Outpost Lodge
A safari base offering comfortable en-suite rooms, four-post beds with nets, and wildlife views from outdoor tubs.
The verdict
Pick a traveller type to re-weight the scores and re-rank the rooms around what you actually care about.
Outpost Lodge offers comfortable en-suite accommodation set in a quiet, leafy environment. Guests consistently praise the attentive service, plentiful meals, and unique open-air bathtubs overlooking passing wildlife. However, the erratic municipal water supply is a recurring challenge that can lead to unforeseen shortages. 9436
Every line below traces back to something a traveler actually wrote — open a line to read the original sentence and follow it to the source.
What travelers noticed
- Reviewers agree that the staff are exceptionally friendly and alert, providing warm greetings and helpful travel guidance. drawn from the full read
- Rooms feature comfortable four-post beds equipped with white mosquito nets along with en-suite bathrooms. 1094
- Guests also highlight memorable bathing features, including outdoor showers and tubs positioned to watch elephants and buffalo on the plains. 7
The catch
- While some visitors describe the property as a convenient urban stay within walking distance of the city centre, others frame it as an isolated wilderness retreat where nothing else is accessible for miles. 47
- Some reviewers focus on simple amenities like the swimming pool, TV, and fan, whereas others highlight high-end architecturally designed suites with remote-controlled features. 103
Who it's for
- — Safari travelers seeking wildlife views
- — Visitors looking for quiet, leafy surroundings
- — Guests who value attentive staff guidance
Skip it if
- — Travelers sensitive to potential water supply shortages
- — Guests expecting consistent municipal utility uptime
How to book
No loyalty currency of its own — this one is a cash or card-portal booking.
Score breakdown
How the 80/100 is built, category by category — each one with the strongest thing travelers actually said, and the source it came from.
Bathroom
80- “And more amazing still, you can take a bath in the tub which is perched at the edge of the railing, watching the elephants and buffalo strolling by in the plains below. It felt like we were staying at a honeymoon suite. I can confidently rate The Outpost as my number one favorite bathtub in the world.” 7
- “An enclosed loo is followed by an indoor shower, and then a glorious outdoor shower.” 10
Food
91- “Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in your stay, mainly because there is nowhere else to eat within a hundred miles. You'll be very glad about that, because the food here is top notch and plentiful.” 7
- “Apart from continental meals, soft and heavy drinks this hotel also has got amenities including comfort beds, fan, TV and swimming pool for a guest to extremely relax and feel at home.” 3
Location
79- “Convenient Location - Situated close to Arusha's city center, making it easy to access key attractions.” 2
Room
74- “The Outpost has been the home away from home for many researchers and conservationists from the Society over the years. We have 28 clean and comfortable rooms, all with bathrooms en-suite, satellite tv, safes, fans, mosquito nets, soap, shower gel, shampoo, kettles with coffee and tea.” 9
- “Set in a spacious low density leafy suburb, within walking distance of the city centre, Outpost Lodge offers comfortable rooms all with en-suite bathrooms.” 4
Service
81Bed & Sleep
78Nothing quotable yet on this one — the score leans on the rest of the coverage.
Value
81- “In addition to that, similar to many other lodges in South Africa the lodge also runs permanent special rates for SADC (Southern African Development Community) - the rates are particularly good for last-minute space.” 10
Where it is, how to reach it
Details checked 2026-09-13
Where it sits
Outpost Lodge and the 4 other hotels we cover in Serengeti. Hover a marker for the hotel; click to open it.
Stay value
How this property reads against the hotels we cover alongside it. Measured on review evidence, not on a nightly rate.
On par with what $ usually buys
Scores 2 points below the modest median of 82, across 516 hotels in the same bracket. In Serengeti it sits 6 points below the local median of 86.
- This hotel
- 80
- Bracket median
- 82
- Index median
- 86
Based on 516 comparable hotels.
Which room to ask for
What reviewers say about where to sleep inside this building — by room number where one is named, and otherwise by floor, wing, aspect and position. Every line opens onto the quotes behind it.
No reviewer has yet described a room, floor or aspect specifically enough to act on at this property. Room intelligence appears here the moment they do.
Where travelers agree — and don’t
The topics reviewers split on most. A wide bar means your experience depends on which room you get — or whose opinion you trust.
View the 16 things travelers said behind this verdict▾
Quotes run exactly as travelers wrote them — spelling and all. We trim for length, never for tidiness.
