Leisurely Tanzania

Take a guided walk around the workings of the coffee plantation to see how the coffee is grown, harvested, dried, and produced into the aromatic coffee that we drink every day, culminating in that all-important coffee tasting!

Tours are an additional cost to accommodation.

The Trader's Walk is a collection of 5 boutique shops and gourmet food places within the ground of Arusha Coffee Lodge showcasing some of the best creativity and ingenuity of Tanzania.

Shanga - A workshop creating gift arts and crafts.
Watch beautiful jewellery, arts and crafts being created out of recycled materials.

Soko - The gift shop
From safari clothing to wonderful keepsakes and gifts.

Jikoni - The authentic African kitchen
An open-to-air restaurant with traditional Swahili food on offer.

The Tanzanite Experience - The jewellery store
Tanzanite Experience specialises in authentic, ethically-mined Tanzanite gemstones and jewellery. Tanzanite, a beautiful blue stone, is said to be a 1000 times rarer than diamonds.

Kahawa - The cafe
A delightful gourmet cafe selling freshly ground coffee and fresh-baked cakes either 'to go' or served on Kahawa's shaded terrace.

Take a picnic lunch and enjoy an excursion to the slopes of Mt Meru where Arusha National Park is located. The park enjoys an abundance of birdlife, and quite a variety of wildlife. The landscape within its relatively small 137km2 is impressively varied and offers some spectacular views.

A day excursion to Arusha National Park is an additional cost to accommodation.

Arusha is a bustling town with one of the fastest growing populations in Africa. Shopping and cultural experiences are on offer, including Masai Markets, the Tanzanite Museum, Museum of Natural History and Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre, plus a variety of boutique gift shops, cafes and restaurants.

City tour of Arusha is at an additional cost to accommodation.

Indulge in a pampering and relaxing treatment at Peaberries. Select from bouquet of treatments, including massages, pedicures, manicures, waxes and facials.

Spa treatments are not included in accommodation price.

There are no better game viewing locations on earth than the Masai Mara and Serengeti.

We believe our converted 4×4 vehicles, expert guides and eagle-eyed spotters are without peer or parallel.

The combination makes any Bushtops safari simply unforgettable. This activity is included in the price for the ground package rate and is not included in the price for those who are paying for the full board package.

You leave Camp at around 6 am for a game drive en route to the walking venue at Wayo near Mara river. The walk takes around one hour and is accompanied by your Ranger and an armed Tanapa (Tanzania National Parks) Ranger, who’s expertise means you can safely approach herds of impala, zebra and giraffe. They will also spot and interpret the animals tracks left from the night before and identify the flora and fauna. All you need is a pair of good walking shoes and a sense of adventure!

After the walk you head back to Camp for breakfast or continue with your game drive.

(Please note that an indemnity form has to be signed before the walk)

Minimum age requirement for children on a walking safari is 16 yrs and above

Charge Per Person is USD 50

It’s a classic moment, immortalized in films, fantasies and a million great safari adventures: watching the sun set over the African bush. There’s simply nothing like it.

You may see a burnished disk slip gracefully from view. If not, the clouds will diffuse an amazing palette of colour, flooding the horizon.

Either way, you’ll be part of an incredible experience which will live on in your mind’s eye, for ever.

Serengeti Bushtops isn’t just the perfect place for a safari: it includes the ideal spot for a sundowner. We call it Simba’s rock. The reason is simple. Simba means lion and our favoured sundowner location is theirs too!

Needless to say, if they are there first, our advance team swiftly detours to prepare one of several alternative options. Usually, though, we’re able to look across the Serengeti plains from Simba’s Rock, watching the sun set on paradise.

Sundowners are private at Serengeti Bushtops, meaning they are exclusive to you as an individual, couple, family or group. The charge is 50 USD per person.

Sundowners can also be enjoyed for free in the privacy of your own luxury tent. Each tent has a sunken lounge or you could enjoy the sunset from your hot tub.

What a way to end the day!

