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Auberge Safari

Travel Professionals FAQ | Auberge Safari

Trade Partner FAQ

Your questions answered regarding the new brand identity for Legendary Expeditions and Chem Chem Safari.

Legendary Expeditions and Chem Chem Safari — now brought together under the Auberge Safari brand. Everything you have come to rely on remains in place. What is new is a unified identity and broader reach.

The Auberge Safari Brand

  • Why have Legendary Expeditions and Chem Chem Safari linked up with Auberge Collection?
    For Legendary Expeditions, the connection is a natural one: both Auberge Collection and Legendary Expeditions are owned by the Friedkin family, making this a strong internal brand integration rather than an external partnership. Both organisations share the same founding conviction — that the most extraordinary experiences are defined by a deep connection to place.For Chem Chem Safari, the decision was driven by the opportunity to introduce the Slow Safari philosophy to a wider international audience of travellers who are ready to find it, while preserving everything that makes Chem Chem distinctive.For our trade partners, the practical outcome is a more cohesive and commercially powerful offering across nine properties in some of Tanzania’s most iconic wilderness areas.
  • Is this a sale or an acquisition? Have the properties changed ownership?
    This is neither a sale nor an acquisition. Legendary Expeditions remains under the ownership of the Friedkin family. Chem Chem Safari remains under the private ownership of Fabia Bausch and Nicolas Negre. The partnership with Auberge Collection is a brand and commercial alignment — it is not a change of ownership.
  • What is Auberge Safari?
    Auberge Safari is the new brand identity under which Legendary Expeditions and Chem Chem Safari are now presented to the world. Together, we unite nine exceptional properties across Tanzania’s diverse ecosystems—spanning the Serengeti and Mwiba Reserve to the Manyara landscape and Burunge Wildlife Management Area—under the single, cohesive brand of Auberge Safari.
  • What is the relationship between Auberge Safari and Auberge Collection?
    Auberge Collection is a globally recognised hospitality management company, also owned by the Friedkin family, with a portfolio of extraordinary hotels, resorts, and private clubs worldwide. Auberge Safari sits within the Auberge Collection portfolio. Auberge Safari focuses exclusively on the sales, reservations, and marketing of our nine Tanzania properties.Auberge Collection does not manage the day-to-day operations of the camps and lodges. The teams, the ethos, and the experience you and your clients know, continue as they always have, unchanged.

Operations & Experience

  • Will the guest experience change?
    Our entire operation in the camps and lodges — the guiding, the hospitality, the conservation immersion, the spirit of Slow Safari and True Wild Free — remains entirely unchanged. The same dedicated teams who run the operations continue to do so.
  • Will the teams change?
    All camp and lodge teams remain in place under the same leadership. Whether it is our trusted camp managers, expert guides, or reservations and sales teams, the people you’ve  worked with remain fully engaged and at your continued service.
  • Does Legendary Expeditions continue to operate as a DMC as well?
    Legendary Expeditions continues to function as a boutique destination management company, providing ground services and safari expertise to our international trade partners. This function is entirely unaffected by the Auberge Safari partnership.
  • What happens to the conservation and community programmes?
    As the heartbeat of our business, all our community and conservation programmes continue exactly as before.The Friedkin Conservation Fund and Chem Chem Association both continue with their community and conservation work, operating independently, and wholly unaffected by this partnership.Conservation and community are not peripheral — they are the reason our businesses exist, and they remain central to the Auberge Safari story. Your clients can remain confident that their stay is grounded in the long-term, genuine commitment to the land, wildlife, and people of Tanzania.

Property Names & Portfolio

  • Is there anything new in the portfolio we should know about?
    Songa Migrational Camp South will be renamed Mwiba Plains and developed into a permanent, year-round camp, scheduled to reopen in December 2026.This permanent tented camp in the Greater Mwiba Protected Wildlife Area will provide greater flexibility for year-round itinerary planning in this area. Further details will be shared with trade partners as the opening approaches.Mila, Nyasi, and Songa (North) are undergoing refurbs and soft upgrades in 2026 – more information will be shared in due course.
  • Have any property names changed?
    Some camp names have been refined as part of the new brand identity. Please use the names listed in the table below in all booking references, client communications, and itineraries from 4th May 2026 onwards.The most significant change to note: Songa Migrational Camp South has been renamed Mwiba Plains and is being developed into a permanent year-round camp.
    Legendary Lodge
    Region: Arusha
    Operator: Legendary Expeditions    Mila
    Region: Western Serengeti
    Operator: Legendary Expeditions    Nyasi
    Region: Northern Serengeti
    Operator: Legendary Expeditions    Songa
    Region: Northern Serengeti
    Operator: Legendary Expeditions    Mwiba Lodge
    Region: Greater Mwiba Protected Wildlife Area
    Operator: Legendary Expeditions    Mwiba Plains (re-opening Dec 2026)
    Region: Greater Mwiba Protected Wildlife Area
    Operator: Legendary Expeditions    Chem Chem Lodge
    Region: Lake Manyara area
    Operator: Chem Chem Safari    Little Chem Chem
    Region: Burunge WMA (Tarangire area)
    Operator: Chem Chem Safari    Forest Chem Chem
    Region: Burunge WMA (Tarangire area)
    Operator: Chem Chem Safari

Bookings & Commercial

  • Does anything change in how I make bookings?
    There is no change in your current setup with our reservation team – it is business as usual. Your same sales managers, your same reservation team, and the same processes in how you make your bookings with us.
  • Do rates, commission structures, or trade agreements change?
    There is no change in your rates and commission structure, nor in our existing trade agreements.
  • Who is my contact at Auberge Safari going forward?
    Your current Legendary Expeditions and Chem Chem contact remains your Auberge Safari contact – nothing changes in how you contact us going forward. There may be some updates to email addresses, but nothing more.
  • Will I receive updated marketing and sales materials?
    Updated materials reflecting the Auberge Safari brand will be distributed to trade partners as of the 4th of May 2026, moving forward. These will include property fact sheets and any materials needed to present the portfolio accurately to your clients.

The Auberge Safari Portfolio at a Glance

  • How does the Chem Chem Safari offering integrate with the Legendary Expeditions circuit?
    Chem Chem arguably offers some of the most exceptional elephant viewing in Tanzania, and together with its Slow Safari philosophy, when paired with Legendary Expeditions’ True Wild Free ethos and access to every stage of the Great Migration, we deliver powerful multi-camp itineraries for trade partners seeking to offer clients the ultimate, diverse, and fully rounded Tanzania safari experience.

Communications & Timeline

  • When does the new brand officially launch?
    The launch of Auberge Safari is on 4th May 2026. Trade communications and materials will be distributed post this date.
  • Will email addresses or contact details change?
    Some email addresses will change in due course, and you will be advised of any new contact details after we launch the new brand. Kindly continue using existing contacts.
  • How should I refer to the brand and properties when speaking to clients?
    The portfolio should be referred to as Auberge Safari. Individual properties can be referenced by name, with the regional grouping where helpful — for example, ‘Mwiba Lodge’, ‘Greater Mwiba Protected Wildlife Area’ or ‘Mila, Western Serengeti’.Sales materials will give you clear guidance on this.
  • Who should I contact if I have additional questions?
    Kindly contact Auberge Safari Global Sales Director – [email protected]

We are bringing Africa to Auberge—this collaboration is rooted in sharing our story and experiences with a wider global audience.

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