Oliver's Camp

4°7’57.8"S 36°4’32.6"E

96% (61 reviews)

Full review Our view Geographics Food & drink Special interests Children Wildlife sightings Communications Health & safety Activities Extras

Oliver's Camp: Our full report

In the quiet south-east of Tarangire National Park, beside Silale and Lormakau marshes, Oliver's Camp is ...

... a lovely tented camp set on a low, sandy ridge. It is particularly good for wildlife in the height of the dry season, when the marshes attract huge herds of buffalo, zebra and wildebeest. It used to have a separate satellite camp, Little Oliver's, close by, but now the two camps are incorporated as one, with a suspension-bridge-style raised walkway linking the two, over an area of dense bush.

Oliver's Camp is the sister camp to Olakira, Dunia and Sayari, and offers the same good guiding and a friendly bush experience.

The main area at Oliver's Camp on the south side is an open-sided two-storey, wood and thatch structure which looks out into the surrounding bush and is furnished with comfortable leather armchairs, reclaimed dhow-wood tables and campaign furniture. We particularly enjoyed the upper storey, complete with its deck giving you an even better vista from where to sit and keep a look out for passing game. This all comes together to create the feel of a camp that is stylish but still very authentic. Dining can occasionally be communal, with everyone seated at one long table, but usually tables are separate for each party of guests.

In front of the mess tent is a firepit, surrounded by directors' chairs, where guests gather before and after dinner to chat about the day and listen to the sounds of the bush. Down from the main area, in a secluded, shady spot by a baobab, is a small deck used for private dinners. Further down the slope is a large sundowner and breakfast deck looking across the Tarangire River valley.

Oliver's Camp has fifteen large tented rooms raised on low, wooden platforms, and suspended under thatch. Ten of the tents are in southern part of camp (the original Oliver's) and five on the north side (the former Little Oliver's). lThe interiors are rustic but tasteful and practical: chunky furniture made from the timber of former dhows, lampshades adorned with Masaai beads, leather-bound books, wrought iron bedside tables, solar-powered lights and an open canvas wardrobe. The beds are large and very comfortable with luxurious linen and good pillows. Above each bed is a ceiling fan to keep you cool during the heat of the day or on unusually warm nights. In front of each tent are two sunloungers on the deck where you can relax, read, or perhaps sit and watch the area's impressive birdlife.

There is one special honeymoon tent (#2), with a double-headed shower, and a family tent (#9) that includes an extension with twin beds and a second toilet and basin. Two triple tents can also be made up if required giving the camp a maximum capacity of 32 guests.

UK-style three pin sockets allow you to charge your electricals, and each tent also has mosquito spray, a radio to contact the office, a torch and a digital safe.

The en-suite bathroom is at the end of the tent, with no partition. You'll find double wash basins set on a heavy wooden table, luggage storage space and a flush toilet. A door leads out to an open-air rainfall shower, screened by a wooden fence, allowing you to shower in complete privacy while enjoying the sounds and atmosphere of the bush, or contemplating the night sky.

Depending on guest numbers, the ten tents at the original Oliver's Camp site on the south side are usually the ones to be filled first. When the other five tents in the north wing of the camp are being used, a separate main area there, consisting of a lounge and dining area, and with its own kitchen and staff quarters, comes into use. Both wings of the camp have full access to the entire camp and the swimming pool is roughly central. However, it's worth bearing in mind that that the layout of the camp (see the photo in the Gallery) is quite extended, stretching around 1.5km from Tent #1 to Tent #15, and older or less mobile guests may wish to request a tent close to the dining area and lounge.

Oliver's modest, free-form swimming pool (no lifeguard) is designed for cooling off and relaxing rather than laps. It is located mid-way between the north and south wings of the camp and lunch is often served here.

Oliver's has a range of activities on offer. The camp is located in a special wilderness area where walking is allowed, usually on the plains or in the sand river. The minimum age for walking is 12. There are resident guides who can take you out on shared activities, and both walks and night game drives are available (the latter at extra cost).

You can also arrange to do a hot-air balloon safari over Tarangire National Park from Oliver's. Balloons take off from a launch site near Boundary Hill, and usually drift north. You'll need to plan for a 04:30 departure from camp. Ask us to help plan this into your stay.

Our view

Oliver's is a lovely tented camp with a great location in the far south of the park. It retains a real bush camp feel, and has a rustic charm. The food, service and guiding here are very good and the camp offers a great wilderness experience.

Richard Trillo

Tanzania expert

Geographics

Location: Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Ideal length of stay: 2–3 nights
Directions: Oliver's Camp is at the southern end of Tarangire National Park. It is around a 90-minute drive from Kuro airstrip, about 4 hours drive from Arusha and 5 hours from Kilimanjaro airport, depending on traffic and any stops to watch wildlife en route.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board & Activities
Food quality: The food at Oliver's is consistently good – well-prepared and tasty, with plenty of creativity. Meals are often served platter-style, in small portions on a tower of serving dishes for you to help yourself. Guests are usually invited to indicate when they want meals. We had a 6am breakast on one occaion, before going out for a long morning game drive.

