch is either a three-course set menu of light dishes or eaten out in the bush if you are out for the day. We very much enjoyed our salad of watermelon and apple to start, followed by chickpea and sweetcorn sliders with fries, and finishing with a banoffee cheesecake mousse.

Dinner is à la carte with a couple of options for each course. We chose the slow roasted carrots to start, potato gnocchi as main course, followed by fa divine cashew nut parfait.
Dining style: Individual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service: Room service is possible
Drinks included: Drinks are included. Guests are supplied with filtered water, and sparkling water is also readily available.

Children

Attitude towards children: The lodge welcomes children aged over eight. Younger children are only accepted when the whole camp is booked on an exclusive basis.
Property’s age restrictions: Minimum age is 8 years.Children under 16 years are not allowed on walking safaris among big game.
Special activities & services: There is no child-minding service available. However, the camp offers a specially created children's menu, meals and mealtimes are coordinated around the family. Children can help staff in the herb and vegetable garden, and can get involved in activities such as pizza making or nature walks around camp.
Equipment: There is no special equipment for children.
Generally recommended for children: Little Chem Chem is a luxurious, intimate camp with an adult feel so is far better suited to older children.
Notes: Little Chem Chem is in the middle of the bush and wild animals do stroll through the camp, so children need to be kept under supervision at all times.

Communications

Power supply notes: There is a backup generator so power is available 24 hours a day.
Communications: WiFi is available throughout the camp.
TV & radio: There is no television or radio.
Water supply: Borehole
Water supply notes: The camp’s water supply is pumped (with solar power) from a nearby well and there is a purifying station on site. The bathrooms are fully plumbed and there are flushing toilets.

Sustainability

Protecting the big elephant tuskers in Tanzania

Little Chem Chem is part of the Chem Chem Foundation which manages one of the few remaining sanctuaries for big elephant tuskers in Africa. Guests are charged symbolic conservation and community fees which are reinvested in projects for conservation and protection of wildlife and community development.

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Contributions have helped implement elephant IDs which monitor the movement of animals in the greater Tarangire area and collect data on the herds’ size, location and welfare. The information gathered is then sent to anti-poaching units who patrol the wildlife reserves in an attempt to prevent and stop criminal activity. Wildlife rangers are divided into on-shore and off-shore teams for better management.

Deterioration and loss of habit are two major obstacles that endanger the welfare of elephants. Conservation efforts by Chem Chem include negotiating concession leases with the local communities and the government of Tanzania to gain access to 20 000 hectares in the Tarangire National Park. The new Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is well looked-after and kept unfenced to provide additional space for the animals to roam the valleys and transform them into their new home. Much to guests’ entertainment, photography tours are organised to catch glimpses of wildlife in their natural habitat.

See more great sustainability projects in Tanzania

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: Yes
Medical care: All managers are first-aid trained and there is a first-aid kit on site. The nearest doctor is two hours away in Karatu.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: The camp is guarded by askaris 24 hours a day and the concession is patrolled by armed anti-poaching teams.
Fire safety: All staff are trained in fire safety and there are extinguishers throughout camp.

Activities

4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Guided walking safari
Hot air ballooning
Night drive
Private activities

Extras

Disabled access: Not Possible
Laundry facilities: Laundry is included, hand-washed and line dried (including underwear).
Money: There is a safe in each room.
Accepted payment on location: The camp accepts Visa and MasterCard without charge. US dollars, British pounds, euros and Tanzanian shillings are also accepted in cash.