Tikogu wrote a review on Aug 2, 2020
Korsoer, Denmark
Just loved my stay at The Vijijij Center Lodge – 4 Stars
Stayed for 4 days (3 nights) at The Vijiji, and it wasn’t enough. I want to come back. The staff is amazing, the food is good, the small cottages …. omg! i loved it there. it is an incredible place where you get a lot of value for your money. The garden is also amazing, the pool, and all the small and cozy places around the garden where you can find peace and enjoy life. I was staying here, before my climb up the Mount Kilimanjaro, and i really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.
I can really recommend a stay at this place.
Carolbeebee wrote a review on Oct 30, 2019
Shingle Springs, California
Lovely property, wonderful staff – 5 Stars
Arriving tired and travel-worn, we were greeted with warm washcloths and fresh juice, right in the courtyard. And that’s how our stay went — every single staff member was amazing, friendly, helpful, and very concerned for our comfort and happiness. They went above and beyond! Rooms were clean and comfortable. The property was gorgeous, lush with beautiful paths snaking through flowering shrubs. Lots of birds, lots of squirrels.
Joanna C wrote a review on Jun 25, 2019
Kelowna, Canada
Best safari ever, wonderful people, great food, beautiful grounds… fantastic experience! – 5 Stars
I highly recommend the Vijiji Center in so many ways — both as a place to stay and for a truly memorable safari! The Vijiji Center is off the beaten track, located in a small village near a local market, yet readily accessible to Arusha and nearby amenities. The fully-fenced, two-acre property is gorgeously maintained, and brimming with flowers and trees. The entire facility is wonderfully designed, with lots of spaces to sit in the gardens, relax by the lovely pool, enjoy the restaurant, hang out in the bar (with pool table and TV), or simply enjoy the comfortable rooms, which are designed in an appealing traditional style, yet with all the comforts you can imagine, including a porch with a couch. It’s a perfect place to recharge and relax, yet also serves as a great base from which to organize day trips — from market tours to excursions to artisans’ workshops or wildlife parks — to multi-day safaris to a wide range of national parks. The welcoming staff are friendly and super helpful, and the food is fantastic — I’m still craving Baraka’s carrot-ginger soup and traditional favourites like sukuma wiki! Vegetarians will be well catered for, and my meat-eating friends said their meals were great too. Everyone at Vijiji is so kind and attentive, always aiming to make your stay exactly as you’d hoped, no matter what your needs are. Beyond the lodge itself, however, Vijiji is happy to coordinate a range of activities, and took us on the wildlife safari of a lifetime. We visited Tarangire National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti. Our guides knew the parks wonderfully and we saw not only the “big five” but every animal imaginable, including a rare rhino, lions with cubs, cheetahs, a leopard, zebras, giraffes… it was incredible. Our guides were knowledgeable, respectful of the animals, and really knew where and when to go for the best viewings. Camping with them was a blast and the camp food was incredible too! Both on site and on safari, it was a spectacular trip. Highly recommended!
CarolToulouse-com wrote a review on Sep 16, 2019
France
Highly recommended when going to Arusha – 5 Stars
We (family of four, two kids of 12 and 15 years) travelled for almost five weeks self-driving and self-organised across Tanzania (JUL /AUG 2019). Our trip started and ended in Arusha and brought us to NCA, Serengeti NP, Tabora, Kigoma, Mahale NP, Katavi NP, Mbeya, Lake Malawi, Ruaha NP, Dodoma, Tarangire NP.
The days in Arusha before and after our journey we stayed in Vijiji Lodge. The Lodge is located in a village East of Arusha „downtown“. It is far enough away from the main road so that there is no traffic noise. The rooms can be accessed through the garden, where you might see vervet monkeys, tortoises and different kind of birds, e.g. weavers.
The rooms have a generous size, the beds are comfortable, there is warm water in the bath rooms and everything was very clean.
The most important point is the nice atmosphere of Vijiji Lodge, the kindness and hospitality of the staff and their constant effort to help.
