Where to Stay on Safari in Northern Tanzania: An Honest Review of 3 Lodges I Stayed At
I work for a safari company and I’d never been on safari… I know. But I finally went, and one of the things I was most curious about leading up to the trip was the accommodations. You can Google “where to stay on safari in northern Tanzania” all day long, look at hundreds of pictures, and still not know what it’s actually like to sleep in a tent in the middle of a national park.
So, I’m going to walk you through the three properties I stayed at during the safari portion of my trip, what I genuinely thought about each one, and the stuff I wish someone had told me before I went.
Before I get into it: Good Earth Tours uses a tiered system so you have a framework for what level of accommodation you’re looking at.
Our accommodation tiers (per person, per day):
- Value: $600 to $700
- Value Plus: $750 to $900
- Premier: $950 to $1,200
- Luxury: $1,200+
These overlap intentionally because pricing shifts with season, destination, group size, and logistics. And these aren’t just room rates. Your per-day cost includes a private guide and vehicle, park fees, all meals, airport transfers, internal flights when needed, all activities on your itinerary, and on-the-ground support from our team in Tanzania.
Okay. Let’s get into it.
Tarangire Safari Lodge
Tier: Value Plus | Best for: Couples | My recommended stay: 1 to 2 nights
This was our first stop inside a national park, and it set the tone for the whole trip. When you arrive, the staff grabs your bags, you do some quick paperwork at reception, and they brief you on how everything works. Where the Wi-Fi is (common area only, not in the tents), how to call for a night escort (you cannot walk to your tent alone after dark), and a heads up to not bring any food into your tent because of the monkeys and baboons. Which, fair.
The common area is massive. Bar, free tea and coffee 24/7, board games, and genuinely comfortable seating. But the thing that got me was the view. The lodge sits elevated above the Tarangire river, almost on top of a hill, and you’re looking out over the park below. I’m not exaggerating when I say I could have sat there for hours. You’re watching animals come down to the river to drink while you’re sipping tea, and it does not get old. It’s the kind of view where you’re just sitting there going, “Is something going to walk by? Let me wait and see.” And then something walks by.
The tents are the smallest of anywhere I stayed, but I actually loved that. They’re very cozy. We had twin beds for my sister and I (couples get a queen), a little outdoor seating area with chairs facing the view, and a full bathroom inside with a real shower, sink, robes, extra blankets, and charging ports with universal outlets. So unless you’re bringing a U.S. hair straightener with the wider prong, you don’t really need an adapter.
Here’s what surprised me most: the tents face east, so you see the sunrise from your bed. I live in Florida. We have beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and this took my breath away. I opened the tent that first morning and there were dik-diks just casually eating grass right outside, the sky was on fire, and I was like, okay, I get the hype now.
The food at Tarangire was my favorite of the entire trip. Dinner was buffet style but genuinely good. Slow-cooked lamb that was so tender, roasted carrots with a feta cream sauce, a beet and pineapple salad, bean patties, fish cakes, tzatziki, an incredible soup, and a rhubarb crumble for dessert. Breakfast was solid too, but the fresh pancakes deserve their own shoutout because they were that good.
For packed lunches on game drive days, we requested cooked meals (chicken with rice, pasta with vegetables) rather than the lunch box, which I appreciated more than I expected to. However, they did have a build your own lunch box station with options to add fruit, hard boiled eggs, snacks, etc.
The honest take: One to two nights here is perfect. It was only our first night on safari, so everything was still new and exciting, but I don’t think you need more than two nights in Tarangire before it starts to feel repetitive. If you’re a couple on a honeymoon and want to start slow, two nights is the move. Otherwise one night works. This lodge punches above its tier.
Lemala Ngorongoro (Lemala Osonjoi)
Tier: Luxury | Best for: Honeymoon couples, older couples, families with the budget, groups of friends | My recommended stay: Minimum 2 nights
The drive up to Lemala is already doing a lot for you. It was golden hour, no clouds, and the Ngorongoro Crater is so green and lush with this vivid orange-red dirt. You’re winding uphill thinking, where are we going? And then you pull up to this property that looks like it was airlifted from Scandinavia. All black exterior, gorgeous window paneling, automatic sliding glass doors.
Inside: a mid-century modern metal fireplace in the center of the lobby, a gift shop with a resident artist who will paint you something custom from a photo and ship it to you (seriously), an indoor pool, multiple lounges, a bar, a fire pit with sunset views, and glass doors that open onto a deck. The whole vibe is very, very nice.
Then they walk you to what they keep calling your “tent.”
This is not a tent. Our space had a kitchen, a living area, a desk, a balcony, a daybed, two bedrooms with king beds, each with their own full bathroom, and a bathtub positioned in front of massive windows with a view. Air conditioning. Hair dryer. Mosquito netting over the beds. Robes. A fireplace. An electric kettle for making tea. I’m standing there with my backpack and arms full of water bottles from the safari vehicle like, we look so out of place right now.
They’re fully plastic-free here, which I thought was a really cool touch. Reusable water bottles in the fridge, glass-bottled water for brushing teeth. No plastic anywhere.
The turndown service at this property is next level. While you’re at dinner, they come in, spray the room, and heat the blankets for you. The heated blankets are incredible but also almost too effective. I woke up in the middle of the night sweating because I forgot to turn it off, and the king bed was too massive to reach the other side to adjust it. Not the worst problem to have.
The food. I literally took a photo of the menu because I needed to remember it. Onion and sage bread with olive tapenade and butter. A mushroom soup that was genuinely one of the best things I ate on the whole trip. Eggplant rolls with whipped garlic herb cream cheese. Glazed pork belly with pepper sauce and garlic parsley baby potatoes. Butternut risotto with crispy sage. Warm malva pudding. Chai masala panna cotta with cardamom drizzle. Everything was incredible.
