Garden room, single use
One of the fifteen rooms, about fifty five square metres, made up for one guest, with a private veranda and doors folding onto the bush.
Lodges & partnersMto wa Mbu and Lake Manyara
Moonbow Lodge
Fifteen very large rooms in a garden on the escarpment above Lake Manyara
01 / 06
- Tier
- Comfort
- Location
- Mto wa Mbu and Lake Manyara
About
About Moonbow Lodge.
Moonbow Lodge sits on the slope of the Rift Valley escarpment at Manyara Kibaoni, about seven kilometres from Mto wa Mbu and four from the Lake Manyara airstrip. The lake lies below and to the east, a pale line of soda water with the valley floor running out beyond it. The lodge is low and dark roofed in thick bush, and from the air you would struggle to find it in the acacia.
It is a quiet, green place rather than a dramatic one. Paths of pale gravel run between flowering beds to the rooms, a pool with loungers sits in a clearing among the acacias, and the garden fills with birds through the morning. The restaurant serves indoors and on the terrace, with a menu that runs from Tanzanian dishes to plainer European cooking and will handle vegetarian and halal requests with notice.
There are fifteen rooms, each about fifty five square metres, which is generous for a lodge of this kind. They sit under a high timber ceiling with polished ochre floors and a wall of folding timber doors onto the bush, and six of them have a private plunge pool on the terrace. Beds are made up as a king or as twins, and a third bed can be added, which is the most the lodge takes in one room.
For a trip this is a Manyara base rather than a Serengeti one. The park gate is about eight kilometres away, Tarangire is an hour and a half to two hours east, and the Ngorongoro gate is about an hour and a half up the road through Karatu. Lake Manyara is one of the few Tanzanian national parks that permits night drives, and a canopy walkway runs through the groundwater forest near the gate, so two nights here gives you more than one more game drive.
Signature experiences
Why guests choose it.
Space to spread out
About fifty five square metres under a vaulted timber ceiling, with doors that fold right back so the room opens onto the bush. Six of the fifteen have their own plunge pool on the terrace.
The pool in the acacias
A pool and loungers in a clearing among the thorn trees, with the valley dropping away below. It is where most guests end up between a morning drive and dinner.
Birds before breakfast
The escarpment and the lake shore below carry something near four hundred recorded species. The lodge runs guided bird walks in its own gardens and down towards the valley.
Mto wa Mbu on foot or by bicycle
The village below the lodge is one of the most mixed in Tanzania, with people from across the country farming the same irrigated ground. Walks, bicycle rides and a farm lunch can all be arranged.
Gallery
A closer look.
Room types
Where you will sleep.
Garden room, double
The same room made up with a king bed for two, under a high timber ceiling with polished ochre floors.
Garden room, twin
The same room made up with two beds, which suits friends travelling together or a parent with an older child.
Up to 3 guests
Garden room, triple
A third bed added to the room. Three guests is the most the lodge takes in one room.
Up to 3 guests
Plunge pool room
Six of the fifteen rooms have their own plunge pool on the terrace, otherwise identical in size and finish. Sold for one, two or three guests, and bookable from June 2027, which is when the lodge first prices them.
At a glance
The essentials, in brief.
Amenities
- Swimming Pool
- Six rooms with a private plunge pool
- Restaurant with indoor and terrace seating
- Lounge
- Large Gardens With Lit Paths
- Wireless internet in rooms and public areas
- Room Service
- Laundry Service
- Free Parking
- 24 Hour Security
- Standby Generator
- Bicycle Hire
- Guided Bird Watching
- Family Friendly
Best for
- A Manyara and Tarangire base on the way to the Crater
- Travellers who want a very large room for the money
- Birders
- Guests who like a pool in the afternoon
- Families Needing A Third Bed
Wildlife and nature
- Lake Manyara is known for its tree climbing lions and its large elephant herds
- Groundwater forest at the park gate with olive baboon troops and blue monkeys
- In good years great flocks of lesser flamingo gather out on the soda lake
- Around four hundred bird species recorded in the park, including silvery cheeked hornbill in the forest
- Lake Manyara is one of the few Tanzanian parks where a night drive is permitted
Best time to visit
When to go.
- January: best
- February: best
- March: not a best month
- 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 February.
Location & access
Getting there.
Location
Mto wa Mbu and Lake Manyara
Arriving by air
Light aircraft fly from Arusha to the Lake Manyara airstrip, which is about 4 kilometres from the lodge, roughly 15 minutes by road.
By road
About 170 kilometres from Kilimanjaro International Airport by way of Arusha and Makuyuni, roughly 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours.
On the map
Where it sits.
