Manyara Best View Lodge stands high on the Rift Valley escarpment above Lake Manyara, near the town of Mto wa Mbu in northern Tanzania. The view is the reason people come: the lake, the flat valley floor, and distant hills, with Mount Meru visible on a clear morning. This profile covers the rooms, the grounds, the food, and the kind of traveller the lodge suits.
This profile keeps things honest. The lodge has strong points and a few rough edges, and a traveler planning a Lake Manyara safari deserves to know both before booking. Below is a plain look at the setting, the rooms, the pool and dining, and the kind of trip this escarpment top lodge suits best.
Quick orientation: the lodge is roughly a twenty minute drive from the Lake Manyara National Park gate and only about three kilometres from the Lake Manyara airstrip, which makes it easy to reach whether you arrive by road from Arusha or by light aircraft.
The escarpment top location and why the view matters
The single biggest thing to understand about this property is its perch. Most lodges near Lake Manyara sit either down on the valley floor close to the park, or back along the road through Mto wa Mbu. Manyara Best View Lodge instead climbs the wall of the Rift Valley and settles near the top of the escarpment. That height changes everything about the stay.
From up here the land opens out beneath you. The soda lake spreads across the floor of the valley, sometimes pink with flamingo activity, sometimes a flat sheet of pale water depending on the season and the rains. Banana plantations and village rooftops from the Mto wa Mbu area sit in the middle distance, and the great escarpment wall runs off in both directions. The lodge markets itself as the only spot along this stretch of escarpment where you can take in the Rift Valley, the lake, and the far mountains all in one sweep, and standing at the edge of the property it is easy to believe the claim.
That elevation carries a practical trade. The access road climbing up to the lodge is rough. Several guests describe it as stony, uneven, and slow going even by the standards of Tanzanian back roads. A sturdy safari vehicle handles it without drama, and your driver guide will know the route, but do not expect a smooth glide up to reception. The bumpy final stretch is the price of that panoramic Rift Valley view, and most visitors decide it is a fair one.
Rooms and the African style of the stay
The lodge holds a little over twenty rooms, arranged so that most of them face out toward the valley. Reports put the count around twenty three, with the majority sharing the same open outlook you get from the restaurant and the pool terrace, and the remainder still looking across the valley from a slightly different angle. The buildings lean into a traditional African design language, with natural materials and warm textures, while the interiors keep a high standard of comfort and finish.
Rooms come in named tiers, and the naming follows a metals and gems theme rather than plain numbers. Expect categories along the lines of Silver, Golden, and Platinum grades, with a step up to Diamond suites at the top. The suites are where the property shows off. A Diamond suite typically pairs a spacious bedroom with a private balcony, a sunken seating nook, and a small plunge pool set right beside the sitting area so you can cool off with the whole valley laid out in front of you. Several rooms across the tiers include their own private pool or an outdoor shower, and some feature a bush bathtub for soaking with a view.
The rooms draw consistent praise for space and decoration. Guests call them large, well dressed, and comfortable, with private verandas that make it tempting to simply sit and watch the light move across the valley through the day. If you are weighing the best Lake Manyara lodges on room quality alone, the upper suites here compete well.
One honest note on the private plunge pools: they are not heated. In the cooler months around the middle of the year, the water in a balcony plunge pool can sit far too cold for a comfortable dip, so treat it as a warm season feature rather than a year round one.
The infinity pool and the spa
The main pool is the piece guests talk about most after the view, because the two things combine. The lodge runs an infinity pool set on the lower terrace so the water appears to spill off toward the mountains of the Arusha region and the lake far below. Swimming to the edge and resting your arms on the lip while the valley falls away in front of you is the kind of moment people book this lodge for. Photographs of the pool circulate widely, and in person it lives up to them.
Beyond the water, the property runs a spa offering massages and beauty treatments. After a long game drive on dusty tracks, an afternoon massage followed by a slow swim is a gentle way to reset before dinner. A well stocked bar rounds out the relaxation side, pouring local beers, international brands, wines, spirits, and cocktails, and it makes a natural gathering point as the sun drops.
Dining with the valley in front of you
Meals at Manyara Best View Lodge lean on the same asset as everything else. The restaurant and its veranda look straight out over the escarpment, so breakfast, lunch, and dinner all come with the valley as a backdrop. The kitchen works with locally sourced groceries and fresh produce, and the head chef has long experience cooking for safari guests. Expect a mix of international dishes and Tanzanian flavours, served by staff who draw repeated compliments in guest reviews for warmth and attentiveness.
You can take meals inside the elegantly set dining room or out on the veranda and in the garden when the weather is kind. Breakfast tends to be continental in style, and dinners run to a proper multiple course affair. For guests heading out on a full day game drive, the lodge prepares boxed lunches, usually with a choice between a couple of options, so you can eat in the field without cutting your day short. The food earns solid marks overall, with several guests singling out both the quality of the cooking and the friendliness of the service as high points of their safari lodge stay.
