85 Best Hotels in Tanzania

Emerging from the natural surroundings and indigenous vines of the western rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serena Safari Lodge is home to one of the most famous views this side of the Mara River. The large lodge, built from local river stone, spreads out to maximize your ability to sit back and gaze over mountain-ringed caldera. Walk to your room through tunnels of stones and enter a large space with wooden flooring, a desk adorned with a hurricane lantern, and small, but comfortably functional bathrooms. Because of the lodge's size and the fact that it caters to large groups, you might find it difficult to find a quiet resting place outside your bedroom. But when it comes to the views over the forest and the beautiful expanse of the Crater, you'd be hard-pressed to find better.

Light, delicate linens, fantastic dining, and touches of romantic Africa scattered all around the campsite make Olakira one of the finest mobile camps in the Serengeti. The location in the north (July–November) sits atop a hill right near a popular wildebeest crossing where you can watch the excitement with relative ease and return to the comfort of your lounge area. When in the south (December–March) it faces the grassy Ndutu plains. Each tent has a king-size bed, large shower area, and canvas chaise lounge on a private verandah. You will be immersed in the African plains without sacrificing any comforts.

Check ahead when booking. If the camp is full they may place you at Olakira Kimondo—lovely, and run by the same company, but does not have the stunning location like Olakira.

On the more remote Shaminiani Island, a short boat ride from a small village, a series of bandas are built facing out over a bay. The bandas are decorated with bright Kanga material, private balconies, and are elevated a few meters off the ground on stilts. In line with eco-building principles they make use of solar power, composting toilets, and natural airflow to cool down the rooms. The beach curves into a picturesque natural bay facing out toward the ocean where you can watch local fishermen sail by on the tides. Expect little to no cell-phone signals, making it a place to have a simple, rustic holiday away from everything and enjoying a real localized slice of island life.

There is a two-night minimum.

Formerly known as the Best Western Plus and renamed the Peninsula, this hotel is an excellent value with friendly staff and a decent on-site restaurant. Catering mostly to a business clientele, the rooms are incredibly spacious and modern with comfortable beds and good showers and air-conditioning. There is a decent business center and gym, and there are plenty of restaurants and bars in nearby Oyster Bay. An enormous nightclub is directly next door; make sure you close your windows on a Friday night.

With traditional Arabic wooden balconies, glass-stained windows, and a lush courtyard, this welcoming hotel is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Rooms, which all face inward toward a delightful courtyard that resembles an Arabian fairy-tale at night, have many of the amenities of a five-star hotel—air-conditioning, plush bedding, Wi-Fi, and traditional four-poster beds.  

This camp—the oldest in the reserve—has a great location on a wide bend on the Rufiji at the end of the eastern sector of the reserve. It has a homey and laid-back air about it, with caring and attentive staff and guides. Guests stay in comfortable, spacious en suite tents that are spread out along the river. Each tent has a private verandah, two large beds, and a sitting room. Depending on the length of your stay you can choose any or all of the activities on offer including game drives, walking safaris, boat safaris, and overnight fly-camping.

It's not often that you'll stay in a marquee-shaped tent elegantly furnished with silk curtains, antique furniture, stylish African artifacts, and a/c, but that's what you'll get at this ultra luxurious camp set among green lawns adjacent to the Great Migration route. The game-abundant terrain ranges from open plains and rocky outcrops to riverine forest and woodlands in this 350,000-acre Grumeti concession in Serengeti's western corridor. At night, glowing gas lamps transform the tents raised on polished wooden platforms into a bush fairyland, although the only winged creatures you'll see will be the night birds and the fluttering moths. For a soothing experience, have a spa treatment on your verandah as you gaze out at the never-ending plains. At night, enjoy the brilliance of the night sky before or after a superlative meal.

Deep in the southwest corner of Nyerere National Park, this lodge is just about as isolated and exclusive as you can get, but the attentive service and home-away-from-home atmosphere is unlike any other lodge in the park. Located just above a wide bend in the Rufiji River, the stone and thatch lodge and chalets are open to the surroundings, each with a incredibly comfortable king-size bed, elegant natural wooden furniture, cream and white soft furnishings, carefully chosen African artifacts, and great river views. In front of the main lodge, shaded by a 1,500-year-old baobab tree, there's a deck that curves along the riverbank, where you can sit and watch cavorting hippos and dozing crocs. Apart from its game drives and fun fishing safaris, the lodge prides itself on its walking safaris; you don't have to be super fit, but a ramble through the surrounding wilderness with some of Tanzania's best guides is something you'll never forget.

