Great View Lodge

Stay at Great View Lodge and you sleep on the edge of the Rift Valley above Mto wa Mbu, just a few minutes from Lake Manyara. The rooms are named after animals: the Leopard Room sits on the edge of the slope, the Jackal Rooms are meant for couples or friends, and the spacious Pumba Room with its fireplace can take a small group too. Every room comes with a private veranda and Wi-Fi, the kitchen cooks local food, often by candlelight in the evening, and there is a pool as well. Activities range from birdwatching and nature walks to bike rides through Mto wa Mbu and sundowners, after which stories are told around the campfire. Whether you check in as a leopard, a jackal or a Pumba is purely a matter of taste, by the way. All three have a view.