Rivertrees Country Inn — Hotel in Arusha

My wife and I stayed one night at River Trees in late September 2025. It was our last night in Tanzania before flying out the following day. We were with three other colleagues. W e had just returned from a safari in the Serengeti, and we were looking forward to some comfortable accommodation after hot, dusty and bumpy roads encountered on safari.||River Trees is set in a very nice forested garden alongside a babbling river, the cabins are well-appointed and the numerous staff were very attentive.||On the face of it, all seemed fine for what should have been an excellent last night in Tanzania. But lurking out of sight was a terrible threat to the health and safety of all travellers who venture there. I contracted serious gastroenteritis at River trees, possibly from the complimentary fruit juice offered to all guests on arrival and again at departure. In a hot climate, a free cool drink seemed highly desirable, but I paid a heavy price, with no control of bowel motions for the next 6 days and still ongoing, in spite of numerous diarrhoea pills and capsules taken since my River Trees visit. ||Facing nearly 48 hours travel on four long flights to get home, it was a journey to hell and back. Thank you River trees for nearly killing me!||I don't recommend that anyone who values their health and safety goes to this place until they improve their standards of cleanliness, in spite of the superficial charm and serenity of the establishment.||One of my other colleagues who went to River Trees on the same trip...

Lovely Property, But Pricy

We were able to afford to stay here for one week due to COVID prices in December 2020; its price point since then is out of reach for regular travelers, such a s myself. Tanzania’s prices have always been a mystery to me; the philosophy seems to be “squeeze the tourists for all you can” instead of thinking long term and seeking referrals and return guests. Properties would rather stand empty than bring their prices inline with what is charged even in developed countries.

Nevertheless, the property is lovely and one of the few in TZ that meets western standards. I don’t understand why they don’t capitalize on the von Trapp family history here (according to their website, the property was once a coffee farm of Martina and Richard Trapp). Most Westerners are fans of The Sound of Music. I asked this question of the manager and he seemed indifferent. Too many places here deliver the same"Safari-ish" experience, and that would set it apart. Many travelers are history buffs and would appreciate hearing about that.

If you’ve spent time in Tanzania, you know the rarity of a consistent hot shower and wifi. River Trees offers both and it's truly a lovely place to stay. However, these days we come for dinner instead of a...

Like many we ended up at this hotel as part of a larger trip as our stay prior to departing Arusha. The property itself is decent given its location but we would not recommend staying here. The service both at lunch and at dinner was challenging, with not only slow service but the food quality was not lacking. It took us asking four times and 2 different people for us to get water at our table. If we hadn't been increasingly assertive I am not sure we ever would received water. Other areas you should be aware of; staff rolling their eyes when I asked about getting boxed breakfasts the next morning, they agreed but unsurprisingly there were no boxes ready when we checked out. Upon. check-out they repeatedly tried to charge us for items we didn't purchase and even after we got that settled, they punched in a higher amount into their credit card terminal. The property lost power multiple times which included no running water since the pumps shut off. I fully understand this can happen, but a heads-up from them would have been nice so we were prepared, if/when the power shut off. ||While it is a transient hotel for most that are coming for safaris, the basics just weren’t up to par with other popular options...