Savannah&Sands
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Lodges & partnersArusha City

Mount Meru Game Lodge

Freestanding cottages in a 1959 wildlife sanctuary garden, half an hour from the Kilimanjaro runway.

01 / 06
Tier
Comfort
three star graded, freestanding garden cottages
Location
Arusha City
Reviews
4.5 ★ on TripAdvisor
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About

About Mount Meru Game Lodge.

Mount Meru Game Lodge sits in Usa River, about half an hour west of Kilimanjaro International Airport and fifteen minutes from the gate into Arusha National Park. The property began in 1959 as a family home and animal sanctuary belonging to the von Nagy family, and it has never quite stopped being one. Guests sleep in freestanding cottages scattered through tropical gardens rather than along a corridor, and the walk to breakfast takes you past agapanthus borders and mango trees and across a lawn where yellow billed storks and crowned cranes stand about as though they pay no rent.

The rooms are the older, comfortable sort. Four poster beds under mosquito nets, wooden floors, a writing desk and a seating corner, a standing fan rather than air conditioning, which at this altitude is rarely missed, and for most rooms a shaded patio of your own. Twenty of the twenty six rooms have been fully renovated and six are new builds, several of them step free and reachable by wheelchair. Hot water comes from an electric geyser, there is high speed Wifi throughout, and a generator covers the evenings when the town supply goes.

Meals are taken in the garden view alfresco restaurant, the cosy indoor dining room or on the river deck, and the kitchen runs themed buffets through the week, Swahili one night, barbecue or Italian or Indian another, with wood fired pizza from Friday lunch to Sunday dinner. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free plates are prepared on request and late dining is arranged for guests landing at night. The Healing Hands Spa opened on the riverbank in June 2025, and a small shop called Shine Africa Collection sells coffee grown on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, handmade soaps, carved bowls and beadwork from local women's groups.

The lodge is three star graded by the Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and says so plainly. It is not a safari camp and makes no attempt to be one. What it does well is the first and last night of a northern circuit trip: close enough to the airport to be easy after a long flight, far enough from Arusha town to be quiet, and interesting enough in its own right that an extra afternoon here is not a wasted one.

Signature experiences

Why guests choose it.

  1. The sanctuary garden

    The grounds are a private sanctuary, not decoration. Colobus and other monkeys work the canopy, crowned cranes and yellow billed storks patrol the lawns, and the birding on a slow morning walk is better than most guests expect this close to an airport.

  2. A buffet with a theme

    The kitchen runs themed evenings through the week, Swahili, barbecue, Italian and Indian among them, and fires up the pizza oven from Friday lunch to Sunday dinner. It is a popular dining room with Arusha residents, which is usually a good sign.

  3. Healing Hands Spa on the river

    A small riverside treatment room opened in June 2025, with a resident therapist working in aromatherapy oils. A 45 minute head, neck and shoulder treatment is 50 USD, an hour is 60 USD and ninety minutes is 80 USD.

  4. Moki workshop by the car park

    Patrick Ndelwa, known as Moki, carves wood and works metal in a small shed at the edge of the car park and takes commissions. It is worth ten minutes on the way to the vehicle.

Room types

Where you will sleep.

Garden cottage

Freestanding cottages through the gardens, sold as single, double and triple rooms, each with a four poster bed under a mosquito net, an en suite bathroom and for most a shaded patio.

Family cottage

A larger cottage priced for two adults and two children, with interleading cottages available for bigger families.

At a glance

The essentials, in brief.

Amenities

  • Outdoor Swimming Pool
  • Garden View Alfresco Restaurant
  • Indoor Dining Room
  • River Deck
  • Lounge
  • Healing Hands Spa with a resident therapist
  • Private Sanctuary Garden
  • Gift And Curio Shop
  • High speed Wifi in all rooms and public areas
  • Reception Staffed Around The Clock
  • Evening Turndown Service
  • Laundry Service
  • Secure Luggage Storage
  • Safari lunch boxes and early departure breakfast boxes
  • Generator Backup Power
  • Room Safe And Wardrobe
  • Mosquito nets on beds and windows
  • Step free rooms reachable by wheelchair
  • Eco Friendly Toiletries
  • Secure Parking

Best for

  • First and last night of a northern circuit trip
  • Families With Young Children
  • Late Arrivals Into Kilimanjaro
  • Birders And Garden Lovers
  • Guests who need a step free room

Wildlife and nature

  • Colobus and vervet monkeys in the sanctuary garden
  • Crowned cranes and yellow billed storks on the lawns
  • Garden birding in mature trees through the grounds
  • Mount Meru and Arusha National Park fifteen minutes away

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

Arusha City

Arriving by air

Light aircraft use Arusha Airport, about 27 kilometres and 40 to 45 minutes from the lodge by road through Arusha.

