Hi,

I'm currently planning a safari and had a quick question about where to stay in Lake Manyara. The accomodation listed is Kirurumu Luxury Tented Camp. Would you recommend staying there, or is Gibbs Farm a better choice? Thanks for your suggestions!

Two different experiences.

Kirirumu is a tented camp at Lake Manyara. Gibb's Farm are large cottages (more expensive than the former) and located in Karatu. Karatu - Manyara, 1/hr drive separates the two towns.

Which direction are you doing your safari? West (Arusha towards the Serengeti) or East? For how many nights? Where will you be the day before and after?

NattySilver,

I have stayed at Kirurumu and visited Gibbs farm for lunch.

I suspect that Kirurumu is closer to the main road that Gibbs - it seemed to take a long time to drive up there, although the gardens and accommodation looked great.

Kirurumu is also a bit of a drive drive off the main road (maybe 10-15 minutes), however, for access to and from the Serengeti, I think I'd opt for Kirurumu. The rooms were very comfortable, the view from the tents and terrace over Lake Manyara was wonderful and the food was very good. Kirurumu will also provide a tented camp experience for a reasonable price.

Cheers,

Pol.

I only know Kirurumu. We stayed there two years ago, for two nights.

Location; passing Manyara Lake, drive up the rift, then take a right at the sign advertising the camp. Then about 5-10 mins on a very bad road.
The restaurant & bar is right from the entrance, the tents are left.

Accomodation; I remember that the food was absolutely excellent (some of the best I ever had on safari), and that the you had a great view over Manyara Lake from the bar. The tents were great. As seen a lot, they're on a wooden platform, wooden terrace in front, a small bathroom with some brick walling in the back. Just perfect, apart perhaps for the lack of an outdoor shower.

Tip; the local Maasai can take you to the other side of the valley, with a view that is even more spectacular. On clear days, you can see Mount meru, Ol Donyo Lengai, etc.

Ciao,

J.

definately Kirurumu as is much closer to the park - or if you can afford it Lake Manyara tree lodge which is the only lodge in the park

It depends on what you are looking for. I haven't been to Kirurumu, so I can't compare, but I can tell you that Gibbs farm was wonderful, however we didn't use it as the basis for game drives. It was sort of a siesta in the middle of our safari.

My experience is limited, but Gibbs Farms had by far the best food I had anywhere in Africa. Fresh organic vegetables, homemade baked goods, the best lemon meringue pie I've had in 30 years, the best creamed spinach I ever had anywhere. But it sounds as if it is not the best choice if you want to optimize your game viewing.

Thank you so much for the great advice. We just booked our trip and did end up going with Kirurumu.

Best,
Natalie