TAASA Lodge — Hotel in Arusha

We arrived at Taasa with high expectations after reading reviews and following them on social media for a few months leading up to our trip, and yet somehow the Taasa experience surpassed those expectations. Taasa Lodge is absolutely incredible and we cannot wait to go back someday!

From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel like family --- every guest is greeted by staff singing a very catchy welcome song in Swahili. We arrived in the late afternoon, so we were taken immediately to lunch before the assistant manager, Melissa, met with us to get to know us and orient us to the beautiful space. We also met our server/butler for our stay, Wilson, who made sure our beverages were always full and was readily available with a friendly "Jambo!" anytime we needed anything. Every member of the staff is always smiling and ready to make sure you're having the best day --- they even surprised us in setting up our own private lunch table outside one day (among other surprises I won't ruin!).

The lodge itself is absolutely beautiful. It's situated just outside the Serengeti gate on its own private reserve, and the actual tents are on the side of a mountain, so the main area and each tent has a gorgeous view of the plains and the nightly sunset. The rooms, though they are technically tents, feel like anything but --- a comfortable bed (with a turn down service that provides a hot water bottle to warm it up on cool evenings!), a cozy couch overlooking the Serengeti, and plenty of other small touches (a box of cookies, a small bag of exercise equipment, etc).

As for the experience, access to the private reserve allows for a very unique safari experience since we didn't have to worry about staying on the roads or following the park hours. We had the opportunity to work with a few different driver/tracker pairings (Logo/Seketo, Dominick/Loyo, Erick/Ruben), who were all very knowledgable and ready to go out of their way to make sure we got close to the animals. It was so cool to watch them use all of their senses to locate animals --- watching how the prey was acting, listening for the leopard's roar, smelling a recent kill. We also really enjoyed our night safaris --- on one, we got to see a lion and a leopard interacting in the same place!

We didn't really have high expectations for the meals, which turned out to be absolutely delicious! Each lunch and dinner came with three courses: soup and bread, our choice between a meat or vegetarian entree, and a dessert, and we really enjoyed every single meal.

We booked our stay at Taasa Lodge through our travel company, Roane Travel, who were amazing to work with and made sure our entire trip was flawlessly coordinated.

If it's not clear from the paragraphs above, I could rave for literally hours about how wonderful Taasa is. It's truly an unforgettable, magical place to have an experience that you will...

🦓 TAASA Lodge – Heartfelt Luxury and Unforgettable Experiences|⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️||TAASA was the lodge that touched our hearts the most. The staff were phenomenal—Gabriel (our butler) made us feel like royalty, and May (the lodge director) ran a smooth, friendly, first-class operation.||Our suite was beautiful but very open—open sinks, open toilet, open wardrobe... so just be sure you really like whoever you're traveling with. That said, the room had an incredible view over the Serengeti, and the sunsets were jaw-dropping.||Highlights at TAASA:||Best welcome: greeted every time with songs, drums, and joy.||Best drinks: hands down, best alcohol selection and bottomless pours.||Best bush dinner: they were the only lodge that surprised us with a full dinner out in the bush—complete with lanterns, cocktails, and a sky full of stars.||Best surprise: my birthday celebration! They drove me to a hilltop where drinks and appetizers were waiting, followed by a performance by 15 local Maasai dancers. I’ll never forget it—absolutely magical.||We also loved the village visit—no pressure to buy anything, just genuine interaction. We met locals (including our guide’s mom!), visited a school with over 700 students (TAASA built two of the buildings), and saw how the lodge gives back to the community. It was meaningful and uplifting.||And let’s not forget: we witnessed a wildebeest river crossing here (with crocodiles!). It was a long 500+ km day, but one of the most memorable experiences...

Logo, Sangida, Wilson, Melissa, Melau… it is hard to put into words how amazing our stay at Taasa lodge was. From the moment we were picked up at the airport, the game drives started, with lions, zebras, giraffes and more. Logo did an excellent job explaining different facts about the animals where Sangida was always finding our next discovery. The process of the drive was impeccable, if you asked to see a leopard, they found it. Logo and Sangida quickly became family spending our mornings and evenings with them driving around. Each drive was distantly unique and memorable, from the beverage breaks to the breakfast and lunch set ups.

Back at the lodge Wilson helped us relax. During our five days at Taasa, he made each meal special. He set up drinks with bon fires, special dinners under the stars and truly attended to any request we had. He ensured our laundry was done, shoes cleaned, and that we woke up with our favorite beverages. He never missed a beat, we truly felt like we were the only ones at the lodge being looked after. He added an element of home every time we went back to the lodge being greeted with towels and beverages,

As our first safari ever, Taasa is the best place to start. You see all of the animals you could imagine and have an amazing time at the lodge and with the staff.

Taasa has everything you need from shaving kits to Advil. The lodge and experience was truly magnificent.

We cried saying goodbye to our best...