This week, the Tarangire property received recognition as Best Luxury Tented Camp of 2025 from the Global Hospitality and Luxury Awards. An award like this reflects a chain of principles, design decisions, operating systems and daily habits that compound over many months. Here are the five core elements behind it.
1. Design Fitting the Landscape
The camp employs boho-inspired styling using natural materials that reflect Tarangire's character — ancient baobabs, warm colours, and expansive views. Design features include elevated teak platforms, canvas structures with large window doors, warm earth tones, locally sourced materials, and unobstructed river valley views. The goal was creating a camp that feels like it naturally belongs, rather than one that dominates the environment.
2. Local Sourcing as Core Principle
All materials and craftsmanship originate within Tanzania — teak furniture from Arusha workshops, décor from local artisans. This approach ensures authenticity, strengthens regional supply chains, and manages delivery risks. Buying locally is not a compromise; it is a strategic and moral commitment.
3. Employment Rooted in Tanzania
The operation employs a completely Tanzanian team across all roles, blending experienced hospitality staff with an internship programme developing local youth into permanent positions, including community members from surrounding areas. The ripple effect of employment — a guide who builds a career, a family that stays — is one of the things we are most proud of.
4. Investment in Operational Excellence
The camp maintains consistency through standard operating procedures, regular meetings, training materials, and audits covering housekeeping, kitchen, bar, safety, and inventory. Digital systems manage operations predictably. Excellence is not a moment — it is a daily habit.
5. Service Choreography and Kitchen Excellence
The team organises the complete guest experience with clear, calm flow. The kitchen prepares consistently excellent food using local ingredients with careful attention to quality. Every meal, every service interaction, is part of a choreography that guests feel even when they cannot name it.