Pumba Safari Cottages — Hotel in Bunyaruguru/Kichwambe Volcanic Field

My wife, our 3-year old and I spent one night there. Except for the the view, it is hard to find anything positive about Pumba Safari Cottages.

This place is just very poorly maintained. The staff has clearly never received any type of training on how to host guests.

The rooms are basic and spacious enough but dirty. The bath rug was absolutely disgusting, the toilet seat was broken and dust was to be found all around.

The food was alright but nothing special. It would be a good idea for this hotel to invest in a decent fridge as getting a cold drink was quite a challenge.

Our table in the restaurant was located right underneath a nest with a bird inside meaning "things" were falling into our plates while eating. Looking at what was covering the salt shaker, we could tell the nest had been there for some time...

A bed was removed from a room to make some space when we arrived in the afternoon. The staff decided to leave that bed right there on the terrace outside the cottages instead of putting it in a storage room. It was still there when we left the following morning.

The pictures on Google show a swimming pool. Don't get fooled, the swimming pool does not belong to Pumba Safari Cottages but to the hotel next door. You need to pay extra if you want to use it.

Overall, for 60 USD a night I could understand staying at Pumba Safari Cottages. For the price they charge, this is...

Quite simply awful! I researched where to stay in Queen Elizabeth park and chose Pumba, despite it not being recommended by my tour company. From start to finish it was awful. We arrived at 5pm and there was no-one at reception and the lights were all off. After five minutes two staff arrived and we’re still tucking in their shirts as if they had just woken up and got dressed. I was shown to my room which was basic, lacked any towels and had mosquitos everywhere (including inside the open mosquito net which was open above the bed. The restaurant wasn’t any better - had low lighting and was filled with mosquitoes. Wifi was only available in the restaurant with intermittent connectivity even there - and forget trying to use when others were there as this just caused it to totally fail. My room was the garden room which was noisy due to a room above where you heard the conversation as if the people were in your room.

My guide recommended we leave at 6am to catch sunrise in the game park. Unfortunately no hot water at that time and despite organizing breakfast for 5:45am there was no one available until we left at 6am (when staff arrived with pajamas on).

The only positive was the wonderful staff member called Catherine who was thoughtful and helpful. (And the lodge next door, Elephant Lodge, was amazing and I was warmly welcomed to a wonderful performance...

Pumba Safari Cottages is an absolute treasure! The location is fantastic — right by Lake Manyara National Park — giving you that feeling of being surrounded by nature yet with all the comforts you need.||The cottages are clean, spacious, and thoughtfully designed with everything you need for a comfortable stay. |The hosts and staff are exceptional — warm, welcoming, and always going the extra mile to make sure you feel at home. The food was another highlight: fresh, tasty, and plentiful, with a touch of local flavor.||What we loved most was the peaceful atmosphere — it’s the kind of place where you can truly relax and recharge after a safari day.||Highly recommended for anyone looking for an authentic, cozy, and friendly stay near Manyara. We would...