There is nothing quite like soaring high above the herds in a hot air balloon, as the sun rises over Serengeti. If this prospect appeals, and you decide to add a balloon safari to your itinerary, do let us know in advance, so we can arrange a booking with our local hot air balloon operator, based near Kogatende.

You will be picked up from Serengeti Bushtops before dawn, ready to take off as the sun makes its appearance. The flight lasts an unforgettable hour, before your balloon is brought gracefully back to earth – and a celebratory Bush champagne breakfast.

You can then head off on a full day’s day game drive, or return to camp for a more leisurely morning and even a return to bed, to catch up on lost sleep.

Please note that a balloon safari lies outside your Serengeti Bushtops booking and our direct control: you should allow around US$550 per person for the flight.

If you are bringing younger members of the family with you, there's something new and exciting awaiting them at Bushtops. Our Bushcraft Challenge. This introduces youngsters to basic survival skills, local culture, the importance of conservation and (of course) local flora and fauna.

Activities include learning to make fire without matches or a lighter; completing animal spotting checklists (assisted by our rangers); identifying animal tracks and making a memento plaster cast of their favourites (we can even arrange to have a Bronze made out of your cast. This will be sent to you via courier); learning about animal bones; practicing archery; trying out bead making skills; baking Swahili cookies and more!

Completing the challenge leads to a Bushtops Bushcraft Certificate, authenticating unique skills and a sense of real achievement. This activity carries no additional cost.

Education is the greatest gift – and helping out local schools is very much part of the Bushtops way. It’s fundamental to our belief that luxury safaris must go hand in hand with care for the land, its wildlife and the communities who were there long before us.

Our local schools are proud of what we achieve together, so the headmaster or a teacher is always happy to give our guests a tour. In around 45 minutes you get to meet the students, see them in class and note some of the projects we’ve funded, built or worked on.

A visit always creates an unforgettable impression: it’s a captivating experience, seeing how children in less fortunate communities take every chance they can get to learn – creating new opportunities for their future.

To take part in a school visit, just let us know before you arrive. If not, we may still be able to arrange things once you join us. There is no cost.

Picture this: an early morning wake-up call, followed a mysterious drive into the wilderness. Then, as the sun rises and light

floods the landscape, you find yourself in an oasis of tranquility.

You hop from the truck to survey this wonderland. Moments later, your table awaits you. This is your Private Bush breakfast.

It’s highly unlikely that you have ever started the day in such a glorious location, or in such splendid isolation. No fellow diners: just you, our chef and your driver, serving a hot meal and an array of delicious buffet delicacies. A glorious day in the Bush has begun …

We recommend you pre-book your private bush breakfast with us before you arrive. The cost is 50USD per person – but the experience is priceless.

The perfect end to the perfect day: total privacy in your own illuminated corner of the darkening Serengeti. That’s what our Klipspringer dining experience delivers, within a setting of charm and intimacy.

The surrounding rocks, of the sort favoured by local Klipspringer antelope, form a natural amphitheatre, adding intimacy for honeymooners or families (the 130USD cost covers up to six people).

Within this magical haven, lanterns and a bonfire turn beauty into wonder, creating the ideal spot for a sumptuous meal, prepared by our executive chef.

As day turns to night in the Serengeti, has life ever been this good?!

When you visit us, we want you to be exhilarated by the wildlife, but relaxed by everything else. You can book an Aromatherapy or Deep Tissue massage with products from Terres d’Afrique.

As you contemplate the delights of the safari you have just completed or the dinner about to be enjoyed, what better way to let the cares of the world slip from your shoulders? These treatments and massages carry an additional cost.

During a full-day game drive your ranger will find a nice spot under a tree to set up a picnic lunch. Dining in the middle of nowhere with nobody to disturb you except for the noises of animals nearby also enjoying their lunch is an experience one cannot easily forget. This carries no additional cost.

