Lamala Mpingo Ridge Tented Lodge
Lemala Mpingo Ridge in Tarangire National Park sits on top of an escarpment with sweeping views. Tarangire is famous for its large herds of elephants, vast assortment of animals and birds and giant baobab trees (a personal favorite - and the only spot where they were plentiful on our trip).
Each of the 15 spacious tented suites have been carefully positioned to maximize not only the sensational views over Tarangire but to also take advantage of cooling breezes during hot weather. They feature en-suite bathrooms, private decks, sunken outside lounges that convert to afternoon siesta beds. A special feature is the private outside bathtub—perfect for soothing the soul and washing away the African dust after a day on safari. I preferred the tub in the bathroom (yes, each room has 2 tubs) as it was well past dark when I gave in to self-care. Our first day of safari and we were oozing excitement and wonderment.
The elevated main lodge has a large lounge and bar, indoor and outdoor dining areas, a spa and swimming pool. Sundowners, early morning walks and game drives accompanied by Lemala’s highly-knowledgeable and experienced guides. We were met with an enormous spread of food (for the two of us), a delightful staff that sang us into the lodge and sang us goodbye (I prefer “so long”). The highlights of this trip included some up close interactions with members of the Massai tribe, a “feisty” elephant that hugged the road and great conversation with the CEO of Lamala. Our great guide, Stephen, met us at the airport and as we fiddled with our backpacks - he drove us to the feet of my very first animal seen on safari = a majestic male lion. We had no idea we were “safari-ing” seconds after leaving the airport runway and I was distinctly “NOT READY” to see, let alone photograph a male lion that sat 8 feet away. In the video, I am almost hear my heartbeat. The first 7 photos are nothing but blurry hair as I was likely shaking and freaking out in general. Male lions display (over and over) their title of “king” (it must be written on their birth certificates) - and he was no exception. This guy was unusual in that we caught him sitting up and looking around (while he was 8 feet away) which I don’t believe we saw again.
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