Living in Southern France we are spoiled by French Cuisine. However, we appreciated also the good food in the restaurant, especially the Tanzanian dishes. The food was always prepared with fresh ingredients. The special request of our daughter to have mango pancake for breakfast was realised without hesitation by the friendly chef.
We also very nicely perceived the neighbourhood of Vijiji Lodge, the village around with its very nice people, the local school and, moreover, the little local market behind the lodge where we bought vegetables and fruits.
The pick-up and drop-off at the airport was efficient and good. The rate was fair, compared to other offers we had.
We visited a Maasai Village with a guide from Vijiji Lodge, driving in our own Land Cruiser – it was our wish to see a village not influenced by tourism – it was exactly what was shown to us: off the beaten tracks, no beads and other tourist souvenirs, just the Maasais, their dwellings, their cattle – a very much appreciated cultural experience. A Maasai cattle market was then the cherry on the cake.
Coming back from our tour to Vijiji felt like coming home. When coming back to Arusha one day, we would chose Vijiji again.
Samuel C wrote a review on Oct 1, 2019
An oasis before or after safari
An excellent lodge on the outskirts of Arusha. The highlight of this property is the staff, who are exceedingly welcoming and care deeply about your experience. The rooms are spacious and well-equipped. Has an excellent bar area and nicely kept grounds. The dinner buffet serves regional foods, with excellent soups and desserts. I would highly recommend Vijiji as a jumping off point for the national parks.
MattA21000 wrote a review on Aug 16, 2019
USA?
Vijiji Center – 5 stars
We stayed here for a few nights between climbing Kilimanjaro and going on a 3 day safari, a trip we booked through OneSeed Expeditions. The grounds were beautiful and well-maintained, the staff friendly and helpful, and the neighborhood bustling with local culture. Altogether we had an amazing stay, ate some great food, and were able to relax in between adventures. Vijiji was the perfect place to stay in the Arusha / Moshi part of Tanzania; it literally was the exclamation point on our journey through the country. Huge thank you to Maria and her staff for the hospitality, asante sana!
lindameiners wrote a review on Aug 9, 2019
Muenster, Germany
Last stop before the return flight – 5 Stars
We spent one night at the Vijiji Center before our return flight and really enjoyed the time there. The staff is lovely and the food is tasty and freshly made. Our room was very clean and we liked it very much. The pool was also good for a refreshment. We would recommend the accommodation to everyone, because the price-performance ratio is right. Safaris and excursions can also be booked here, but that was no longer an option for us on the last day.
Catherine wrote a review on Aug 4, 2019
United Kingdom
Lovely oasis with helpful people – 5 stars
Excellent from the moment I booked directly with Sandra at The Vijiji Lodge. She organized our 2 day safari with short notice and we stayed at Vijiji either side of it. Good ‘hut’ style room with great hot shower. Tasty buffet and quiet bar area. I only wish we had spent more time at the Lodge- we were quite late arriving and early leaving on both nights. Excellent staff. It’s about 15 mins drive outside Arusha so allow for that if you want to go to the center or are arriving by bus like we did.
Paris-bg9 wrote a review on Jul 21, 2019
Beautiful lodge in a peaceful area – 5 stars
We had a lovely time here, the staff are very friendly and they were able to organize everything we needed for our trip, we were well and truly beyond satisfied! Great choices for breakfast and delicious dinners in a beautiful setting. All in all we had a great time and are looking forward to coming back soon!
LRBird wrote a review on Jul 22, 2019
Podgorica, Montenegro
Loved the vibe – 5 stars
I stayed at Vijiji for three nights and this wasn’t enough! Wish I could have stayed longer in this little sanctuary. The staff are so lovely and fun to hang out with. See if you can beat Eric at a game of pool!
The food was delicious and they made it so easy with airport transfer and pick up. I finally got to tick off my bucket list witnessing real-life Lion King on safari organized through Vijiji! Highly recommend!
