Where to eat, stay and play in Northern Tanzania

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By STEPHANIE BELINGARD FOR YOU MAGAZINE Updated: 06:00 10 Oct 2026

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Sundowner spot The city of Arusha is the gateway to safari country and the start point for Meliá hotels’ Once Upon A Life itinerary, taking in Tanzania’s most unmissable sights, three five-star stays and plenty of great food. Gran Meliá Arusha’s rooftop bar is the place to watch the sun set over Mount Meru; then be sure to order the Swahili octopus stew.

Posh picnics A three-hour safari car ride away, Ngorongoro Lodge is the Out Of Africa dream. Its Bush Lunch experience (from £180pp) is suitably stylish: set up inside the Ngorongoro Crater and served from a portable kitchen. The charred prawn and mango salad, mishkaki beef skewers and Nile perch were highlights.

Under the stars At Meliá Serengeti Lodge, five hours to the north by Jeep, the bush dinner comes with a Maasai escort. Or back at the hotel, enjoy fine dining on the terrace at restaurant Boma (above).

Cup of calm Just an hour’s drive from Kilimanjaro airport, Gran Meliá Arusha is set amid 18 acres of coffee and tea plantations, with river and mountain views (above, from £338 per night, melia.com). It’s the perfect place to relax poolside while sipping on a local beer.

Luxe lodgings Located on the rim of the 600m-deep caldera, Ngorongoro Lodge (from £719 per night, melia.com) is a stunning mid-century African Modernist building. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer dramatic views, alive with wildlife – keep an eye out for night visitor Mumford, an elderly buffalo.

Maasai magic Meliá Serengeti Lodge (from £522 per night, melia.com) is in the Serengeti National Park, with an infinity pool overlooking the savannah. Rooms are inspired by Maasai traditions; and each has a terrace allowing you to marvel at the surrounding landscape.

Art with purpose Need a memento? While in Arusha, seek out Sanaa, where artisans with disabilities create homeware from recycled waste. Keep space in your suitcase to bring a piece home – the glassware is a favourite (sanaasana.com).

Into the crater At 100 square miles wide, the Ngorongoro Crater is the largest volcanic crater in the world and a Unesco World Heritage site. It feels like the Garden of Eden – on the hotel’s game drive (above, from £289pp) we saw zebras, lions, elephants, black rhinos, giraffes and more, with our guide Alex.

Take flight A 4am start for a Serengeti balloon safari is brutal but worth it. Watch the sun rise and the landscape awaken as you drift above wildebeest and grazing hippos. Landing brings a champagne toast and a bush breakfast (£455pp, balloonsafaris.com).

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