HOTELS AND LODGES

While you’re on safari in Tanzania you can enjoy various types of accommodation from five star hotels in cities to rustic tented camps in the bush. Your own personal style, budget and preference will determine the type of lodging you choose. Working with our qualified safari consultants you’ll create an itinerary that will be unique to your experience. Many of the larger tour operators have agreements with the “chain” lodges and limit their guests to stays at these large “hotels in the bush”. We prefer to look further a-field and utilize smaller, owner owned and managed lodges and camps for a more personalized safari. Below is a brief description of the kinds of accommodation available to visitors to Tanzania and East Africa.

HOTEL

You’ll find standard hotels, such as are found anywhere in the world, in the larger cities and towns including Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Arusha. In all of these places there is a good selection and price range to suit all budgets.

Some examples of hotels in East Africa are:

The Arusha Hotel  (Arusha)
Kibo Palace Hotel (Arusha)
Kempinski Hotel (Dar es Salaam)
Holiday Inn (Dar es Salaam)
Nairobi Serena Hotel (Nairobi)
Heron Hotel (Nairobi)

LODGE

A lodge is usually more charming and personable than a hotel and tends to be located out of the central urban areas. If a lodge is located in the “bush”, a national park or wilderness area there may not be full time electricity, telephones in the room or room service but there could be a swimming pool and gift shop. Lodges located in wildlife areas often have viewing platforms or watering holes from where wildlife can be enjoyed and observed and often there is a welcoming campfire at night. They can range in size from just a few rooms to over 40. The smaller lodges are understandably more intimate and the service is usually much more personable. Some of the larger lodges have evening entertainment such as local jugglers and dancers. There is a wide price range within this category of accommodation.

Some examples of lodges in Tanzania are:

Moivaro Coffee Lodge (near Arusha)
Karama Lodge (Arusha)
Arusha Coffee Lodge (Arusha)
Manyara Serena Lodge (Lake Manyara)
Gibb’s Farm (Karatu)
Bougainvillea Safari Lodge (Karatu)
The Plantation Lodge (Karatu)
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Ngorongoro)
Ndutu Safari Lodge (Southern Serengeti)
Serengeti Serena Lodge (Serengeti)
Klein’s Camp (Serengeti)

PERMANENT TENTED CAMP

A permanent tented camp is basically a lodge wherein the walls and ceiling of the individual rooms are made out of canvas. These large tents are built on permanent platforms constructed of wood or other building materials and are often quite luxurious. The tents in fact may have doors rather than flaps but they still retain the special feeling of sleeping “under canvas”. The common areas such as reception, bar, lounge and dining are normally of a more permanent fabrication and there is often a pool, gift shop etc. This type of accommodation is a good option for those who are not quite up for true bush camping but would like a tented experience.

Some examples of permanent tented camps in Tanzania are:

Tarangire Safari Lodge (Tarangire)
Kirarumu Camp (Lake Manyara)
Ngorongoro Forest Tented Lodge (Karatu)
Kirarwira Camp (Serengeti)
Migration Camp (Serengeti)
Ndarakwai (West Kilimanjaro)
Selous Impala Camp (Selous)
Mwagusi Safari Lodge (Ruaha)

SEMI-PERMANENT TENTED CAMP

These camps are closely related to the true mobile camps which we’ve outlined in our page Camping on Safari. (put a link here?) The difference is that camp is set up either year round or seasonally – often taking advantage of the migratory routes according to the seasons. The tents are most often the large walk in variety and many feature flush toilets if not running water and more amenities than are possible in a true mobile. The tents are often wired for electricity, which is provided by a generator, but they still retain the feel and authenticity of a classic safari camp.

Some examples of semi-permanent tented camps in Tanzania are:

Whistling Thorn Camp (Tarangire)
Serengeti Tented Camp (Serengeti)

BEACH RESORTS

Along the stunningly beautiful coast of Tanzania and on the exotic islands of Zanzibar and Mafia are situated hotels, resorts, lodges and bungalows too numerous to mention. From a simple “tree house” with no electricity to the most luxurious of international spas, there is an accommodation to suit your mood and budget. Tell us your dream beach holiday and we’ll help you to attain it.