First Look: Auberge Safari Debuts in Tanzania

The Auberge Collection is known for its luxury hotels and resorts around the world, including Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Mauna Lani on Hawaii Island, Collegio alla Querce in Florence, Italy and Grace Hotel in Santorini, Greece—among many others.

In May 2026, the collection expanded for the first time into Africa with Auberge Safari. The new portfolio brings together nine lodges and tented camps throughout Tanzania under the Auberge Safari brand, uniting the Legendary Expeditions and Chem Chem Safari portfolios—to connect properties near Arusha, Lake Manyara and Tarangire with camps in the southern, western and northern Serengeti.

Get a first look at the new Auberge Safari circuit below—and find out why it should be at the top of your travel wish list.

The collection covers a considerable amount of ground and its properties place travelers near several stages of the Great Migration, from calving on the southern plains to crossings of the Mara River in the north. Two protected wildlife areas provide access beyond the national parks, while Legendary Lodge, set on a coffee estate outside Arusha, gives guests a comfortable place to begin or end a trip. Auberge's team partners with Indagare to arrange the entire journey, including the camps, internal flights, transfers, guides and activities.

Instead of introducing a single lodge, Auberge Safari has assembled a circuit that can follow the changing landscape and wildlife of northern Tanzania. The properties retain their individual identities, but they share an emphasis on privacy and flexibility. A major benefit: a private guide and vehicle are included with each booking, allowing guests to decide when to set out, how long to remain at a sighting or even when to abandon the day's plan altogether for something else.

Rooted in the "Slow Safari" philosophy pioneered at Chem Chem, Auberge Safari invites guests to slow down, notice more and reconnect—with nature, with one another and with themselves. "Where the Wild Restores" expresses that promise, while private guiding and flexible days give guests the freedom to experience it in their own way.

This means not having to hurry through breakfast because a shared vehicle leaves at a certain time. It means staying with a pride of lions rather than moving on to accommodate someone else's checklist, or returning to camp for an afternoon by the pool without feeling that every hour has to be programmed. The distinction lies in having enough privacy and control to truly pay attention to a place, rather than racing between sightings. Depending on the property, guests might join a walking safari, spend time with Hadzabe hunter-gatherers or visit members of the local Datoga, Barabaig or Maasai communities—or days can include flights by helicopter or hot-air balloon in addition to traditional game drives. Meals, similarly, do not follow a rigid dining-room schedule and can move into the bush or around a campfire. Spa treatments, private sundowners and time at the lodge are also fully integrated as part of the trip rather than being moments wedged-in between excursions.

For most travelers, the circuit will begin at Legendary Lodge, on a century-old working coffee estate outside Arusha. Its 12 cottages stand among lush gardens, with Mount Meru visible in the distance. The lodge has a swimming pool, spa and restaurant, making it particularly welcoming after an international flight or before the lengthy journey home. Here, guests can tour the coffee estate, visit nearby markets or spend the day in the garden before flying to the bush. It is also a prime place to acclimatize and recover for a Mount Kilimanjaro expedition. Placing the lodge within the same collection also gives Auberge Safari a natural entry and exit point for itineraries that combine several of its more remote properties.

The three Chem Chem properties occupy different settings within the Burunge Wildlife Management Area, a community-managed conservation zone between Tarangire and Lake Manyara national parks. The landscape forms part of an important corridor used by animals moving between the two. It's also known for attracting the exceptionally rare Big Tusker elephants.

Chem Chem Lodge sits near Lake Manyara amid palms and open grassland. Its seven tented suites and family unit have private outdoor spaces, while the main lodge contains a pool and spa. The lodge works well for travelers who want the atmosphere of a small safari camp without giving up the amenities of a resort.

Days here might include wildlife drives, guided walks and sundowners overlooking the shores of Lake Manyara and the Rift Valley escarpment. Guests can also visit neighboring communities or spend time with members of the lodge's conservation team. Because activities take place within the wildlife management area as well as in nearby national parks, travelers are not confined to the schedules and routes of a conventional park visit.

Farther into the savannah, Little Chem Chem has five tented rooms and a family suite. The camp draws travelers who want to spend more of the day outside, tracking animals or simply taking in the incredible beauty across the plains. Elephants and buffalo wander through the surrounding area, and tree-climbing lions are occasionally seen here. The tents have outdoor showers and decks facing the landscape, preserving the character of a traditional canvas camp without sacrificing comfort.

