Hatari Lodge
Location - On the edge of Arusha NP at foot of Mt Meru with great views of Kilimanjaro
Experience - Varied Mount Meru experience with walking, canoeing as well as gamedrives
Price Guide - $395 - 445 pppn
Hatari Lodge is definitely the best bet for Arusha National Park itself, set at the foot of Mount Meru in beautiful grounds with a stunning view of Kilimanjaro, if the giraffes would only move out of the way. Read more?
The name obviously comes from the 1960's film ''Hatari'', some of which was filmed in the area and one of whose leading stars (Hardy Kruger) made this area his home. The original, and rather ugly, Momella Lodge is out front, but it's easy to pretend it's not there and doesn't impinge in any way. The whole place went down hill when things got rocky in the 60's and 70's but was then resurrected as Oldonyo Oroc (known to locals as Steffi's Place') until 2004 when Jorg & Marlies Gabriel made it their life's work to renovate the hotel from top to bottom and rebranded the place as ''Hatari Lodge''. Although they've pulled back from everyday management, they very much steer things from the background and the chances are you'll meet them during your stay.
They've been quite tenacious with the modern retro, 60's movie theme which permeates every aspect of the place in a refreshingly individual & pretty outrageous way. You can feel the passion that underpins Hatari - great attention to detail and total commitment both to the lodge and to the park in which it thrives, alongside delicious food, good staff and reliable service.
You have to know what you're doing to get the very best out of this area and the most rewarding time is likely to be had from walking safaris, either on the lower slopes of Mount Meru or in and around Ngurdoto Crater, alternatively there is the chance for some gentle canoeing on the lakes as well as for game drives which, whilst exciting for safari newcomers, struggle toi match the excitement of other areas of northern Tanzania.
Both the area and the lodge work best at the start of a safari and, given recent improvements with the park tracks, it's now easily reached from Kilimanjaro airport, making an evening arrival (from the KLM flight) not only possible but a particularly fun & exciting 'first night in Africa' experience.
In fact, view the whole thing as a gentle warm up act before you hit the northern mega parks by giving it 2, even 3 nights at the start of any trip. We wouldn't recommend it for one night, nor would they, instead look at somewhere like Rivertrees Lodge for that.
Location - Arusha
Arusha is the safari capital of Northern Tanzania. The most remarkable thing about it these days is probably the amount of traffic that manages to jam its streets daily. However, it is set in the perfect position for accessing all the major parks in Northern Tanzania, whether by road or by scheduled flight from Arusha Airport. By contrast with the town, Arusha National Park on the eastern side of Mt Meru is a gem and well worth visiting. Jump to page?
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