Jungle Pearl Resort

Jungle Pearl Resort sits in Mto wa Mbu, the market village on the floor of the Rift Valley where the road up to Ngorongoro, the Serengeti and Tarangire begins, and it makes the most of a location on the corridor of Lake Manyara National Park. The place was built by hand with the local community and the craft shows: sculpted thatch roofs over curved walls, reed screens, polished plaster and locally made furniture, all set under banana palms and shade trees. Accommodation is deliberately varied. Maasai bomas of about 30 square metres suit couples, the Round House and Garden House take three to five guests with their own kitchens, the 200 square metre Farm House works for families or groups of up to twelve, and canvas tents tucked into the trees give a proper campsite feel with real beds nearby. Days wind down at the outdoor pool, in the round Moroccan lounge, around the fire boma, or at the long communal table under the thatch, where the kitchen leans on the farm and the village for produce, goat cheese and fresh milk. Village walks, cycling, Maasai cultural visits and Lake Manyara day trips are arranged at reception, which makes this a comfortable and characterful base for a night either side of a long day in the parks.