3.405° S, 35.799° E
What's included
What the rate covers.
Included
- Accommodation In A Garden Room
- Full board, which the lodge serves as breakfast and dinner at the lodge and a packed lunch box
- Wireless internet in the rooms and the public areas
- Use of the swimming pool and the gardens
- Daily Housekeeping
- Free Parking
- Service charge, value added tax and the Tourism Development Levy, all of which the lodge builds into the rate
Not included
- All Drinks
- Extra meals beyond the full board plan, charged by the lodge at a hot lunch of 25 US dollars and a dinner of 30 US dollars per person, with an extra packed lunch at 20 US dollars per person under the 2026 contract and 10 US dollars from June 2027
- A celebration cake at 27 US dollars and a fruit basket in the room at 30 US dollars
- Laundry and items of a personal nature
- Park entry fees, guiding and excursions
- Airport And Airstrip Transfers
- Tips And Gratuities
- Tanzania inbound travel insurance, 44 USD per adult (children 3 to 17 half price, under 3 free), compulsory from 1 October 2026 and bought online before travel
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
How many rooms does Moonbow Lodge have?
Fifteen, each about fifty five square metres. Six of them have a private plunge pool on the terrace. The lodge is spread through a garden so it rarely feels full.
Where is it exactly?
At Manyara Kibaoni, on the Rift Valley escarpment about seven kilometres from Mto wa Mbu and four from the Lake Manyara airstrip. The Lake Manyara park gate is about eight kilometres away.
How do guests get there?
By road it is about two and a half to three hours from Arusha and three and a half to four from Kilimanjaro International Airport. By air, light aircraft land at the Lake Manyara airstrip about fifteen minutes away. The last stretch is an unsurfaced track shared with other lodges.
What is included in the rate?
The room on full board, which the lodge serves as breakfast and dinner at the lodge and a packed lunch box for days in the park, along with wireless internet, the pool and the gardens. Service charge, value added tax and the tourism levy are already in the rate. Drinks, park fees, transfers and extra meals are not.
Are children welcome?
Yes, and a third bed can be added to a room. The lodge prices children by the shape of the party rather than by a simple percentage, which our builder cannot calculate, so children cannot be booked at this lodge yet.
How many guests fit in one room?
Three. The rooms are large but the contract prices one, two or three guests and nothing more, so a party of four takes two rooms, and the lodge can give you a double and a triple with a connecting door.
Is there a pool?
Yes, a pool with loungers set in a clearing among the acacias, and six of the rooms have their own plunge pool on the terrace.
What is there to do besides game drives?
The lodge runs guided bird walks in its gardens, hires bicycles, and arranges village and farm walks in Mto wa Mbu, the Miwaleni waterfall, the Manyara treetop walkway and canoeing on the lake when the water is high enough.
When is the best time to come?
June to October is the driest and the strongest for game viewing, the second half of December through February is warm with good birding, and late March to May is the wet season, green and excellent for birds but harder going on the park tracks.
Can I book any date of the year?
Almost. The lodge is open all year, but it has not yet issued a rate for 1 November to 15 December 2026, so those nights cannot be priced here until it does. Every other date in the next two years is bookable.
What's nearby
Worth the short trip.
Lake Manyara National Park
About 8 kilometres
Groundwater forest, the escarpment wall and a shallow soda lake, with tree climbing lions, elephant and large baboon troops. A canopy walkway runs through the forest near the gate and night drives are permitted with a park permit.
Mto wa Mbu village
About 7 kilometres
A farming town where people from across Tanzania have settled on the same irrigated ground. Village walks, bicycle rides, the market and a lunch cooked in a family home are all easy to arrange.
Tarangire National Park
About 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours
Baobabs, the Tarangire river and the largest elephant numbers in the north, at its best from July to October when the herds come to the river.
Ngorongoro Crater
About 1 hour 30 minutes to the Lodoare gate
The crater floor holds a resident population of lion, elephant, buffalo and a small number of rhino. A full day out from the lodge, or a stop on the way to the Serengeti.
Balaa Hill and the escarpment viewpoints
A short drive
A climb up the Rift wall above Mto wa Mbu for the long view down over the lake and the valley floor, usually walked in the early morning.
Nearby
Other places to stay nearby.
Manyara's Secret
View : Manyara's SecretEvery lodge we work with in Lake Manyara National Park
The Lake Manyara National Park guide: where to stay, when to go and how to get there.
View : Every lodge we work with in Lake Manyara National Park
Plan this stay
Add Moonbow Lodge to your trip
Build your bespoke Tanzania safari with our team. Real lodge rates and itemised pricing throughout.
Build & price your trip