Dinner under the stars with Elephants

After a travel day that started before sunrise and a wildlife parade on the drive in, we reached Swala Camp in Tarangire and sat down to a surreal white‑tablecloth dinner under the moon and stars, elephants gathering in the dark near the waterhole.

In this episode, we wrap up the luggage saga in Nairobi, tour our suite at Kwetu Nairobi, and fly from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro Airport to begin our Tanzania safari with Asilia Africa and Go2Africa. From there, we meet our guide and spend three hours on the road toward Tarangire National Park before an afternoon game drive that delivers wildlife in numbers that made us wonder if there would be anything left to see tomorrow.

We arrive at Swala Camp, get our first look at what “tent” means in this part of the world, and end the day with one of the most surreal experiences I may ever have — a mix of white linen and the wild, where the staff outnumbered the guests and the animals outnumbered the staff. A sufuria buffet prepared with real skill, warm and attentive service, and elephants moving in and out of the dark at the waterhole made this the perfect start to our safari in Tarangire.