Located in the Grumeti Reserve, a 350,000-acre concession in Serengeti's western corridor, this superlative lodge is built in the style of a glamorous 1920s East African farm ranch. Guests stay in one of the honey-color stone suites, each elegantly furnished with hand-carved furniture and copies of antique animal prints lining the high walls. Private patios with soft, wicker lounge chairs and heated pools offer up perfect views for game spotting. There are game drives here—the game is as good as it gets as it is on the migration route—but there is also horseback riding, visits to anti-poaching stations, and fine china dining at its best.

Overlooking the Mara River in Serengeti's northwest, where the park borders Kenya's Masai Mara National Park, this mid-size tented camp is perfectly poised for watching the river crossing when in season—hundreds of thousands of wildebeest plunge into the crocodile-infested water on their relentless journey north. The spacious en suite tents, with hot water safari showers and flush toilets, colorfully decorated with handwoven rugs and wall hangings, are only a few hundred meters away from the river. Two lounge and dining tents exude classical safari charm with modern comfort. The horizon pool with lookout sun deck has plenty of space to take in the surrounds.

Only 15 minutes from downtown on the edge of the Msasani Peninsula, this classy hotel has commanding views of the sea and good-size, comfortable rooms (insist on one with a sea view). On-site there are two restaurants, a casino, a pool, and a fantastic gym, and there's an adjacent shopping mall with more restaurants, curio shops, and a hairdressing salon. Like most hotels in Dar, the Sea Cliff caters mainly to business travelers, but the option to take day tours, Maasai cultural trips, and scenic helicopter rides offer something for tourists, too. Children under 12 are free if sharing with adults. .

This attractive camp on Lake Mzizimia's shores nestles among borassus palms and riverine bush with views over the Rufiji. Tents on wooden platforms raised on stilts, each with its own en suite bathroom and private verandah, have comfortable African-theme soft furnishings and rich, handmade wooden furniture. Join other guests in the main thatch lounge, which is also raised on a platform with magnificent views of the river, for meals and sundowners. If you're here in the dry season between June and October, you'll see plains game galore as the animals come to drink at the perennial river. Go for a guided game walk with an armed ranger, a game drive, or a boat safari; try fly camping or just chill out at the bar overlooking the river at this wonderfully comfortable and unpretentious camp.

On one side of Shangani Square, on the fringe of Stone Town, this beautiful hotel is the result of the restoration of two of Zanzibar's historic buildings: the old Telekoms building, an original colonial-era building, and the Chinese doctors' residence. As you step through the front doors, polished stone floors with inlaid tiles, carved arches, fountains, antique furniture, and high ceilings will take you back to a time when gracious living was the norm. The sea-facing rooms look out over a small beach or a huge palm-filled courtyard with an inviting, if not a bit dated, pool. Rooms are decent, albeit quite small if you do not have one on the upper levels, nevertheless each has an en suite bathrooms, hand-carved four-poster beds, and cool stone floors.

Set high on a bluff above Tanzania's biggest river, the mighty Rufiji, Mivumo lodge hosts a beautiful location with relaxing river views. There are 12 large thatch-roof suites with wall-to-ceiling windows, a big en suite bathroom with chandelier, his-and-her marble basins, a claw-foot bath, and a hand-carved wooden screen and mirrors. You even have a private plunge pool (and rainshower) from where you can watch hippos snooze or crocodiles sunbathe. Spread over three levels, there is a pool deck, a viewing deck, and thatch-sheltered sitting and dining area overlooking the river. Daylong drives into the middle of the reserve where giraffe and lion abound are spectacular. A boat trip up the Stiegler Gorge (named after a famous early-1900s elephant hunter) is a must.

Found in northeast Serengeti among the rocky Ndasiata Hills, it's hard to believe that the accommodation is actually tented because it looks so luxurious. These spacious tents have hand-carved wooden furniture, big window-like screens, en suite bathrooms, and a verandah that faces the Grumeti River, which gives you a ringside seat of the migration. The main areas with their deep leather chairs, sofas, handsome rugs, and elegant fittings seem more like a gentlemen's club you'd find in London or Washington, D.C., than a tent. Game is good all year round, but when the migration passes through it is awesome. Need a change of pace? You can laze by the pool or take a balloon safari over the Serengeti.

Perched like a crow nest up in the hills overlooking the Moru Kopjes, the plush lodge showcases the expansive grasslands of the Serengeti, while the tents are generously dotted throughout a tranquil forest along the hillside; a large family tent option caters to those looking for a special family safari experience. Harking back to a 1930's style, the enormous luxury tents have that natural, classic safari feel, with copper and brass fittings, soft linens, and a traditional writers desk. Guides are passionate about their work and provide extensive knowledge on the area without coming off as regurgitating information.  

