Karatu Taxi Service

Kararu taxi Service : Welcome to Serengeti trips Tanzania, your trusted choice for reliable transportation in Tanzania and also beyond. If you’re looking for a dependable and practical Karatu taxi service, look no more. Established in 2016, Serengeti Trips Tanzania has actually been actually proudly offering the neighborhood for a long time, delivering a remarkable alternative to traditional Karatu taxi service.

Welcome to Karatu taxi service, your trusted choice for reliable transportation in Karatu and also beyond. If you’re looking for a dependable and practical Karatu taxi service, look no more. We been actually proudly offering the neighborhood for a long time, delivering a remarkable alternative to traditional Karatu taxi services.

Karatu Guide

Karatu, at a glance

Karatu is a small town in the Arusha District, perfectly located on the borders of Lake Manyara National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, giving it the nickname ‘Safari Junction’. It is often used as a quick stop over in-between safari trips or as a cheaper accomodation option compared to staying on the rim of the Crater and within Lake Manyara National Park. If you only see it as a stop over though, you might miss out on some amazing cultural tourism and outdoor action! If you have a few more days, check out what Karatu itself has to offer, giving you a break in between safaris.

How to get to Karatu

Karatu is within the Arusha District. It is best reached by car or bus from Arusha. The 150 km on a decent road will take just over two hours. The international airport for Arusha is Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO), about 45 minutes away from the city.

A cheaper option is to take a bus or dala dala. This can take up to three hours and should be between 5000-7000 Tsh. These can often get crowded and for the cheap price you often miss out on comfort. It is generally advisable to take a bus that arrives before night falls for safety reasons.

If you are willing to splurge a bit more money, a small plane to the Lake Manyara airstrip is also recommendable. Coastal Aviation and Air Excel both fly from Arusha to Manyara for around 100 US$ as a stopover on their way to the Serengeti. Watch out because this flight is most likely leaving from Arusha Airport, a small local airport, rather than Kilimanjaro Airport, which you might have arrived from via an international flight. From the Manyara airstrip, it is about a 30 minute drive to Karatu, either by taxi or through a transfer arranged by us.

When to visit Karatu

Karatu can be visited all year around, but as you will normally be visiting Karatu in combination or as as a base for safaris in the adjacent National Parks, it is best to stick to the dry season from June to October.

Due to the Ngorongoro Crater’s special geography, animal sighting is good all year around but from June to October the grass is shorter, making it easier to spot animals. This is also true for Lake Manyara, although both parks become beautifully luscious and green in the wet season.

Especially Ngorongoro Crater can get very crowded in the dry season, so you might find it a bit nicer in the wet season. Some roads can get too muddy and thus unpassable in the wet season but this should not overall take away from your safari experience.

Day trips from Karatu

Other than as a stopover for the big national parks, Karatu is also perfect as a base for making day trips to local attractions.

Ganako and Iraqw Karatu offer hikes to Mlima Nyoka (Snake Hill) for a wide reaching view of the surrounding landscape, the Rift Valley, as well as day trips to the old German settlement Oldean to learn about the country’s colonial past and the stunning Lake Eyasi.

The latter is still unknown to most tourists and thus offers secluded enjoyment of the beautiful lake and flora and fauna. At Lake Eyasi, you can also visit the Hadzabe Bushmen, one of the last remaining hunting and gathering people of East Africa and even go hunting with them.

Is cultural tourism socially responsible?

Cultural tourism can sometimes get voyeuristic and have undertones of ‘slum safari’. As a tourist, you might feel a bit uncomfortable by stepping into people’s homesteads and lives.

Ganako and Iraqw Karatu both ensure a socially responsible approach to this type of tourism by supporting local projects and giving money directly to the communities and people that are visited. For these people, touristic ventures are an important part of their livelihoods.

By going with a guide you can learn about cultural practices and taboos, and they will be able to translate for them. Act responsibly and always ask for permission for photos! Abstain from children projects as the continuous coming and going of volunteers can lead to abandonment issues for children.

Where to stay in Karatu

Karatu is perfect for a few days to visit surrounding national parks, Lake Eyasi and learn more about the local cultures. Many tourists choose to stay in Karatu as it can be cheaper than staying within the National Parks. Accommodation in Karatu can be cheaper than in the national parks, and thus many people opt for staying in the town. If you are strapped for time, this means however that you will need to do more driving everyday, possibly being quite tiring for you. We recommend to consider whether the reduced driving and time this consumes is not worth staying in a lodge on the crater directly. Karatu has excellent accommodations for all budgets. These are some of our favorite recommendations:

High-end options: Plantation Lodge and the boutique hotel Oldeani Safari Lodge are definitely pricier but the beautiful ground and colonial style architecture is sure to make your stay worthwhile.
Medium-priced options: Karatu Simba Lodge and Octagon Lodge still offer comfortable lodgings as well as beautiful gardens around your cottages.
For a more unique experience, stay on a coffee farm: Gregg’s Farm and the Shangri La estate of Kifaru Coffee are two exceptional possibilities of staying on a coffee farm, experiencing the business first hand and enjoying beautiful views and the opportunity to relax in the tranquil lodges. Gregg’s Farm is a high-end option, offering luxury and a spa, while the Shangri La estate is much more budget friendly but only has a few rooms to offer. If you are interested in staying here, make sure to book ahead!