Using the lodge as a base for a Lake Manyara safari
Location is where this lodge quietly proves its worth as a safari base. The twenty minute run down to the Lake Manyara National Park gate means you can be inside the park early without a punishing pre dawn start. Lake Manyara itself packs a lot into a compact area: groundwater forest at the entrance, open floodplain, the soda lake with its birdlife, and the tree climbing lions the park is known for. A morning or full day drive from here is comfortable.
The lodge also sits well for the wider northern circuit. Mto wa Mbu is the junction town where the road bends up toward the Ngorongoro highlands and on to the Serengeti, so a stay here fits naturally as a first or last night on a longer loop through the north. Many itineraries use a Lake Manyara base as the gentle opening act before the crater and the plains, and the escarpment position gives you a memorable send off view as you climb away the next morning. If you are comparing where to sleep, it helps to know how the escarpment options stack up against the lodges outside the park down on the valley floor, since each style trades something for the other.
Typical ways guests spend their time from this base: a half day or full day game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, a cultural walk or bicycle outing around Mto wa Mbu village and its farms, an afternoon at the infinity pool watching the light change over the lake, a spa treatment between drives, and sundowner drinks on the terrace as the valley turns gold.
Who this lodge suits, and who might look elsewhere
Manyara Best View Lodge fits travelers who value setting and comfort and want a base that feels like a destination in its own right rather than just a bed near the park. Couples drawn to the Diamond suites with private plunge pools, photographers chasing that valley light, and anyone who wants to swim in an infinity pool above the Rift Valley will find plenty to love here. It slots neatly into a mid range to upper safari plan where a night or two of real comfort matters.
It suits less well the traveler who wants to be inside the park boundary and hear the bush at night, since the escarpment position puts you above and outside the reserve. The rough access road is a genuine consideration for anyone prone to motion sickness on bumpy tracks. And a few guests have felt the rates run ahead of the experience in places, so it pays to match the room tier to your budget and expectations. If pure top end polish is the goal, it is worth reading around the wider field of luxury lodges before you commit.
Practical notes for planning your stay
The lodge is a modern build, opened fairly recently, and runs largely on solar power, which fits its position on a controlled wildlife area edge and its stated support for the surrounding community. Getting there by road from Arusha takes roughly two and a half hours, and the nearby airstrip opens up a fly in option for those shortening travel time. Because the property sits outside the park, you keep the flexibility to arrive and depart on your own schedule without park gate timing pressure.
Pack for cool mornings and evenings at this altitude, especially in the middle of the year, and bring something warm for early game drives. Sun protection matters at the pool given the open, high setting. And if the balcony plunge pool figures in your plans, remember it will be at its best in the warmer months. With those small adjustments, a stay here delivers exactly what the name promises, which is a very good Lake Manyara safari base with a view that guests remember long after the trip ends.
Frequently asked questions about Manyara Best View Lodge
Where exactly is Manyara Best View Lodge located?
The lodge sits high on the Rift Valley escarpment above Lake Manyara, near the town of Mto wa Mbu in northern Tanzania. It is roughly a twenty minute drive from the Lake Manyara National Park gate and about three kilometres from the Lake Manyara airstrip, with Arusha around two and a half hours away by road.
What are the rooms like and how many are there?
There are a little over twenty rooms, reported at around twenty three, most of them facing the valley. They follow a traditional African design with a high level of comfort and come in tiers such as Silver, Golden, and Platinum, rising to Diamond suites. Several rooms include private pools, outdoor showers, or bush bathtubs, and the top suites add a private balcony plunge pool.
Is there a swimming pool?
Yes. The main draw is an infinity pool on the lower terrace that appears to spill toward the lake and the Arusha region mountains. Some suites also have their own private plunge pool on the balcony, though these are not heated and can be cold in the cooler months around the middle of the year.
How much does it cost to stay at Manyara Best View Lodge?
Rates vary widely by room tier and season, so it is best to request a live quote through a tour operator or the lodge directly. As a general guide it sits in the mid range to upper bracket for the area, with the Diamond suites priced well above the entry rooms. A few guests have felt the higher rates run slightly ahead of the experience, so match the room grade to your budget when booking.
Is it a good base for a Lake Manyara safari?
Yes, for many travelers. The short drive to the park gate lets you reach Lake Manyara National Park early without a very early start, and the position at the Mto wa Mbu junction makes it convenient as a first or last night on a wider northern circuit that continues to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Just note the lodge is above and outside the park rather than within its boundary.
What is the road up to the lodge like?
The final access road climbing the escarpment is rough and stony with potholes, and several guests describe it as a bumpy drive even by local standards. A proper safari vehicle handles it fine, but travelers prone to motion sickness should be prepared for the slow, uneven climb, which is the trade for the elevated view.
