Lodges and hotels we book regularly, with the caveats we would mention on the phone.
We are not a hotel group and we do not own any of these. They are properties we book into often enough to know what they are actually like — including the things a brochure leaves out. If none of them suit you, say so and we will find something that does.
Prices are a rough starting point per room per night in low season, to help you place a property. They are not a quote — rates move with the season and we book at contract rates.
Central Serengeti
Built above a waterhole that elephants use through the afternoon, so there is game to watch from the pool without leaving the property. Three restaurants, a spa and air conditioning throughout — the most comfortable base in the central Serengeti by a distance.
Worth knowing: It is a large lodge rather than an intimate camp, and the central Serengeti is the busiest part of the park. If you came for solitude, we would put you somewhere else.
Western Corridor, Serengeti
Set on a ridge in the Western Corridor near the Mbalageti river, with a pool that runs out toward the plain and a spa. Handsome, quiet, and a long way from the vehicle traffic around Seronera.
Worth knowing: The Western Corridor is remote — a long drive from the central park. It is at its best in June and July when the herds pass through; outside those months the game is thinner.
Karatu, Ngorongoro highlands
A working coffee farm at 1,550 metres with twenty cottages in landscaped gardens, log fires, and food largely grown on the property. It feels like an English country house that happens to be in the Rift Valley, and it is the best night's sleep on the northern circuit.
Worth knowing: Not inside a park, so there is no wildlife from your veranda. About an hour to the crater rim and forty-five minutes to Lake Manyara — which is the trade for the comfort.
Stone Town, Zanzibar
On the seafront in the middle of Stone Town, in a restored building with an outdoor pool and a spa. You can walk out of the door into the old town, which is the whole argument for staying here.
Worth knowing: A town hotel, not a beach resort. The good beaches are a drive away. Best used for two nights at the start or end rather than a week.
Nungwi, Zanzibar
On the north-east tip of the island with forest behind it and the ocean in front, a large pool, a spa and direct beach access. Big enough to have everything and quiet enough not to feel like a resort strip.
Worth knowing: The pier restaurant is the reason to book here and it is worth reserving before you arrive.
Nungwi, Zanzibar
A few steps from Nungwi beach, with a pool, a garden and room service. Smaller and calmer than the big resorts along the same stretch of coast.
Worth knowing: Nungwi is the busiest beach on the island — lively in the evening, which some people want and some do not. The upside is that the tide barely goes out here.
Kiwengwa, Zanzibar
A large beachfront resort on the north-east coast at Kiwengwa, geared to people who want everything on site — pools, restaurants, activities — rather than to go looking for it.
Worth knowing: Kiwengwa has a big tidal range. At low tide the sea retreats several hundred metres, which surprises people who booked the photograph. Mornings are the time to swim.
Nungwi, Zanzibar
Villas and suites with an outdoor pool, a fitness centre and gardens, a short walk from the north-west beaches. The villas make it a sensible choice for a family or two couples travelling together.
Worth knowing: Set back from the beach rather than directly on it, which is why it costs less than its neighbours.
Harbourfront, Dar es Salaam
On the harbour, seven hundred metres from the Zanzibar ferry terminal, with a rooftop pool and the best hotel restaurants in the city. The obvious choice for a night either side of a flight or a ferry.
Worth knowing: The harbour view is the point; there is no beach. If you want sand, the Msasani peninsula is twenty minutes north.
City centre, Dar es Salaam
A garden hotel in the middle of the business district with 230 rooms, close to the markets and the National Museum. Calmer inside than the street outside would suggest.
Worth knowing: Very much a business hotel on weekdays. Quieter and better value at weekends.
Central business district, Dar es Salaam
A tower in the central business district with ocean views, a pool and a kids' club, close to the Zanzibar ferry. The most practical family option in the city centre.
Worth knowing: Ask for an ocean-facing room. The city-facing side is a considerably less interesting view for the same money.
Msasani Peninsula, Dar es Salaam
On the cliff at the end of the Msasani peninsula, with a pool, two restaurants and the sea below. Greener and quieter than the city centre, and the sunset terrace is the nicest place in Dar for a drink.
Worth knowing: Five kilometres from the centre and further from the ferry — allow real time for traffic if you have a morning boat to catch.
Arusha
The most comfortable hotel in Arusha, with Mount Meru filling the view, a rooftop restaurant, an infinity pool and a spa. Eight kilometres from Arusha airport, which matters on the morning you fly into the Serengeti.
Worth knowing: About fifty kilometres from Kilimanjaro International, so allow an hour for the transfer after a long-haul flight.
Arusha
Private cottages on a working coffee plantation on the edge of town, with fireplaces and very good food. The nicest first or last night on the northern circuit, and a gentle place to arrive jet-lagged.
Worth knowing: It is a plantation rather than a park — birds and monkeys, no big game. Book a plantation cottage rather than a standard room if you can.
Arusha
A large four-star near the centre of Arusha with gardens and a pool, forty-five kilometres from Kilimanjaro International. Straightforward, well run, and considerably cheaper than the five-stars.
Worth knowing: Conference traffic can make it busy midweek. Fine for a night before a climb or a safari; not somewhere to spend a holiday.
Say what matters to you — a pool, a short transfer, somewhere the children can run around — and we will match it rather than sell you the most expensive room.
Ask Us