Bungalow, Single Room
The bungalow room taken by one guest. A hardwood bed, a fireplace, a writing desk at the window, a dressing area, an en suite bathroom with twin basins, and a private verandah onto the lawn.
Lodges & partnersKaratu
Kankari Lodge
Four canvas tents under thatch and eight cottage rooms on one lawn, on the Manyara side of Karatu.
From $88 per person per night
01 / 06
- Tier
- Comfort
- Location
- Karatu
About
About Kankari Lodge.
Kankari Lodge sits on the eastern side of Karatu, about three and a half kilometres out of town on the side you arrive from when you drive up from Arusha. It is a small place, twelve units in one walled garden, and it is the only lodge in its group that puts two kinds of accommodation on the same lawn. Eight rooms sit in four solid cottages, white rendered masonry on stone plinths under pitched metal roofs, standing in a row above the pool. The other four are canvas tents raised on timber platforms, each under its own separate thatch roof on heavy timber posts, with a rustic timber railed veranda in front. One booking can put a honeymoon couple under canvas and the rest of the party in brick, which is a genuinely useful thing on a family trip.
The grounds are lawned and well watered, with mature conifers, bougainvillea and lantana, stone retaining walls and open views to the farmland and hills around. The lodge calls itself a birding garden and that is fair. At this altitude the evenings are cold, which is why every unit has a fireplace and why two more burn on the large common deck.
Being on the eastern side of town has a practical consequence worth knowing. Lake Manyara and its gate are close, about nineteen kilometres and twenty five minutes down the escarpment, and the Manyara airstrip is about the same, which makes Kankari one of the better Karatu choices if the itinerary includes a flight or a Manyara day. The Loduare gate into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is further than from the town lodges, roughly thirty five to forty five minutes, so a crater morning starts earlier here. Tarangire is about an hour and a half southeast.
Rooms have twin or queen beds in heavy locally made hardwood frames, pale walls, a writing desk at the window, a dressing area, hurricane style lanterns on the bedside tables and local artwork. Bathrooms are en suite, with a long timber vanity and twin vessel basins. The tents have the same beds on a varnished pine floor, a natural stone feature wall behind the headboards, a sitting area with a settee and coffee table, and large roll up canvas windows with fitted insect mesh screens.
The cosy dining room and the lounge are in the main building overlooking the pool, and meals are served to individual tables rather than from a buffet line. Food is fresh and sourced from the farming country around Karatu, and safari lunch boxes go out on request. Wifi reaches the common areas rather than the rooms. Getting here is about three and a half hours from Kilimanjaro International Airport, or around two and a half hours from Arusha.
Signature experiences
Why guests choose it.
A night under canvas and a night in brick
Four tents and eight cottage rooms share one lawn, so a party can split between the two or swap halfway through a stay. No other lodge in the group offers both.
An early run to Lake Manyara
The gate is about nineteen kilometres down the escarpment, twenty five minutes, which is closer than from any of the Karatu town lodges. Groundwater forest, elephant herds and flamingo on the lake, and back for lunch.
Evening by the deck fires
Two outdoor fireplaces burn on the large common deck after dark, which at this altitude is where everyone ends up before dinner.
Birding in the garden
Mature conifers, flowering shrubs and open farmland beyond the wall pull in a lot of highland birds. A slow circuit before breakfast is the easiest wildlife of the trip.
Gallery
A closer look.
Room types
Where you will sleep.
Bungalow, Double Room
The bungalow room with one queen bed, a fireplace for the cold highland evenings, a writing desk at the window, a dressing area, an en suite bathroom with twin basins, and a private verandah onto the lawn.
Bungalow, Twin Room
The same bungalow room set with two beds rather than one. Fireplace, writing desk at the window, dressing area, en suite bathroom with twin basins, and a private verandah.
Bungalow, Triple Room
The bungalow room set for three, with a third bed added to the twin layout. Fireplace, dressing area, en suite bathroom, and a private verandah. Available on request.
Tented Room, Single Room
The luxury tent taken by one guest. Canvas on a raised timber platform under its own thatch roof, a stone feature wall behind the bed, a varnished pine floor, a sitting area with a settee, screened canvas windows, a fireplace, and a timber railed verandah.
Tented Room, Double Room
The luxury tent with one queen bed, a stone feature wall, a sitting area with a settee and coffee table, a varnished pine floor, large screened canvas windows, a fireplace, an en suite bathroom, and a timber railed verandah under the thatch.
Tented Room, Twin Room
The same luxury tent set with two beds rather than one. Stone feature wall, sitting area with a settee, screened canvas windows, fireplace, en suite bathroom and a verandah under the thatch.
Tented Room, Triple Room
The luxury tent set for three, with a third bed added to the twin layout. Sitting area, fireplace, en suite bathroom and a timber railed verandah. Available on request.
At a glance
The essentials, in brief.
