By Everett Potter

How do you define a great safari? It should be an experience that’s life-changing. Two of the most critical factors of any African safari are the game viewing and the lodges. On a perfect safari, they should compliment each other.

I spent a couple of weeks on safari in Tanzania not long ago. I stayed at luxury lodges, mobile camps and rustic camps. What they had in common was that they were all strategically located to maximize wildlife viewing.  After a couple of weeks of happily rattling around in a Land Cruiser looking at wildebeests, lions and elephants, here’s a short list of my favorite lodges:

Hatari Lodge

The great view of snowcapped Mt Kilimanjaro, some 50 miles distant, would alone make it worth staying here. But Marlies and Jörg Gabriel offer a charming and comfortable guest experience as well, and Marlies took me on a brief game drive in adjacent Arusha National Park, introducing me to warthogs, giraffe, Cape buffalo and hippos. This lodge was the backdrop for the John Wayne movie Hatari and  Wayne’s co star Hardy Kruger later bought it and kept it as his farm … continue reading>