Comfort & style

Hatari Lodge consists of three buildings beautifully situated within acacia woodland allowing excellent views of the Momella meadow, rich with wildlife, at a close distance the majestic Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. The oldest building serves as a large central living and dining room where you find a comfortable relaxation and dining area. Sitting around the open fireplace, which Krüger and Mallory enjoyed so much, we entertain our guests with inside information on the flora, fauna and history of Arusha National Park. Enjoy the freshly prepared dishes of international modern cuisine which are served here. There is a long bar, which can be accessed from both inside and out, as well as a small, but informative library. The breakfast terrace, bordered by sweet smelling acacias, offers impressive views of Mt. Meru and Kilimanjaro.

Directly below the terrace lies the Momella clearing, which can be reached via a boardwalk to the viewing platform which offers the opportunity to watch the wild animals at close range, and to enjoy classic sundowners, with Kilimanjaro on the background.

Buffalos and waterbuck feed here regularly and warthogs can be seen digging the ground or mowing the lawn. Water birds enjoy the swampy areas and numerous giraffes including the rare reticulated giraffes feed on the trees surrounding the lodge. The bush babies are also a common sight at night throughout the year and there is a small lake within walking distance, called Silver Lake, where Hippos can be found.

Rooms

Hatari Lodge offers nine comfortably furnished rooms, each with an open fireplace and a spacious ensuite bathroom. Each room has been lovingly furnished and decorated by Marlies Gabriel in the modern retro style, as a tribute to the 60s and 70s – the time of the “Hatari!” movie as well as the beginning of safaris in Tanzania.

WHY HATARI?
The 1960/61 classic Hollywood movie "Hatari", starring John Wayne and Hardy Krüger as members of a professional wild animal capture team, was filmed at the lodge. Hardy Krüger so fell in love with the area that he bought the land and lived here with his family for 13 years. The movie was up for an academy award for Best Cinematography in 1962 – so visitors have not just a tremendous view, but also Oscar nominated scenery...!

The “Hatari Experience”
...can be enjoyed in many different ways. Close encounters with wildlife on game drives or the experience of the rich and diverse flora and fauna on a guided walk; an adventurous canoe trip or simply let the resident buffalo, giraffe and plenty other animals come to you as you relax on the game viewing platform.
Explore the "Little Serengeti" plains in the south, walk to stunning gorges and waterfalls in the north, enjoy the tropical mountain rainforests, experience the diverse fauna and flora along the Momella Lakes with its rich flamingo population and discover the secret haven of the hidden Ngurdoto Crater - nick-named "little Ngorongoro" due to its stunning beauty and rich wildlife. All these highlights are towered by the shining glaciers of Kilimanjaro and the horseshoe-like cliffs and the peak of Mt. Meru – occasionally covered with snow. Arusha National Park is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful destinations in the country.

SAFARI
A variety of half or full-day activities can be arranged to suit the preference of each individual guest to Hatari Lodge, due to its location at Arusha National Park, near to the northern savannah and dry plains of the western Kilimanjaro area that borders Kenya’s Amboseli reserve.
The special combination of Arusha National Park and the South Amboseli region at the seasonal Kilimanjaro Safari Camp will guarantee you a great safari in Tanzania.
Off the beaten safari tracks, a piece of unspoilt wilderness awaits your discovery. 7-night-Hatari-Experience.Hatari stands at the beginning of Tanzania´s Eastern Safari Circuit to offer a unique safari experience to new destinations. With Tanzania´s newest Mkomazi National Park and the tranquil coast of yet untouched Pangani, a fresh alternative to the busy “Northern circuit” is in place. This journey can be rounded off with Zanzibar Stone Towns finest properties for a few days of culture and spice.As a base for longer Africa experiences:
The 2 to 3 weeks Hataril and safari itinerary features a five to seven night HATARI experience around Kilimanjaro from the lush green rainforests of Mt Meru surrounded by craters, lakes and endless savannas to the wide and open spaces of the Tsavo plains in the newly appointed Mkomazi National Park with borders only behind the horizon and stretching out to the Usambara Mountains and ending with a unique beach experience on the unspoiled coast of Tanzania’s Indian Ocean – only a Dhow trip away from the picturesque Stone Town of Zanzibar. Marlies & Jörg have created a safari unique to its kind and off the beaten track, far away from the tourism boom. You'll discover something that you never knew you wanted: solitude, vastness, exclusivity, authenticity and loneliness longing for more.

Enjoy once... and you'll return !

The Lodge is situated at the northern edge of Arusha National Park - the long forgotten secret - in the heart of Tanzania. Measuring roughly 300 square kilometres it combines within its boundaries the vast variety of many other parks in northern Tanzania: craters, lakes, savannah, plains and Africa’s 4th highest mountain!
Arusha National Park is located 29 kilometres east of Arusha city and 45 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport.

The history of Mt Meru is ancient. Momella has been part of it for the last 100 years.
In 1906 Margarete Trappe arrived on an ox wagon from the coast. Her courage and pioneering spirit set the tone when they travelled the picturesque Meru-Pass, at which her new home - Momella - was situated. A big farm was created and built by the Trappe family where they kept cattle, horses and goats and enjoyed the surroundings and the abundant wildlife. The start of the First World War brought a cat-and-mouse game between Margarete Trappe and the English soldiers and earned her the nickname Iron Lady for her stubbornness, strength and courage as she scouted for Von Lettow Vorbeck in his “Ice Cream War” with Frederick Courtney Selous.

Sadly, fate was not kind to Margarete. Disowned and bankrupt she returned to Meru and started rebuilding a new farm called Ngongongare or Yejo’s - her Maasai name. Financial survival was however finally secured by highly profitable trophy hunting after she became the first female professional hunter in East Africa. Fittingly her last tribute was from her beloved elephant herd as they gathered around her house in 1957 when she passed away. Margarete’s son Rolf leased the property to Paramount Pictures as the setting for the classic movie “Hatari”, starring John Wayne. Hardy Krüger bought the property in 1960. He wanted a farm in Africa – a dream came true, for 13 years!
Hardy Krüger’s former home was transformed much later into the small and privately managed Ol Donyo Orok Lodge, which closed in 2002. Today this house is part of Hatari Lodge, and is inhabited by the Gabriel family. Jim Mallory’s former house is now the main building of Hatari Lodge. The name was chosen in memory of the classic Hollywood movie “Hatari”, parts of which were filmed in the immediate surrounding areas.