How to Choose Accommodation for your Safari?

Most travelers in the world do dream of going on a Safari in Tanzania in Serengeti to witness the Great wildebeest migration or Ngorongoro at least once. And for sure going to a Tanzanian safari is an adventure that will stay in your mind for more years to come. In that safari, choosing where to stay can shape and add the enjoyment of your experience as much as the wildlife itself. And one of the biggest decisions travelers face is whether to stay in a tented camp or a lodge.

Well, each accommodation option has its own advantage, comfort level, and price point. But how do you decide what accommodation is best for you?

Let’s go and see the good and bad of tent versus lodge accommodation on a Tanzanian safari.

Tented Camps: Sleeping Under Canvas

Tented camps are often recommended for good reason such as being nearest to the nature and wild. These tented camps may not be like those tents you remember from childhood. These safari tented camps range from their budgeting, from luxurious canvas suites with en-suite bathrooms to more simple mobile camps setups designed for adventurous travelers.

Tented camp: Why Choose a Tented Camp?

These tented camps are chosen for the following reasons:

• To be closer to Nature: Here you will hear animals such as lions roaring, hyenas, or elephants walking at night , something you may not experience in a daily life.
• Atmosphere: Tented camps and the pathways for people create an “Out of Africa” real environment that many travelers are dreaming of.
• Eco-Friendly: Most tented camps are built in such a way that they do not have negative impact on the environment. Most of them are using solar power and sustainable materials.
• Unique Locations: Some camps are set deep inside national parks or private reserves, offering exclusive access to prime game viewing areas such as great wildebeest migration in the serengeti.

When choosing tented camps, you might also try to consider the following:

• Weather Sensitivity: Canvas do not have insulated walls like brick walls and therefore sleeping in these tents can get cold at night and hot in the afternoon.
• Noise & Privacy: Animal sounds are great but can be scary sometimes. If you are someone who wakes up at just a sound of something outside, you might consider bringing earplugs.

Lodges.

Lodges offer a more traditional hotel-style stay, they are built as permanent structures often with stone or wood construction, modern plumbing, and they have full facilities.

Why would you consider choosing a Lodge?

Lodges are often chosen due to the following reasons:

• More luxurious Comfort: Lodges often have larger rooms, air conditioning (in some regions), swimming pools, Wi-Fi, and full-service on meals.
• Family-Friendly: Many lodges have facilities suitable for families with children, such as enclosed areas and kids’ activities.
• Ideal for First-Time Travelers who are afraid: If you are new to the wilderness, then lodges will provide a more secure environment for you.
• Weather Protection: Brick-and-mortar buildings provide better insulation from temperature changes and weather changes.

When choosing lodges accommodation, you will have to consider some things such as:

• Less Immersive: Staying on lodges can feel more like a resort than a safari camp. Here in lodges you might not be as close to the wild to the extent of hearing the wild sounds and sensations.
• Higher Cost (for Luxury Lodges): Top-tier lodges are expensive, though mid-range options exist.
• Fixed Locations: Unlike mobile tented camps, lodges are fixed and sometimes they may be slightly farther from wildlife hotspots during certain seasons.

So, lodges or tented camps, which one should you choose?

Your choice of accommodation will depend on your budget, travel style, comfort level, and your sense of adventure:

Therefore, choose a tented camp if you want a safari where you wake up in the morning and you find outside the animal footprints, and you like to sleep under the stars comfortably.

Choose a lodge if you prefer modern facilities, structural privacy, more security, and a safari with luxurious touch, especially if you are traveling with children or elderly companions.

The best way you can enjoy the wilderness is if to combine both, lodges and tented camps accommodations.

Many travelers enjoy the best by spending a few nights in a lodge and a few nights in a tented camp, as this offers a balanced experience of comfort and enjoying the wild.

Welcome to the wilderness.