Accommodation in Tanzania, at a glance
It’s 6am. You’re handed a freshly brewed coffee. Orange streaks cover the sky towards the horizon as the sun climbs higher. You’ve got a full day of safari ahead of you.
Tanzania is one of Africa’s most popular safari destinations, and there is no shortage of exceptional accommodation here.
Picture a private veranda overlooking a verdant clearing. A private pool just a few hundred metres from a group of elephants. A whisky or wine around the campfire in middle of Africa’s wildest wilderness areas.
Three types of accommodation
- Luxury Lodges: Tanzania has an impressive number of five-star hotels, luxury beach resorts, city escapes, boutique guesthouses, and luxury safari camps and lodges.
- Private Islands: For a real treat after a safari adventure, head east to Pemba island or Mnemba island for a desert-island-lost-in-a-tropical-paradise experience, and a true barefoot luxury holiday.
- Tented Camps: In many of the national parks and conservation areas, you can find luxury and mid-range tented camps. These put you closer to nature, whilst retaining all the amenities and creature comforts you want on a safari.
Understand what's on offer
The Northern Circuit
The Northern Safari Circuit in Tanzania is the most popular route. The Northern Circuit includes Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara, Lake Natron, and the Serengeti National Park.
In each park, there are a number of small, luxury tented camps and lodges. There are also moving camps and fly camps that follow the route of the Great Migration, depending on the season.
There are some less expensive options in the parks, but Tanzania isn’t a cheap safari destination. The remote location of these lodges, combined with the harsh conditions and resources needed to keep the camps running, means prices are high across the board, and accommodation will almost always be the biggest component of your trip cost.
The Southern Circuit
The Southern Safari Circuit in Tanzania comprises Ruaha National Park and Selous Game Reserve. In both parks, there is a mix of luxury, mid-range, and budget options available.
The luxury lodges are not quite up to the same standard as those found in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro on the Northern Circuit, but they do more than enough to make for wonderful stays on your safari.
Many of the lodges and camps on offer here take the shape of eco-lodges, with many allowing animals to wander into the camp grounds!
Zanzibar
Zanzibar’s main island, Unguja, has plenty of accommodation options.
In the state’s capital, Stone Town, there are a number of characteristic boutique hotels and old spice ranches. If you are on a budget, there are hostels and cheaper options in the centre and further afield, too.
In the North of the island, near Nungwi, the hotel options range from simple boutique lodges to large, all-inclusive resorts. Meanwhile, in Jambiani on the East coast, most hotels are modest and rustic.
Kilimanjaro and Arusha
In Arusha, there are plenty of budget and mid-range options, perfect for that quick stopover before/after your Kilimanjaro hike.
For luxury accommodation, it is best to head outside of Arusha, where there are beautiful guesthouses and boutique hotels set amidst coffee farms.
On Kilimanjaro itself, your accommodation will be in huts or camps, depending on which route you choose.
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