Bougainvillea Safari Lodge

Karatu Town, Karatu, Tanzania

5.0

1 reviews

Lodge Garden Cottages Swimming Pool Massage Full Board Fireplace Rooms Birdwatching

Wi-Fi Pool Restaurant Parking Spa

Karibu — welcome to Bougainvillea Safari Lodge. Our aim is to provide guests with something different: simple homey comforts at a reasonable price. We have created a small sanctuary on the edge of Karatu town where safari travellers can take a break from the dusty roads and enjoy fresh country cuisine, a cool garden environment and stellar Tanzanian hospitality.

The lodge is located on the outskirts of Karatu town, about midway between Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater. The gate to the World Heritage Ngorongoro Conservation Area is roughly a 15-minute drive away, and Lake Manyara National Park — a jewel of a park on the floor of the Great Rift Valley — lies to the east and south. Both are equally accessible for day trips.

There are thirty-two cottages set throughout the lushly landscaped property. Ten rooms in five double cottages sit in the coffee garden; the rest surround the pool area. Each cosy room has mosquito-netted king or twin beds, a dressing area, a fireplace, a large bathroom with shower, and a veranda from which to enjoy the tropical gardens. Triples are possible with prior notice, and two of the cottages can be used as family suites with connecting rooms.

The gardens are a balm to the senses and the pool is a few steps away. Therapeutic massages are offered adjacent to the pool bar to work out the kinks after a long day on the safari circuit. You can walk into town to experience a bustling African community with shops and a local market, or a member of staff can escort you to a neighbouring coffee plantation; more strenuous hiking is available in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

With about 1,200 bird species in Tanzania, birdwatching is excellent — even non-twitchers find the colourful residents and visitors at the lodge hard to resist. There is also ample opportunity to visit the nearby Iraqw, Hadzabe and Datoga communities, and the agricultural village of Mto wa Mbu.

The lodge is open all year and offers full board. Check-in is from 12:00 and check-out is by 10:00.