The smallest option here is Forest Chem Chem, an exclusive-use camp beneath a canopy of acacia and baobab trees. Three tented rooms and a family unit accommodate one group at a time. With no other guests to consider, meals, drives and downtime can be organized entirely around the party. It is the strongest fit among the three for a multigenerational family or group of friends who value privacy more than a social atmosphere.

South of Serengeti National Park, the Greater Mwiba Protected Wildlife Area encompasses plains, woodland, rocky hills and the Arugusinyai River gorge. Auberge Safari has two properties here, each suited to a different landscape and time of year.

Mwiba Lodge occupies a granite outcrop above the river gorge. Its 10 tented suites have private decks, and the main lodge incorporates an infinity pool, spa, gym and library into the rocks. The setting feels more permanent and architectural than the collection's intimate tented camps, making it a good choice for travelers who want both close access to the bush and substantial amenities.

The area also creates opportunities for cultural encounters that go beyond a village visit. Excursions may include walking and foraging with Hadzabe hunter-gatherers and meeting Datoga craftspeople and pastoralists. These experiences are most meaningful when approached as conversations, with time to learn how the communities have adapted to the region's environment.

Mwiba Plains, formerly Songa South, opening in December 2026, sits on the short-grass plains near the southern edge of the Serengeti, where vast herds gather during the Great Migration's calving season. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest are born here over a matter of weeks, drawing lions, cheetahs and hyenas into the surrounding grassland.

The two Mwiba properties therefore complement each other rather than duplicate the experience. The lodge provides a year-round base amid woodland and granite formations, while the plains camp places guests close to the seasonal concentration of migrating herds.

Three explorer-style camps extend Auberge Safari's reach into the Serengeti itself. Their canvas construction and small scale evoke an earlier era of safari, and the appeal is all about the location. Each camp places guests near a different stage of the migration while avoiding the feeling of a large permanent lodge.

In the western Serengeti, Mila stands in the remote Nyasirori region, an area known for its resident lion prides as well as the migrating herds. Game drives cross open plains and follow the region's rivers, while walking safaris reveal the tracks, plants and smaller species that are easily missed from a vehicle. A hot-air balloon flight can be arranged for a broader view of the landscape.

The collection's northern camps focus on the period when the migration reaches the Mara River. Songa, in the rolling hills of Kogatende, is well positioned for reaching several established crossing areas. Predicting when a herd will enter the water remains impossible, which is why a private vehicle matters. Guests can wait at the river with their guide rather than leave because of a set group schedule.

Across the river in the Lamai Wedge, Nyasi has a more secluded setting away from some of the northern Serengeti's busiest routes. The camp makes a strong counterpart to Songa for travelers who want access to the migration but place a higher priority on privacy. Outside the main crossing period, the northern Serengeti remains rich in resident wildlife, including lion, leopard, elephant and plains game.

The migration should be understood as a continual movement shaped by rainfall and grazing, rather than a single annual event confined to one destination. Auberge Safari's geographic range allows an itinerary to focus on the portion of that cycle most likely to be active during a guest's travel dates, whether it's the calving in the south, the rut farther west or the perilous river crossing in the north.

A portion of each Auberge Safari journey supports two independent organizations working in the areas surrounding the properties. The Friedkin Conservation Fund helps protect the Greater Mwiba Protected Wildlife Area. The Chem Chem Association works in and around the Burunge Wildlife Management Area, supporting habitat protection, anti-poaching programs, education and community livelihoods.

This connection is especially important outside Tanzania's national parks. Wildlife doesn't recognize park boundaries, and species such as elephants and wildebeest depend on access to larger corridors as they move in search of water and grazing. Conservation in these areas requires the participation of nearby communities as well as protection of the land itself.

For travelers, the result is readily visible, with more room, fewer vehicles and access to landscapes that feel distinct from the better-known sections of the northern circuit. For Auberge Safari, it also creates a responsibility to ensure that tourism contributes to keeping those landscapes intact.

A single itinerary doesn't need to include all nine properties. For a first safari, an Indagare trip designer might pair a few nights near Tarangire with one camp positioned for the migration, using Legendary Lodge on arrival or departure. Returning travelers could concentrate on the exclusive-use Greater Mwiba Protected Wildlife Area, combine walking and cultural experiences with a stay in the Serengeti or reserve Forest Chem Chem for an extended-family trip.

What ties the choices together isn't a particular design scheme or schedule of activities. It's the ability to travel across Tanzania with one team, while preserving the character of each place—and having enough freedom to let an unexpected sighting, a deep conversation or a long lunch change the course of the day, and even the trip.

This article was created in partnership with Auberge Safari.