I stayed in 3 very different lodges during my 5-day safari. Here’s what each place was like, from glamping in the savannah to a farmhouse on a coffee plantation

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• On a recent five-day safari in Tanzania, I visited the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire.
• With so much traveling, I ended up staying at three luxury lodges, each with a different flavor.
• In one, I stayed in private huts overlooking a salt lake; another had luxury tents on the edge of the Serengeti; and the third was in a converted farmhouse on a 500-acre coffee farm.
• The entire safari from African Budget Safaris cost $2,500 a person, including lodging, food, park passes, and a guide, which was a bargain considering the quality of the experience I got. 

Even at their cheapest, safaris are expensive. Leave out the long flight to eastern or southern Africa and the trip will still cost a few thousand dollars a person at a minimum.

For my safari to Tanzania a few months ago, I ended up booking a trip with African Budget Safaris and Tanzania Experience. They fashioned a five-day itinerary through Tanzania’s northern circuit, which includes the Serengeti, one of the most famous safari destinations in the world.

I was both ecstatic and slightly worried when they told me the price would come to $2,500 a person all-in. I’m talking food, lodging, guide, and park passes. It may sound like a lot, but when most of the safaris I was finding were $5,000 or up, the price felt suspiciously low. The last thing I wanted while on safari was to be staying in a leaky tent swarmed with bugs or eating cornmeal for dinner for days. 

Thankfully, in this case, my worries were misplaced.

The tour operator booked me at lodges all run by Tanganyika Wilderness Camps, a company that runs locally owned safari lodges. While they weren’t exactly the Four Seasons, they didn’t need to be: Each was beautiful in its own way.

Here’s what it was like to stay there.

My safari started at Tarangire National Park, which spans 1,100 square miles of swamps, savannah grasses, and baobab trees. It is the best place in the country to see elephants. As we drove through, we came upon herd after herd of elephants.

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My first lodge was a short ride from Tarangire at Lake Burunge Tented Lodge. When I arrived, they offered glasses of cold hibiscus juice. It was very refreshing after driving all day in a hot, dry car.

Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider

Source: Tanganyika Wilderness Camps

The main part of the lodge was a central dining pavilion with a deck and a lounge area for cocktails and Wi-Fi.

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See Also:

• These are the 10 hottest destinations billionaires are flying to via private jet this summer
• I went on safari in the Serengeti and the most unforgettable sight of the whole trip had nothing to do with lions, cheetahs, or leopards
• My safari guide told me we saw more animals in 5 days than most people do on 10-day trips. It comes down to a simple planning strategy all safari-goers should follow.

SEE ALSO: I spent 5 days on a Tanzanian safari and saw wild lions, elephants, and rhinos — but it made me realize there are 2 factors that can make or break your trip

DON’T MISS: I forgot to pack 2 obvious accessories when I left for a 5-day African safari, and the mistake nearly ruined the entire trip

Source: Business Insider – hjacobs@businessinsider.com (Harrison Jacobs)