Accommodation Guide

Accommodation Guide: Africa Natural Safari

AFRICA NATURAL SAFARI (The best tour company in Tanzania)

Specialized in:  Wildlife safaris, Cultural tourism , Beach holidays and

 Mountain climbing

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Accomodation Guide

Tanzania has a vast spread of accommodation options, ranging from luxurious game lodges in game-filled national parks, heritage buildings in the winding alleys of Stone Town, sprawling resorts and rustic beach huts lining Zanzibar’s beaches, and extending down-budget all the way to a plethora of middling mid-range hotels and the cheap, rough-around-the-edges guest houses.

Hotels in Tanzania vary from superbly finished, expensive luxury hotels with all the trimmings found in the cities and popular tourist areas, to mid-range generic hotels favoured by local business people, and cheap board and lodgings in the regional towns, which, although sometimes adequate, have little atmosphere and can have security issues.

Apartments

For large families or the more budget conscious traveller, self-catering accommodation like apartments may be the way to go while travelling around Tanzania cities and towns

Backpackers

Backpackers and hostels offer low-cost accommodation and are popular with young travellers from around the world. There is usually a central kitchen and bathroom, and a mixture of shared rooms (dormitories) as well as single and double rooms.

Banda’s

Bandas or chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Tanzania, usually made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-supported leaves set at right angles to the front of the house, these are mainly found in mountain areas and beaches.

Bed & Breakfast

Typically shortened to B&B but also spelled BnB, is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and inclusive breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals, provided in guest houses and small hotels. Referred to locally as ‘board and lodgings’, these are often offshoots of local bars and provide very cheap accommodation, but offer little more than a bed in a bare room with a door that may or may not lock. At these you will want to ensure rooms are clean, there is water in the bathrooms and special attention to possessions should be paid while staying there. These cannot be booked in advance.

Campsites

There are public campsites in many of the national parks. Some have standard facilities, including taps, toilets and firewood; others are more basic with just a cleared space to park a vehicle and pitch a tent. Permits for camping in the parks must be paid for along with entry to each park. It is advisable to check the prices and site procedure before arrival. A list of public and private campsites is available from the Tanzania National Parks

Guest Houses

A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging, these are largely located in most part of Tanzania towns and villages providing bed and breakfast, guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging.

Home stays

Homestay is a form of tourism and/or study abroad that allows visitors to rent rooms local families. It is sometimes used by people who wish to improve their language skills and become familiar with the local lifestyle.

Hostels

Hostels offer low-cost accommodation and are popular with young travellers from around the world. There is usually a central kitchen and bathroom, and a mixture of shared rooms (dormitories) as well as single and double rooms.

Hotels

There is a variety of hotels available in Tanzania ranging from the luxurious hotels to the mid-range lodges plus beach resorts that offer double rooms having air conditioning plus private bathrooms for about US$250 to 150, basic plus small town facilities mainly used by local businessmen go for about US$50 to100 for each room, and standard board plus hotels commonly used by local travelers goes for less than US$10 per day.

Lodges

There are safari lodges in all national parks and game reserves. Some of these have hundreds of rooms and are aimed at families and tour groups, so while they have decent standards can feel a little impersonal. Others are top-end luxury lodges or tented camps with just a few decadent rooms, boasting impeccable service in stunning locations. Expect to pay exorbitant prices for even the most ‘budget’ lodge, with bookings essential for popular lodges in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro National Parks. Reservations can be made through specialist tour operators as part of a safari trip, or by contacting the lodges directly.

Resorts

There are dozens of beach resorts on Zanzibar and at a few places on the mainland coast that are aimed at holiday-makers looking for the typical sun, sea and sand experience. Most have been built sensitively, with rooms in low blocks of buildings covered in makuti thatch. These offer B&B, half-board, full-board or ‘all-inclusive’ rates (extras like watersports and children’s activities may be included). Bookings can be made directly through the resort or through the local tour operators. Room rates at beach resorts tend to be seasonal – the high season runs from the beginning of June to mid-October and again from Christmas to mid-February; at these times reservations should be made well in advance.

Tented Camps

Tented Camps can be Budget Camping involves travelling with all your camp equipment, your guide and possibly a cook in your vehicle with you. Fly Camping involves setting up small, temporary camps for a night under the stars, more often than not in a remote part of the bush. Luxury Camping Imagine feather pillows, soft towels, gin and tonic on the rocks and four course gourmet meals in a candlelit dining tent as far from civilisation as you can get. Lightweight Luxury Camping tents will have metal or wood-frame beds, standing headroom, a veranda and small en-suite toilets and hot showers. Most tented camping settings offering you a colonial style safari experience with luxurious tented lodgings - taking you back in time to an era long forgotten. Stay in elegantly appointed luxury en-suite safari tents.

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