By road

About 35 kilometres and 40 minutes on the Arusha Moshi road, tarmac the whole way.

On the map

Where it sits.

3.370° S, 36.863° E

What's included

What the rate covers.

Included

  • Accommodation on a full board basis, meaning breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • VAT and government levies, which the contract states are included in the rate
  • High Speed WiFi
  • Evening Turndown Service
  • Mosquito Nets
  • Use of the swimming pool and the sanctuary garden

Not included

  • Anything taken at the property outside the full board arrangement
  • Laundry Service
  • Spa Treatments, From 50 USD
  • Activities arranged by the lodge, and transport to them at 30 USD per vehicle for up to five guests
  • Entry fees for Arusha National Park and any other park visited
  • Compulsory Tanzania inbound travel insurance at 44 USD per adult, in force since 1 October 2026
  • Gratuities and items of a personal nature

Frequently asked

Questions, answered.

Where exactly is Mount Meru Game Lodge?

At Plot 61/7 on the Arusha Moshi road in Usa River, in the Arumeru district east of Arusha. It is about 35 kilometres from Kilimanjaro International Airport and 15 minutes from the Momella gate into Arusha National Park.

How long is the drive from Kilimanjaro airport?

About 40 minutes, tarmac the whole way. The lodge itself quotes 30 minutes and that is achievable off peak, but allow 40 with traffic on the Arusha Moshi road.

How many rooms are there?

Twenty six rooms in freestanding garden cottages, according to the lodge fact sheet of July 2026. Twenty have been fully renovated and six are new builds. We sell them as single, double, triple and family rooms.

What is included in the rate?

Full board, meaning breakfast, lunch and dinner, with VAT and government levies included. Laundry, spa treatments, activities and anything taken at the property outside full board are charged separately.

Do I need travel insurance for Tanzania?

Yes. Since 1 October 2026 every visitor must hold the Tanzania inbound travel insurance, which costs 44 USD per adult. It is not part of the lodge rate and your Expert will tell you how it is paid.

Are children welcome?

Yes. The lodge takes children of any age and prices them from its own contract: under three is free when sharing, three to twelve pays half, thirteen to fifteen pays three quarters. The family cottages are priced for two adults and two children and the lodge confirms the room price covers all four.

Is the lodge suitable for a guest using a wheelchair?

In part. Four rooms built in early 2023 are step free with hard pathways to them, and much of the property is flat. Older cottages have steps. Say so when you book and the lodge will hold a step free cottage.

What are the Wifi and the power like?

High speed Wifi reaches the rooms and the public areas. There is no air conditioning, which at this altitude is rarely missed, and a generator covers the evenings when the town supply goes out.

What is there to do at the lodge?

The sanctuary garden with its monkeys, cranes and storks, the pool, the Healing Hands Spa on the river, the curio shop and the carver workshop by the car park. The lodge also arranges a free cultural walk in Usa River, a coffee plantation tour, forest walks and canoeing at Lake Duluti, mountain biking and a visit to the conservation dog school.

When is the lodge open and what is the weather like?

All year. Usa River sits at about 1,200 metres, so days are warm and evenings cool. March to May is the long rains and November the short rains, when the gardens are at their greenest.

Can I arrive late or leave very early?

Yes. Reception is staffed around the clock, late dining is arranged for guests landing at night, and the kitchen packs early departure breakfast boxes and safari lunch boxes.

How does Savannah and Sands price this lodge?

At the rate Mount Meru Game Lodge publishes, with no markup added. Nightly rates are not shown on this page; build your trip and the full cost appears itemised.

What's nearby

Worth the short trip.

  • Arusha National Park

    Fifteen minutes to the Momella gate, for the Ngurdoto crater rim, the Momella lakes and the only park in the north where walking safaris and canoeing are permitted.

  • Lake Duluti

    A crater lake fifteen minutes away, circled by a forest walk and paddled by canoe, with cormorants, kingfishers and a good chance of monitor lizards along the shore.

  • Usa River cultural walk

    A free walk from the lodge gate to the local market and the SAFI disability workshop, one to two hours, led by lodge staff.

  • Kuru Conservation Dog School

    Two or three hours with the anti poaching dog teams trained near Usa River. Free to visit, donations welcomed.

  • Kilimanjaro Golf and Wildlife Estate

    An eighteen hole course about twenty minutes away, open to visitors.

  • Tarangire National Park

    About two and a half hours by road, baobab country with the densest dry season elephant concentrations in the north.

Nearby

Other places to stay nearby.

Plan this stay

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