This Nomad camp delivers a classic mobile safari camp experience that does not compromise on comfort and quality. Guests are welcomed into a well-appointed lounge area filled with plush couches, charging stations, and delicate drapery; it feels as if you've walked into a peaceful space that really seeks to deliver on being part of the migration experience. Views open up at every angle so you never have a moment to miss out on any action. Tents are simple in layout with some lovely local touches and flourishes that lend themselves to being more than a simple far-flung safari. For the remoteness of the camps, the food is delicious and effortlessly prepared. Game drives are full-day events and depending on the site location you can come across herds of elephants, giraffes ambling past, and plenty of antelope---you may feel like you're in a National Geographic special as the wildlife moves right through the camp.

Situated high on a hill with superb views over the central Serengeti, the two-story thatch cottages are shaped like Maasai huts and are set among indigenous trees. Each is individually decorated with handcrafted African furniture and colorful Africa-theme soft furnishings with upper level rooms having balconies for you to spend evenings gazing over the plains. If you're in a sociable mood, head to the huge bar and dining area, also rondavel-shaped, which is supported by tall pillars embellished with traditional Makonde (traditional Tanzanian) carvings. There's a gorgeous horizon pool with another great view. All the Serengeti activities are an added cost, but it's worth spending those extra pennies on an exclusive balloon safari and champagne breakfast.

Because Tandala is in a private conservancy 5 km (3 miles) outside the entrance gate, guests can take early morning game walks and game drives, engage in bird-viewing, or experience authentic cultural visits to the Maasai bomas, local village, and market. There are no frills here, but it's comfortable, and you stay in an en suite tent that's built on a raised wooden platform that overlooks a seasonal river. There's an attractive restaurant and bar area beside the swimming pool. A nearby waterhole attracts game at all times, particularly during the dry season, although elephants are hanging around most of the time.

Many people will tell you that Dar es Salaam is not made for budget travel, but after spending a night at Triniti Guest House you will change your mind. Rooms are air-conditioned and have mini-refrigerators and satellite TV, and the grounds become your home away from home. Triniti is also home to a variety of interesting activity nights, from guest DJs to movie and quiz nights. There's an annex accommodation for long-stay travelers and an airport annex for early flights.

Upendo in Swahili translates to "love", and guests will certainly fall in love with this small boutique beach hotel. On the quieter beach of Michumvi, Upendo Beach has three luxury villas tucked into the swaying palms. Each of these spacious double-level hideaways comes with its own private butler, upper floor plunge pool, and lounge areas. Four separate suites are within a private family villa and come with the same flair and jovial quirk that is found throughout the property. Pops of vibrant color, local artisanal touches, and modern amenities are present throughout the communal lounge and bar areas. Thursday evenings have live music around the infinity pool. 

Nungwi is known as the central party-'til-dawn area of Zanzibar, with a swath of white beach sand that is filled to the brim with stylish sun seekers, the young, and the young at heart. If you're looking to take full advantage of the jovial atmosphere without the traditional resort-style accommodation, the Z, with its beachfront glamour and funky, contemporary style is the place for you. Set amid tropical gardens, each of the quirky wallpapered rooms come with modern amenities like Wi-Fi, iPhone docking stations, a TV, and air-conditioning. A quick meander around the property takes you to two on-site restaurants and the upstairs cocktails sundowner lounge; you can have a gourmet dinner on the beach or a more casual brassier lunch on the deck.

No cash, only credit card payments at the property.

Within easy walking distance from Stone Town's main attractions, this little boutique hotel is a trip back in time with antique furniture and traditional materials conveying Zanzibar's varied and rich history. There are just three rooms on each of its three floors, and each is bedecked in traditional Arabic style with plush, colorful cushions; double- and king-size beds; and a large shower and bathroom area. Dunia Room, located right at the top of the hotel, is perfect for anyone seeking something a little different, with an outdoor shower and your own private sundeck with views over the town and down to the ocean.

Although the standard rooms are somewhat plain and located in a two-story block, they all have balconies overlooking the beautiful gardens and, on the upper level, the turquoise sea beyond. There's an infinity pool, plenty of lounge chairs scattered around in various nooks and crannies, and three smaller plunge pools overlooking the ocean. At low tide you can walk along the beach to Nungwi village. Meals are taken in a soaring, open-air thatched banda, with a quirky bar made out of a dhow in one corner. The hotel has an intimate boutique feel with the suites, located closer to the ocean, being extremely spacious and offering good value.