Ritzy Arcadia Cottage

Ritzy Arcadia Cottage is a friendly, good-value guesthouse in Mto wa Mbu, the lively market town at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment, a few minutes from the entrance to Lake Manyara National Park. Simple en-suite rooms are set around a garden with a swimming pool, and the kitchen serves home-style Tanzanian cooking.

It is a practical overnight stop between Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater. Mto wa Mbu itself is worth exploring, with banana plantations, rice fields and a busy market that can be visited on a guided walk or by bicycle.