2Teach2Travel: Lions & Leopards & Cheetahs, oh my!

We stayed in 4 different accommodations during our trip. Two were lodges that are owned by our booking company. Two were tent camps inside the parks. ALL of them were very luxurious (compared to what we are used to). We were greeted upon arrival by staff who gave us damp cloths to wipe our face and hands as well as a refreshing glass of juice. We also had our bags carried into our rooms and met with the "manager" for a tour of what the "resort" offered - pool, facilities, and dining.

There wasn't any air conditioning, but each of our rooms had fans and a nice breeze. Since Tanzania is south of the equator, their seasons are opposite to what most of us are used to. It is still close to the equator, so there isn't a huge range of temps. All of our beds also came with mosquito netting that was pulled around the bed each evening while we were at dinner. Bush babies (hot water bottles) were placed in our bed and kept our toes warm all night (66°) at our lodging in the Serengeti!

Both of our stays outside the park included pools. All of our rooms, including the tents included full bathrooms with showers. They provided bottles of filtered water in our rooms because we were advised NOT to drink or brush teeth with the tap water.

Each of our stays came with "Full Board" which means that every meal was included in the cost. Breakfast was usually a buffet with assorted breads and fresh fruit, cereal and yogurt as well as an egg station that would make eggs to order along with bacon and sausage (we didn't care for the bacon and found it a bit chewy and mostly unsalted).

Lunch was typically a boxed lunch that our accommodation provided for us so that we wouldn't have to return in the middle of a game drive. It consisted of a juice box, fresh fruit (apple/banana), a main and side, and something for dessert. One of our best mains was spaghetti bolognese. one of the strangest included a bun with butter and a couple of thin carrot slices????!

One day we were able to come back to our accommodation and have a "Hot Lunch". This consisted of a choice of cannelloni with a savory fruit/veg salad. Usually you would have to leave a park and drive a ways to get back to your accommodations to have a hot lunch, so it often doesn't make sense.

Dinner was a 3 course meal that we pre-ordered each day. Often the first course was soup, a really nice main, and then dessert. If you want anything to drink with a meal, I believe coffee and tea are included (and often juice at breakfast), but anything else, including water costs extra. At the end of your stay, when you check out, you will be asked to pay for the extras. *see post on Tips and Extras