One thing to be aware of: the altitude. The Ngorongoro Crater rim is high, and I got a headache that first evening. I’ve only had altitude issues once before and a Tylenol knocked it out. But if you’re coming from sea level, just know it can happen and bring something for it.
The honest take: Please do not stay here for one night. We arrived around 6 PM, sat through the briefing about all these incredible amenities, and then had to leave at 6 AM the next morning. We never used the pool. We never used the spa. We didn’t even get to properly use the bathtub (the water pressure was low on our end, and you’d probably need 30 minutes to fill it). If you’re spending the money on a luxury property, you need at least two nights. One evening where you can shower, enjoy the fire pit during golden hour, have a drink, take your time getting to dinner. And then the next morning can be your early start. I’d even say three nights makes sense if your budget allows it. The crater is worth multiple days, and this property deserves the time.
Jackal’s Lair, Serengeti
Tier: Value Plus | Best for: Anyone doing a multi-day Serengeti stay, couples, families | My recommended stay: 2 to 3 nights
We spent three nights in the Serengeti, which was our longest stay anywhere, and it honestly needed to be. One thing I want to say before I get into the lodge: if your safari includes both Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, talk to your planner about a domestic flight for at least one direction. The drive from Ngorongoro to the Serengeti is about five hours on bumpier roads than anywhere else on the trip. I’m being real with you. If you have back issues, motion sensitivity, or you’re traveling with someone older, the flight is worth considering.
Jackal’s Lair is newer (opened summer 2025) and has that fresh energy. The tents are the biggest of the three properties I stayed at. Proper indoor shower, an outdoor shower option if that’s your vibe, double sinks, a desk area, a little seating area with two couches, and outdoor chairs facing the view. They give you robes, a hot water thermos for making tea, and bottled water for brushing teeth.
This place also has a gym, which none of the other safari lodges had. And spa services that come to your tent, which after a few days of bouncing around in a safari vehicle, your body will appreciate.
But where Jackal’s Lair really got me was the staff. Every single person remembered our names from the first day. They’d ask how the game drive was, what we saw, what stood out. It never felt like a script. On our last morning, they sang for us as we were leaving and gave us handmade bracelets. One staff member, Cosingo, was just a sweetheart the entire time. That kind of warmth really stuck with us.
The Serengeti itself is obviously the main event. The bird sounds first thing in the morning are unlike anything I’ve ever heard. The sunrise turns everything golden. I caught an impala eating grass right outside the tent in that morning light and got one of my favorite photos of the whole trip. We saw stick bugs and praying mantises hanging out by our tent. And then one night, walking back from dinner at like 8:30, two cape buffalo crossed the path right in front of us. That was probably the most intense moment of the trip. Very cool, very scary, and we obviously just had to wait.
The food here is solid. They did a mix of buffet style or menu options depending on the night. Portions are very generous.
The honest take: The Serengeti is the one park where you really do want multiple nights. The landscape is so vast and the wildlife sightings are so spread out that you need the time. I’d say two nights minimum, three if you can. The staff here make you feel at home, and leaving was genuinely a little sad.
Things I Wish I Knew Before Staying at Safari Lodges
These applied at every single property I stayed at in northern Tanzania.
Water: Every lodge provides bottled water for brushing your teeth. You don’t drink from the tap. The hot water everywhere gets extremely hot (almost too hot in some places), so you won’t be taking cold showers.
Outlets: Universal outlets are built into the walls at every lodge, so you don’t need a power adapter for most devices. The exception is if you bring something with the wider U.S. prong (certain hair tools). And in the safari vehicle, the outlets are British style, so bring an adapter if you want to charge on drives.
Turndown service: This one surprised me. Every single property does a nightly turndown while you’re at dinner. Someone comes to your room, sprays for bugs, and preps your bed. It’s standard across safari lodges, but nobody told me to expect it.
Night escorts: You can’t walk to your tent alone after dark at any tented camp. Someone from the staff walks you with a flashlight. The first night you’re like, is this necessary? After that you’re very glad it’s a thing.
Bugs: There will be bugs. Even at the luxury property. It’s the wild. You get used to it faster than you think, and they’re harmless. Wear mosquito spray even when you don’t think you need it (I skipped it once at altitude because I figured there wouldn’t be mosquitoes in the cold. I was wrong).
Sleep: It took me almost a full week to sleep through the night. Between the time zone change and the very normal sounds of wildlife outside your tent, the first few nights are rough. My biggest tip: if you’re flying in from far away, build in an extra day in Arusha or even a layover city to let your body catch up before the safari starts. We stayed at Arusha Planet Lodge for our rest. Your future self will thank you.
My Final Take on Where to Stay on Safari in Northern Tanzania
Each of these three lodges gave me something completely different. Tarangire Safari Lodge was the coziest, had the best food and views, and punches way above its tier. Lemala Ngorongoro is full luxury that absolutely delivers but needs more than one night to justify. Jackal’s Lair in the Serengeti had the best staff and the most wild setting (literally, cape buffalo at your dinner table).
If I could suggest ideal pacing, I’d recommend doing two nights at Tarangire, two to three at Ngorongoro, and three in the Serengeti. That gives you enough time to actually settle into each place instead of feeling like you’re just passing through.
The one thing that was consistent everywhere? The staff. Every single lodge had people who went out of their way to make us feel welcome. That part never got old, and it’s probably the thing I think about the most now that I’m home.
If you’re trying to figure out where to stay on safari in northern Tanzania and want help narrowing down which tier and properties make sense for your trip, our planning team can walk you through it based on your budget and travel style. Click below to book a discovery call with our team.
