Boutique hotels in Tanzania

Tanzania offers two kinds of trip that fit together naturally: a safari across some of the largest wildlife areas on earth, and a few days on the warm Swahili coast. The best small hotels follow that split, from canvas camps where a handful of guests share a plain with migrating wildebeest to merchant houses in Stone Town restored room by room.

Safari country

The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater make up the classic northern circuit, with Tarangire's elephants and baobabs and Lake Manyara's forested escarpment close by. Arusha is the gateway, and the farmland around Karatu holds some of the country's most characterful lodges. Further south, Ruaha and Nyerere are wilder and quieter, with small camps that specialize in walking safaris and boat trips along the Rufiji River. Mahale, on Lake Tanganyika, is a remote base for chimpanzee tracking.

Zanzibar and the islands

Stone Town's labyrinth of lanes is full of former merchant houses turned into small hotels, many with rooftop terraces over the harbor. The beaches of Nungwi, Matemwe and Paje are a short drive away, while Mnemba, Pemba and Mafia Island offer diving, reefs and the kind of seclusion you rarely find on the main island.

The mainland cities

Dar es Salaam is a working port city with a handful of stylish hotels, and Moshi and Arusha work well as comfortable bases before or after climbing Kilimanjaro or heading out on safari.

When to go

The dry months from June to October are best for wildlife, and the Serengeti's river crossings usually peak between July and October. January and February are good for the calving season in the south. Zanzibar is pleasant from June to October and again in December and January, while the long rains in April and May close some camps.