Breakfast consists of a buffet of cereals, fruit, yoghurt, pancakes and muffins, followed by a hot breakfast if you wish, cooked to order.

Lunch on a recent visit included stir-fry chicken and vegetables for make-your-own wraps, with salads and seeds on the side, followed by a sorbet.

Dinner was a three-course meal, including lamb and tomato stew, brown rice with cashews and creamy coconut beans. A rather delicious coconute parfait with a passionfruit coulis followed.

We enjoyed butternut and lemon soup to start, followed by lamp chops served with rice, roasted pumpkin and zucchini, and rounded off with a creamy passion-fruit coulis.

On another occasion, we started with a safari staple of spiced butternut squash soup and went on to beef medallions with a red wine jus or herby chicken and risotto rice, accompanied by good vegetables, and followed up with choc peppermint brownies or passion fruit jelly.
Dining style: Mixture of group dining and individual tables
Dining locations: Indoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service: Drinks can be served to your tent, however the camp does not encourage food in the tents is this is likely to attract monkeys.
Drinks included: Most drinks are included. Champagne and premium wines are at extra cost.

Special interests

Honeymoons: For rustic charm with a luxurious feel, and very secluded and private tents, Oliver’s Camp is a great destination for a Tanzanian honeymoon. Enjoy the large tented room under a thatched roof, stylish furniture and delicious food. Expect thoughtful touches from the staff, to make you both feel really special.; See ideas for Honeymoons in Tanzania
Birdwatching: Tarangire National Park is the best park for birdwatching in Tanzania. Avid bird watchers will enjoy sitting in the central mess tent at Oliver's where you might spot flycatchers, superb starlings, morning thrushes, and even a pair of yellow-winged bats.; See ideas for Birdwatching in Tanzania
Walking safaris: Oliver's Camp offers guiding walking safaris within Tarangire National Park - a great way to experience the environment from a different perspective and really appreciate the little things.; See ideas for Walking safaris in Tanzania

Children

Attitude towards children: Oliver's Camp will happily accept children from the age of 5.
Property’s age restrictions: Children under 12 are not permitted to walk in Tarangire National Park.
Special activities & services: Kids' packs are provided and children can do nature trails with guides around the camp area, which has a wealth of insects and smaller wildlife. A chest of games is available and staff will often play football with children. Children are also welcome in the kitchen to make cookies.
Generally recommended for children: Yes
Notes: Oliver's Camp is a small friendly camp that is welcoming to older children, though parents should be aware that this is a bush camp and that it is not fenced (as is the case with all camps in TANAPA-controlled areas). Parents should keep a close eye on their children, who are their responsibility at all times. Under-12s are not allowed to walk around camp unaccompanied because of the high chance of encountering wildlife.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Oliver's Camp

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Oliver's Camp have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.

Buffalo

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Lion

93% success

Wildebeest

93% success

Hippo

85% success

Leopard

80% success

Eland

73% success

Cheetah

54% success

Spotted Hyena

54% success

Aardvark

0% success

Oryx

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Striped Hyena

0% success

Wild dog

0% success

Communications

Power supply notes: There is a backup generator, but it is rarely needed as even in cloudy conditions their solar system generates enough power. Individual solar water heaters provide hot water for each tent.
Communications: Wifi is available in the guest tents, but not the communal area. This was a considered decision by the camp, and the lounge is intended to be a sociable spot where guests can meet and socialise without distractions. There is usually some patchy cellphone reception in the camp, though Oliver's requests that guests do not use their phones in the communal areas.
TV & radio: There is no guest TV, but the staff TV is always open to guests for major sporting events and the like.
Water supply: Borehole
Water supply notes: There is a plentiful supply of water from the camp borehole, which is purified using reverse osmosis and desalination. It is frequently tested for purity.

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: Yes
Medical care: The managers and guides at Oliver's Camp are all first aid trained, and the camp has links to the flying doctor service. The FAME clinic at Karatu is a 3-hour drive away.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: Askaris (guards) escort you around at night, as animals do wander through the camp, including four local leopards. There are radios in the tents.
Fire safety: There is a firebreak around the camp and all tents have fire extinguishers.

Activities

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

Extras

Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: Laundry at Oliver's Camp is included – but it is hand washed so no underwear is accepted. Soap is provided in the bathrooms for this.
Money: There are simple-to-operate, large, digital safes in the guest tents. The camp has no formal currency exchange.
Accepted payment on location: Oliver's Camp will accept payments in cash, as well as Visa and MasterCard, although there is a 5% charge for these cards. They do not accept Amex.