Outpost Lodge

We stayed in mid January and this place was really beautiful with all of the plants and decorations! The hamburger I had for dinner and then breakfast the next morning was really good! The bed was good and the shower was wonderful! The gift shop has nice clothes to buy. We did not use the pool, but one of our tour group said it was really nice. Air quality during this time of year wasn't too bad. Staff was very friendly!

I stayed at this hotel for a total of 3 nights as it was booked by the tour company I was with, so I didn’t have a choice of hotel. On the last day, my friends and I had a free day in Arusha and we chose to hang out at the hotel for the day rather than going into town as we wanted a day to relax and had already seen lots of the city. The hotel is located off of a fairly busy road and there is a strong smell of exhaust and fumes almost constantly. You can even see it in the air. This made sitting by the pool really not enjoyable as the pool chairs are against the fence beside the road. Traffic noise can also be very loud.

The rooms were small but comfortable, small bathrooms but 1 only small bar of soap, no fan, poor water pressure and no amenities. Beds were really hard but it was comfortable and we slept well. Coverings were too heavy for the time of year. Good mozzie nets, key wasn’t easy to turn in the lock. The food was average but service was very friendly.

We ended up spending three nights here, after flight schedules required being in country two more nights than originally expected. We asked our guide to swap out one night at a higher-end location for three nights elsewhere for the same total price. We asked for a place in town within walking distance of the main area that is clean, safe and quiet.
Outpost Lodge is all of those. It was about a 60 minute drive from Kilimanjaro airport, and 30-35 minutes roughly from Arusha airport. We arrived a bit before 9 pm our first night and were able to get dinner. The food was good for dinners and breakfasts, and service timing met our needs. Our guide told us that a security company with dogs had moved, so past concerns in Trip Advisor about dogs barking at night were no longer a problem. It was quiet our first two nights. We heard a couple of dogs our final night but it was short-lived and did not disrupt sleeping.
The staff are warm, friendly and work hard to keep the grounds and rooms clean. Our toilet the first two nights didn’t flush so well, so we ended up using the trash for the toilet paper to reduce the stress on the toilet. However, our toilet on return worked very well, sometimes with two flushes. We realized it might have been our error the first two nights as we learned on safari (at least in the camps) that flushing twice in a row was what was recommended as it was really the second flush sometimes that seemed to make everything work right.

Staff is nice, the restaurant food average, rooms are old, needs a face lift. Rooms can get really cold and there are no heaters.
If you come here just to sleep one night it would be OK, but it’s not a place to hang out and spend the day. Lots of traffic noise.

I stayed at Outpost Lodge in Arusha and had two different rooms during my stay. The experience was mixed, but mostly disappointing. Here’s a breakdown:
❌ Negative points:
-No air conditioning, which made the nights uncomfortable.
-Showers with inconsistent water pressure and unreliable hot water.
-One room was extremely damp — even the bed felt wet.
-Visible mold on the mattress and on the shower walls.
-Strong smell of mildew throughout the room.
-Laundry service is very expensive, though that seems to be common in Tanzania.
-Staff sometimes tried not to return change, and once I was charged illegal card fees, which are not allowed in Tanzania.
✅ Positive points:
-Great location, close to the center of Arusha.
-Located on a quiet street, so it's peaceful at night.
-The food is decent, nothing special but okay.
-The staff are generally kind and helpful, despite a few issues mentioned above.
Conclusion:
I would not recommend Outpost Lodge. There are better places to stay in Arusha.

What a lovely adventure, with a warm reception and friendly staff. We felt like family. Thank you for your hospitality.

I stayed at the Outpost before and after safari. The staff was warm and welcoming. Breakfast and coffee were great. Returning after 7 days of safari felt like coming home. The staff was very helpful in our stay, always helping with luggage. Service overall was personal, yet professional.

Interesting old lodge with history. Now awaiting new blood to upgrade it for the next generation. For some obscure, long lost in the past, reason Wi-Fi does not extend to the rooms, this might have been quaint some time ago, but given that most of the guests are today's young travellers, it really is time to put this querk into the history book.

Nice place to stay in Arusha — although we wouldn’t have stayed here if it wasn’t included in our safari package. Rooms are a bit overpriced for what you get, but good restaurant and location.

I stayed here twice — before and after my safari — and both stays were so memorable. This is truly a beautiful, unique, quiet hotel, surrounded by greenery. The beds and bathrooms were far superior to what I expected with a 2-star hotel and the restaurant was FANTASTIC. If I ever return to Arusha, this is definitely where I will be staying.

The complex is very beautiful and you can relax comfortably in the restaurant or by the pool. There is some noise from the street now and then.
10-15min walk to the city center.
The prices in the restaurant are a bit above average in my opinion. The breakfast is varied. The rooms are clean. Unfortunately only cold showers in the morning. The staff is very very friendly.
There is a large German Shepherd living in the complex. He seems very peaceful. However, I don't like dogs and was initially "shocked".
Unfortunately there is no Wi-Fi in the rooms, only in the restaurant and at reception and even there it is not constant. As we had to plan our further trip, this was very annoying. Therefore unfortunately I cannot recommend this accommodation if you are traveling on your own.
What we found strange: When we arrived, we asked at reception for directions to the city and the Tanzanite shop. Both were roughly explained to us. A short time later there was a knock on the door and the lady from reception told us that a man was there who was on his way to the city anyway and could give us a ride. So we went with him and he showed us the Tanzanite shop. After we finished there, he was still there and said he was going to the market and if we wanted to come with him. We went with him. After the market, we wanted to go to a cafe because we wanted something to eat. At this point he asked for money for the tour. After a short discussion, we gave him 10 USD.

It was a nice hotel with good dining and bar area and good menu. Very nice breakfast. Very friendly staff.
They also did our laundry for a cheap prize. It was very convient for us after climbing Kilimanjaro. 🙌
We love Tanzania!
Best Regards.
Puk, Olivia and Emilia from Denmark.

Great place to stay at the kickoff of a safari. Felt very authentic and the people working there were fantastic, attentive and friendly.
There is a pool, full bar and restaurant. Menu slightly limited for lunch/dinner.
Bring your refillable water to the bar for discounted refills of water!
Rooms felt very quaint and authentic! Shower was great after travel!

Very cool place to enjoy some time in Arusha. Great location and easy to access from the airport. We truly enjoyed our stay and slept very well. The breakfast was nice and we met some nice people. All in all a very good place to socialize and to get some good rest. What more do you need? We can highly recommend the place.

Beware the scam that "… the card machine doesn't work. … pay cash (now please). "
Suggest the cash goes to the night desk manager; possibly defrauding the owner. Happened three times to me over some weeks.
Morning desk manager is fine, as the card machine works for her.
Food fine. But rooms are a little tired.

I have returned to the Outpost Lodge several times over the years, and I was happy to find that it is still as good as ever. The staff are efficient, reliable, and friendly. The rooms are simple, but have everything you could need. The food was of high quality, possibly even better than in times past. I highly recommend!