Amenities
- Swimming Pool
- Restaurant And Dining Room
- Lounge And Sitting Area
- Large common deck with two outdoor fireplaces
- Outdoor Dining
- Beautiful Gardens With Good Birdlife
- WiFi In The Common Areas
- Fireplace in every room and tent
- On Site Parking
- Security Around The Clock
- Safari Lunch Boxes On Request
Best for
- Family
- Small Groups
- Manyara Day
- First Time Safari
- Tented Experience
Wildlife and nature
- Lake Manyara tree climbing lions, elephant herds and flamingo, about twenty five minutes away
- Ngorongoro Crater black rhino, lion, elephant and buffalo, about forty minutes away
- Tarangire dry season elephant concentrations among baobabs, about an hour and a half away
- Calving herds on the Ndutu plains from December to March
- Highland garden birds through the conifers and the flowering shrubs
Best time to visit
When to go.
- January: best
- February: best
- March: best
- April: not a best month
- May: not a best month
- June: best
- July: best
- August: best
- September: best
- October: best
- November: not a best month
- December: best
Best months
Best months: June to October and December to March.
Location & access
Getting there.
Location
Karatu
Arriving by air
Lake Manyara airstrip is the nearest landing point, about eighteen kilometres away and roughly twenty five minutes by road, which is the shortest airstrip run of the Karatu lodges. Light aircraft reach it from Arusha Airport and from the Serengeti airstrips.
By road
About three hours thirty minutes, roughly 195 kilometres. From Kilimanjaro International Airport the road runs to Arusha on the A23, then west on the B144 through Makuyuni, down the Rift escarpment past Mto wa Mbu, and up to the eastern edge of Karatu, which is the first side of the town you reach.
On the map
Where it sits.
3.338° S, 35.696° E
What's included
What the rate covers.
Included
- Full board, breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Tourism Development Levy
- VAT
- WiFi In The Common Areas
Not included
- Park and conservation area entry fees
- Drinks
- Activities and excursions away from the lodge
- Items taken at the property and settled on departure
- Tips And Gratuities
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
Where exactly is Kankari Lodge?
On the eastern side of Karatu, about three and a half kilometres out of the town centre, which is the first side you reach driving up from Arusha. Lake Manyara is twenty five minutes back down the escarpment and the Ngorongoro gate about forty minutes the other way.
What is the difference between the rooms and the tents?
The eight rooms sit in four solid cottages, white rendered masonry under pitched metal roofs. The four tents are canvas on raised timber platforms, each under its own thatch roof, with a stone feature wall behind the beds and a pine floor. Both have fireplaces, verandas and en suite bathrooms, and both share the same garden and pool.
How long does it take to reach the Ngorongoro Crater?
About forty minutes to the Loduare gate from here, longer than from the lodges in Karatu town because Kankari sits on the far side of it, and roughly an hour more down to the crater floor. A crater morning starts early.
How do guests get to the lodge?
By road it is around three and a half hours from Kilimanjaro International Airport and about two and a half hours from Arusha, on tarmac the whole way. Flying in, Lake Manyara airstrip is about eighteen kilometres away, twenty five minutes by road, which is the shortest airstrip run of the Karatu lodges.
How many units are there?
Twelve in total: eight rooms in four double cottages and four canvas tents. It is a small lodge and the owners describe it that way.
What is included in the rate?
The published rate is full board, so breakfast, lunch and dinner are covered, and it includes the Tourism Development Levy and VAT. Park and conservation area entry fees, drinks, activities and anything else taken at the property are settled separately.
Are families with children welcome?
Yes, and the mix of tents and rooms suits a family well. Rooms and tents can be set as triples with notice. Children between six and twelve sharing with adults are charged at a set child rate rather than a share of the adult price, the same rate in both categories.
How are meals served?
At individual tables in the dining room overlooking the pool, rather than from a buffet line. Food is fresh and sourced from the farming country around Karatu, and safari lunch boxes go out on request. Special diets are handled with notice.
Is there wifi and reliable power?
Wifi reaches the common areas rather than the rooms, so plan to use it on the deck or in the lounge. The lodge does not publish how its power is supplied, so charge devices in the evening as you would anywhere in the highlands.
Is there air conditioning?
No, and at roughly 1,500 metres you will not want it. The evenings are cold, which is why every room and tent has a fireplace and why two more burn on the common deck.
When is the best time to visit?
June to October is the dry season and the most reliable window for the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. December to March brings the calving herds onto the Ndutu plains within reach. April, May and November are the quiet months here and the lowest season.
What time is check in?
From midday, with check out at ten in the morning.
What's nearby
Worth the short trip.
Lake Manyara National Park
About twenty five minutes down the escarpment, the closest of the Karatu lodges. Groundwater forest, big elephant herds, baboon troops and flamingo on the lake.
Ngorongoro Crater
About forty minutes west to the Loduare gate. One of the most reliable places in Africa to see black rhino, alongside lion, elephant, buffalo and spotted hyena.
Tarangire National Park
About an hour and a half southeast. Dry season elephant numbers here are among the highest in Tanzania, among baobabs.
Karatu coffee farms
The farming country around Karatu is coffee and maize, and several farms run short tours of the plantations and the washing stations.
Lake Eyasi
A long morning south. Time with Hadzabe and Datoga communities on the lake shore.
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