Kiota Jungle — Hotel in Dar es-Salaam

My husband and I stayed at this hotel a total of 3 x's during our 2+ week safari vacation in Africa. Kiota Jungle provided the flawless, coordinated links we required between arrival and departure flights for 3 separate safari camps and to/from our international flights home. No matter what time our arrival or departure (2:30AM, 3:45AM, noon, etc..)Simon was waiting for us. Each time it was the same; a quick "hello" then he grabbed our bags and escorted us to the air conditioned Toyota van. Breakfast was provided at whatever time worked for us...We also ate lunch and dinner at KJ twice-delicious, fresh, and some of the best food we had in Africa! When making my booking, I mentioned that I had some food allergies. No problem! each meal was perfect! Evidently, KJ is very popular with locals for weddings and parties as there was an event going on 2 of the 3 times we were there. We were told the event would end by 7pm, and it ended exactly on time. In addition, Yusuf, the manager stopped by to inquire if the music was too loud. If it was, he would tell them to turn it off! We were not bothered at all and the area our room was in was a bit separate from the pool area where the festivities were taking place. The room was clean, air conditioned and had a private bath. The final evening we stayed at KJ we were unable to get hot water for a shower. Yusuf quickly changed our room to one they had available across the hall and there were no other problems. Imagine my surprise when I received my bill and found he had discounted the room rate to make up for the smaller size of the second room! Simon, Yusuf, and all the staff we did not personally meet did a fabulous job and made our travel hassle free! If returning to DAR, we would definitely stay...

Firstly, given the traffic in Dar, if you're only in the city for a short time then it is absolutely worth staying at Kiota for the convenience alone. Even if you are around for a few days (as I was) then Kiota Lodge is a fantastic option, and one I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone travelling to the city.||||Mama Kiota was fantastically responsive to my emails and the whole reservations process went extremely smoothly, and the welcome I received when I arrived was brilliant. I was 'warned' that there was to be a pool party on the Thursday I arrived and that it would be a bit noisy until 10pm sharp when it would shut down. It was a fantastic insight into a bit of Dar life that i wouldn't otherwise have seen - it felt safe, and fun and, as Mama Kiota promised, it died down dead on 10pm.||||Yussuf, the manager, was absolutely great and was constantly available to make sure everything was in order and running smoothly with my stay. Simon was also wonderful, and helped arrange a pick-up at the airport for my wife, and a drop-off for us at the domestic terminal the next day.||||The rooms are lovely and comfortable, clean and secure. The food (and dinner, in particular) is great. It's hard to picture it when you're driving to Kiota through the local neighbourhood, but the setting is lovely, with trees and greenery and all manner of domestic animals dotted around.||||In summary, a fantastically welcoming place, with a great staff, which is well located for those with only a day or so in Dar between...

I had about a 5/6 hr layover in Dar and had read it was not the best airport to have such a long layover in. I read about Kiota and contacted them. Yussuf replied quickly and set up transport to meet me at the terminal and a room and offered a meal (even a vegetarian one for me). Its located nearby, nestled back in a garden. The room was clean, had aircon and free bananas and 1.5L of water on the bedside table which was a nice touch. The bathroom was clean and the shower had good shower pressure-just make sure to turn the water heater switch on for awhile before you hop in! There was a list of numbers (emergency or no) and a torch just in case. Unfortunately the wifi was not working that night-thats my only gripe.|| Lastly, the meal....holy moly. I requested a vegetarian meal and it was one of the best, if not THE best food I ate in my entire 2.5 weeks in Tanzania. I had 5-6 small sides of various Tanzanian dishes that blew my mind. I was not expecting this and it was well worth the $8 I paid for it. || Overall- having a clean room, shower and amazing meal before 24hrs of travel is well worth the average amount I paid to stay here. I highly recommend Kiota Jungle -thank you...