- “Excellent Service - Friendly staff dedicated to making your stay memorable.” 2
- “We had never stayed in a luxury lodge and, after a week of camping, must have looked like a couple of ragged homeless folks who had snuck in through a hole in the back wall. But we were warmly greeted by three smiling employees including the manager.” 7
- “But we were warmly greeted by three smiling employees including the manager. She led us to the bar where our jaws instantly dropped upon seeing the amazing view.” 7
- “The staff at Outpost take an active interest in everyone's well being and offer guidance and advice to ensure a visit to Tanzania is memorable and incident free.” 4
- “Outpost Lodge is the best place of accommodation that offers unique services and has got a very warmly welcome language and behavior for all the staff.” 3
- “Any time you arrive in this hotel expect to find the staff alert ready to serve you.” 3
- “Here there's another warm welcome from the staff and an orientation of the smaller lodge and accommodation, along with an explanation of the daily safari rhythm of two game drives and the dining programme.” 10
- “An enclosed loo is followed by an indoor shower, and then a glorious outdoor shower.” 10
- “And best of all, you can go on a game drive right from your bath tub.” 7
- “And more amazing still, you can take a bath in the tub which is perched at the edge of the railing, watching the elephants and buffalo strolling by in the plains below. It felt like we were staying at a honeymoon suite. I can confidently rate The Outpost as my number one favorite bathtub in the world.” 7
- “Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in your stay, mainly because there is nowhere else to eat within a hundred miles. You'll be very glad about that, because the food here is top notch and plentiful.” 7
- “Apart from continental meals, soft and heavy drinks this hotel also has got amenities including comfort beds, fan, TV and swimming pool for a guest to extremely relax and feel at home.” 3
- “Convenient Location - Situated close to Arusha's city center, making it easy to access key attractions.” 2
- “In addition to that, similar to many other lodges in South Africa the lodge also runs permanent special rates for SADC (Southern African Development Community) - the rates are particularly good for last-minute space.” 10
- “Set in a spacious low density leafy suburb, within walking distance of the city centre, Outpost Lodge offers comfortable rooms all with en-suite bathrooms.” 4
- “The Outpost has been the home away from home for many researchers and conservationists from the Society over the years. We have 28 clean and comfortable rooms, all with bathrooms en-suite, satellite tv, safes, fans, mosquito nets, soap, shower gel, shampoo, kettles with coffee and tea.” 9
What we still don't know
What we can’t tell you yet, said plainly. These close as we read more coverage of this hotel.
- No reviewer has named an individual room number here yet.
- Nothing reliable said about room types.
- Nothing reliable said about floor level.
- Nothing reliable said about building or wing.
- Nothing reliable said about which side it faces.
- Nothing reliable said about view.
- Nothing reliable said about position on the floor.
- Food rests on 2 sources — too thin to rely on.
Ask about Outpost Lodge
Answered only from the coverage cited on this page. If nobody has written about your question, it will say so rather than guess.
How much we read
Deep coverage · 46/100We read 10 sources for this property, and pulled 21 traveler insights worth knowing. Last checked 2026-09-13.
Watch this hotel
We keep reading Outpost Lodge. Tell us when you're staying and we'll follow it until then — you'll hear from us only when the verdict is rewritten, the score moves, or new reviews land. No daily mail, and the watch closes itself after your stay.
Sources
Everything quoted on this page, grouped by traveler insights, outlets, and video & podcast. Counts beside each group show everything we’ve read of that kind; no one kind can carry the score on its own.
4 of 5 summary lines above are traced to specific quotes. The rest summarise the read as a whole rather than any single document.
View all 10 cited sources▾
Everything quoted on this page.
- 2Outpost Lodge Arushaturkanawildlifesafaris.comReview site2025-03-20Recent2 quotes used
“Excellent Service - Friendly staff dedicated to making your stay memorable.”
Read originalturkanawildlifesafaris.com - 10Pel's Post at The Outpost Lodge, Kruger National Park, South ...jaredincpt.comReview site2024-06-07Ageing6 quotes used
“An enclosed loo is followed by an indoor shower, and then a glorious outdoor shower.”
Read originaljaredincpt.com - 5Outpost lodge Arushaexploretanzaniatours.comReview site2022-06-18AgeingRead originalexploretanzaniatours.com
- 9Outpost Lodge Budget Accommodation in Arushalionkingadventures.comReview site2020-05-18Ageing2 quotes used
“Water is a concern countrywide and while we do have plenty of storage, the municipal water supply is extremely erratic and can sometimes cause unforeseen shortages.”
Read originallionkingadventures.com - 4Outpost Lodge, Arusha, Tanzaniamyguidetanzania.comReview site2016-03-03Ageing2 quotes used
“The staff at Outpost take an active interest in everyone's well being and offer guidance and advice to ensure a visit to Tanzania is memorable and incident free.”
Read originalmyguidetanzania.com - 7The Outpost Lodge, Kruger National Park | Travel For Wildlifetravel4wildlife.comReview site2012-08-03Ageing5 quotes used
“We had never stayed in a luxury lodge and, after a week of camping, must have looked like a couple of ragged homeless folks who had snuck in through a hole in the back wall. But we were warmly greeted by three smiling em…”
Read originaltravel4wildlife.com
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