Luxury accommodation close to Arusha town and Arusha National Park
The characterful owner-managed Hatari Lodge stands on broad lawns, regularly frequented by giraffes, in a glade of acacia just outside the northern Momela Gate of Arusha National Park. This very individualistic lodge is named after the 1962 film Hatari (Danger), which starred John Wayne, and stands on a property once owned by his co-star, Hardy Kruger.
The decor of Hatari Lodge is an imaginative blend of classic African safari style and the more 'retro' influences that date back to the time of the film. With stunning views of both Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, the lodge's common parts display memorabilia from the film and the broad viewing deck overlooks a swampy area inhabited by buffalo, waterbuck, crowned crane and various other water birds. The food is excellent and the service highly personalised.
The Town of Arusha
One of Tanzania's most developed and fastest growing towns, the bustling ‘Safari Town' of Arusha is a hive of arrival and departure activity as countless 4WD safari vehicles load up with provisions and set off with their passengers into the endless, game-teeming plains of the National Parks. Established in 1900 as a minor German military garrison, Arusha lies halfway between the Cape and Cairo and was once a major trading post for the local Waarusha and Wameru tribes. Nowadays it is not only the country's most active tourism centre but also an important regional business and administrative centre and host to a colourful array of street markets, museums, craft shops, Makonde carving workshops, street cafes, restaurants and bars.
Arusha National Park
The smallest yet one of the most beguiling of Tanzania's National Parks, the 137-sq-km Arusha National Park offers an unrivalled diversity of safari experiences due to the three distinct ecological zones of its composition. Activities range from a trek up the forested slopes of a fifteen million years old extinct volcano called Ngurdoto Crater, the discovery of the seven alkaline and flamingo-frosted Momela Lakes, which are the haunt of some 380 species of water birds, or an ascent to the misted heights of Mount Meru. At 4,566m above sea level Mount Meru is the 5th highest mountain in Africa and offers one of the continent's most rewarding climbs. Once as high as Kilimanjaro, a cataclysmic explosion two hundred and fifty thousand years ago blew out the entire eastern side of the Mountain, leaving only a vast crater and ash cone in its wake.
The safari lodge location
The lodge is just outside the boundaries of the park, 2km from the Momela Gate, 35 km from Kilimanjaro International airport and 29 km from Arusha town. Arusha National Park is 25 km east of Arusha and 58 km from Moshi. The road is good and the turning off the main Arusha-Moshi road lies 35 km from Kilimanjaro International Iaiprot (at Usa River) and is clearly signposted (10 km to the Ngurdoto Gate. The Momela Gate lies 25 km to the north and can be reached either by driving through the park or by using the 'Outer Road'.
Arusha is connected by daily internal flights with Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Mwanza. There are several flights weekly to the Seronera airstrip in Serengeti National Park, Musoma and Shinyanga. There are also frequent flights to Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. Several international airlines have flights into Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), which is half way between Arusha and Moshi whilst a number of internal flights use Arusha Airport (about 8km out of town).
Your Tanzania luxury lodge safari
The Tanzanian Coffee Industry
Despite the fact that coffee was not planted in Tanzania until the turn of the 20th century, when it was imported by the Jesuit missionaries of Reunion Island, Tanzania is now world famous for the excellence of its coffee, most particularly the Coffea arabica grown on the slopes of Mount Meru and around the Arusha region. This distinctively flavoured coffee provides the foundation for some of the finest blends of coffee in the world and accounts for 75% of Tanzania's coffee exports.
Wildlife highlights around Hatari Lodge - Arusha: Fauna in Arusha national park includes: black and white colobus monkey, leopard, zebra, giraffe, reedbuck, waterbuck, buffalo, hyena, warthog, baboon, elephant and hippo.
When to visit Hatari Lodge
This luxury lodge can be visited at any time of year.
Accommodation: Luxury safari lodge
The lodge offers 9 luxury rooms, each in double chalets with king-size bed, open fireplace, tall thatched roofs and spacious luxury bathroom en-suite.
Dining and bars at this luxury safari lodge
The lodge offers a central dining room and bar where, typically, table d'hote or buffet meals will be served.
Conferences and events at the luxury safari lodge
Hatari Lodge does not offer specific conference facilities but will be happy to quote for small meetings and social gatherings. A wide range of Tanzania incentives can also be arranged in or around the area.
Weddings and honeymoons at Hatari Lodge
Hatari Lodge makes an ideal Tanzania wedding destination.
Child-friendly facilities at Hatari Lodge
Hatari Lodge welcomes children and will be pleased to supply additional beds.
What to see and do on your Tanzania luxury lodge safari
Activities include game viewing, guided walks, hiking, climbs of Mount Meru, canoeing on the Momela lakes and horse-riding (nearby). Walking safaris may be restricted in the long rains (April - May).
Tanzania luxury lodge safari experiences in and around Arusha
Typical Tanzania safari experiences at Hatari Lodge include: safari game drives in especially adapted 4WD safari vehicles (with professionally trained Tanzania safari guides), safari bush breakfasts, lunches and dinners; cocktails around the lodge safari campfire and guided safari walks in Arusha National Park. Hatari Lodge also offers ornithological tours, cultural performances and visits to the local Maasai people of Tanzania.
Hatari Lodge - Arusha
Tanzania Safari Lodges & City Hotels