A big highlight of any stay here, the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's most iconic wildlife destinations. The beauty of Entamanu Ngorongoro is that it sits within the Conservation area and only 30 minutes drive from the descent road into the Crater. An early start is highly recommended to enjoy the Crater before the majority of visitors make it in from other camps. You will set off with your guide and a packed breakfast and return to camp in time for lunch. Or, head out in the afternoon and enjoy sundowners on the rim on your way back to camp.

Entamanu Ngorongoro offers guided walks along the rim of the Crater and in the surrounding highlands. You will head out with your guide and a member of the local Maasai community and learn all about medicinal plants, Maasai beliefs, as well as track any local wildlife that has wondered close to camp. Walks are all about soaking up the view at a slower pace and learning to appreciate the little things and they come highly recommended.

Sometimes we drop round to see our Maasai neighbours, who are living a largely traditional life in the boma in the next valley, and still grazing their cattle in the conservation area. It will be just us and them, and a warm welcome, with insights into the pastoral life, from building huts to warrior ceremonies.

Relax on the tranquil shores of Lake Manyara with a drink in hand after the day’s excitement of exploring the bush. Gather your thoughts as you watch the sun set, the first stars appear and the birds come home to roost

Explore the game-rich environment of the breathtaking Tarangire National Park from the comfort of an open 4x4.

Guests of Chem Chem Lodge are welcome to explore the Little Chem Chem Concession for morning or afternoon drives.

To visit Tarangire, choose either a full- or half-day excursion which includes a picnic breakfast or lunch at a private site. Expect vast elephant herds and huge baobabs.

Wake up with the birds and set out for an invigorating morning walk. Hear the bush come alive as the sun warms up the earth and its furred and feathered creatures. Afterwards settle down at the foot of a 3000-year-old baobab and enjoy a well-earned full English breakfast.

Visit one of the schools supported by the Chem Chem Association. Join in an impromptu soccer game with the children, share African songs and dance with them. You can even teach a math, geography or English lesson. Learn from them as they learn from you.

Expand your cultural horizons and enjoy an authentic experience sharing stories and learning about the Maasai - you'll meet Chief Choroko and some of his wives: Sindani, Seeki, Nebulu and Nemburis. Guests are also invited to visit the Barabaig village and gain a truly authentic glimpse their world, a vivid and transformative experience for any visitor.

Discover the wilderness through the eyes of those who have lived it and breathed it for centuries: the Maasai. A warrior will walk with you and a field guide – a rare opportunity to learn how this local population has survived by living in harmony with wild animals for hundreds of years.

Chem Chem welcomes children from 4 years old. They will create unforgettable memories by learning bush skills from Maasai warriors: how to make a fire, use a bow and arrow, throw a spear. A visit to local schools and villages will expose them to different cultures. Children can build a recyclable soccer ball, follow wildlife tracks and decorate safari-themed cupcakes.

Dine in a different location each night. From where to have dinner to whom you share it with, the choice is yours. The evening can be as private as you like or more convivial with other guests. Feel the whisper of the evening breeze as you eat beneath the stars. If you imagine it we can do it.

The sight of thousands of rose-coloured flamingoes at sunrise is a matchless, magnificent sight. Their presence cannot be guaranteed, but if they arrive this is a must-do. Wade slowly towards them in rubber boots or watch from the shore in a safari vehicle with a coffee and snacks.

Let your senses slip into sheer relaxation mode with our small but sumptuous range of indulgent body massages. Drift away into a slumber as you are gently pampered in serene surrounds. And you can get yourself back into top-to-toe shape with a manicure or pedicure.

Glide over the tops of ancient baobab trees as the sun rises, glinting off elephant herds, antelope, zebra, lion. Watch in silence as the world wakes up below you and savor sights never seen before. Enjoy a rustic bush-breakfast after the hour-long flight.

It doesn’t get more romantic than this: an unforgettable wedding ceremony on the shores of Lake Manyara at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment. Chem Chem Lodge offers privacy and beauty for that most intimate celebration. Married already? Renew your vows in a private ceremony that will enhance the moment.