Accommadtion in general and other Tanzania Hotel/Accommodation Reviews

Decide your budget and work out from that. There are many different styles of accommodation available in the parks, and there is likely to be one to suit your budget.

If you want to keep the price down, you can go for camping, as we did. You need to check with the safari company exactly what they provide, and the quality of the tent is important. Calabash provided us with decent size tents which we could stand up in, and which were wide enough to house two mattresses side by side (also provided by Calabash, as were blankets) and with room for our bags in the middle. This is really important to me, as I suffer from claustrophobia and feel very uncomfortable when cramped into a small tent with two people and luggage. I also like the fact that I can stand up inside the tent – makes getting dressed so much easier, especially when putting on my sandals for nipping to the toilet in the middle of the night.

Unique Qualities: The tents were erected for us by the staff in the camp sites, and again taken down afterwards. I really didn’t expect this sort of service, but apparently it is what happens in the private camp sites. There are many camp sites to choose from, from the busy, lively places with bars and music and lots of young people on overlander trips, to quiet, rustic sites, such as the Kiboko Bush Camp near Lake Manyara National Park, where we were the only guests. The sites may or may not have showers and the toilets may be squat types. If you have a preference, make sure you specify that when booking the safari.

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Prices: US$20-40  » Currency Converter

If you choose the lodge option, there are various price ranges to pick from. Size is important to me, as I don’t like big places with too many people. It may also be important to you to be in a good position inside the parks or at least near to the park gates, so that you don’t spend half the morning driving before seeing the first animal. We spent one night in a lodge on this trip, in Ngorongoro, as the good people in Calabash suggested it would be too cold to spend the night in a tent. Wise move. When we came out of the comfort of the room the next morning, we realised just how cold it was during the night. Of course, there are many other subtle variations to the theme, such as floating lodges, lodges on stilt, tree houses, working farms etc. I suggest you make a list of what is important to you if you want to choose a lodge based safari:

Size of lodge – to me the number of guests matters enormously, as I don’t really like large hotels. That was one of the things I disliked about Ngorongoro Crater Lodge – the sheer size of it.

Architectural style: many lodges are built in the local style, such as an African Boma, or with local materials. This can greatly add to the atmosphere, and I really like these rustic style lodges. Some lodges are very modern in design and may not appeal to your preferences.

Unique Qualities: Location: how far is it to the park gates? Do you want to spend an hour or so driving to reach the gates to the national park before you can start your safari? Is it more important to you to be near a small town or village, so that you can go out at night for a drink rather than stay in the hotel? What are the grounds of the lodge like? Are there many steps to reach your room? This may very well be a consideration if you have difficulties walking.

Facilities within the room. Is a verandah overlooking the park important to you – somewhere to sit and enjoy a glass of duty-free before dinner? (this is something we like to do, as you can probably tell – we both like to have some space away from other people at the end of the day when we are away, and what better way of ensuring that than a private terrace.). Do you want a hair dryer in the room? Is a bath, rather than a shower, important to you? All the usual questions you would ask yourself when reserving a hotel apply to the lodges too.

What about the food? Some lodges have a much better culinary reputation than others, and you may want one that offers local cuisine, or a la carte rather than buffet (this is important to me).

Other facilities such as: tour desk (you may want to book additional trips such as a night safari, bird watching tour, walking safari or village visit during your free time in the middle of the day); money changing facilities; do they accept credit cards; is there a shop for those little never-to-be-repeated souvenirs or that must-send-to-aunty-Jane-to-make-her-jealous post card; wifi or internet café; room service; swimming pool for those lazy midday hours between game drives; do they arrange local dances or other evening entertainment; the list goes on and on. All these things add to the complete safari experience.

Is the lodge locally run or part of a larger chain? What is their approach to sustainability? These are questions you may very well want to ask before you book your accommodation.

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Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$80-120  » Currency Converter

Other options to consider include permanent tented camp, which is basically luxury camping – all the romance but without the discomfort. Camping for the discerning traveller. A large tent, sometimes under a large wooden roof and sometimes on a wooden platform, is furnished to the highest standard, often with an en suite bathroom. In one such camp we have previously stayed, a member of staff would come round in the evening with a hot water bottle to place in your bed while you were having dinner. The height of luxury eh? Permanently tented camps have proper beds and more room, but less flexibility of course. They are also often more expensive than lodges, I am not quite sure why.

If you want the whole safari experience in one go, why not choose a mixture of accommodation: camping, lodges and permanently tented camps for instance. I personally prefer a hotel/lodge the first and the last night, for many reasons, the main one being: With the current security measures in place at the airports, there are so many items that have to go in the checked in luggage. I like to be able to sort out my luggage in a hotel room rather than a tent by torch light before setting off on safari. The same goes for the last night before the flight home.

Unique Qualities: Be aware that many lodges and camp sites only offer hot water for certain hours of the day, and that electricity can be a little unreliable. Best to pack a torch and have it somewhere handy when you go to bed so that you don’t have to turn your bag inside out in the pitch dark to find it when you want to go to the loo in the night. Also remember to take the torch with you to dinner, as trying to find your room in the pitch black can be a nightmare. The African savannah gets VERY dark in the night when there are no lights around.

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