Trail collection · Arusha and Kilimanjaro
Kahawa House
A calm guesthouse among the coffee bushes outside Arusha
- Collection
- Trail · Great value
- Destination
- Arusha and Kilimanjaro
- Area
- Arusha
- Style
- Coffee estate guesthouse
- Best months
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
About Kahawa House
Kahawa House is a small, easygoing guesthouse on a working coffee estate outside Arusha. It is a gentle place to land before a safari, or to come back to afterwards, with the town's bustle left behind and the green rows of the estate all around. Kahawa means coffee in Swahili, and the setting makes that name feel right.
Photographs show cottages, a swimming pool and gardens spread across the estate, with acacia trees framing the pool. A paved terrace with loungers catches the golden light in the late afternoon, and a flower-lined walkway leads from the stone-clad entrance pillars. The overall mood is quiet, unfussy and comfortable.
Rooms are simple and bright, with wooden headboards and windows that look onto the coffee. The restaurant and Wi-Fi make it a practical base for the first or final night. As a budget-friendly choice, it appears on a long list of our northern itineraries, and it is well liked for being calm and efficiently run.
- Working coffee estate setting outside Arusha
- Swimming pool framed by acacia trees
- Paved terrace with loungers for golden-hour relaxing
- Cottages and gardens spread across the estate
- Bedrooms with wooden headboards and views of coffee greenery
- On-site restaurant plus free Wi-Fi for guests
Setting
Kahawa House lies in the countryside outside Arusha, among the bushes of an active coffee estate. The ground is green and gently planted, with acacias scattered through the gardens and cottages set apart for quiet. It is far enough from the town centre to feel restful, yet close enough to the starting point of northern safaris and Kilimanjaro trips to be convenient.
Rooms and tents
Rooms are straightforward and comfortable, in cottage-style buildings across the grounds. A photographed bedroom shows a wooden headboard and a window overlooking the estate's greenery. Expect clean, homely accommodation rather than lavish extras, which suits a first or last night. Ask us to confirm room types and bedding configurations for your group before you travel.
Dining
The guesthouse has its own restaurant, convenient after a long journey or before an early start. Expect uncomplicated, well-prepared meals in a relaxed setting, with the estate's coffee a natural highlight in the morning. Ask us to confirm meal arrangements and to pass on dietary needs ahead of arrival, so the kitchen is ready for you.
Things to do from here
- Walking among the coffee bushes and gardens
- Swimming in the pool on the terrace
- Relaxing with loungers at golden hour
- Cultural visit to a Maasai boma, arranged by Lemala
- Day trip to Arusha National Park
When to stay
Arusha is at its best from June to October, when it is drier and clearer, and in January to March, which is also warm and bright. The long rains usually fall from March to May and the short rains in November and December, when the coffee estate is at its greenest. As a transit stop the guesthouse is useful year-round, with cooler evenings at altitude.
Good to know
- Kahawa House is a guesthouse, not a full resort, so facilities are simple but comfortable.
- Wi-Fi is available, handy before you head to camps where signal is often limited.
- Ask us to confirm check-in arrangements for late arrivals and early departures.
- Airport and safari transfers are arranged by Lemala as part of your itinerary.
Gallery
Inside Kahawa House
On these itineraries
Trips that include Kahawa House
7 days
Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire in Seven Days
Baobab elephants, a pair of Serengeti days and a full morning-to-evening descent into the crater.
10 days
Bush to Beach: Northern Parks and Nungwi, Zanzibar
Six days of wildlife in the north, then three barefoot nights on Zanzibar's northern shore.
5 days
Fly-In Serengeti Escape: Five Days, No Long Drive
Be on the plains by lunchtime, then finish with the crater and Lake Manyara.
8 days
Bush Honeymoon for Two
Eight private days across Tarangire, the crater highlands and the Serengeti, planned around the two of you.
7 days
Signature Circuit with Balloon and Night Drive
Tarangire after dark, a Manyara canoe, the crater floor and a Serengeti sunrise balloon, in one week.
9 days
Ndutu Calving Season: A Southern Photographic Safari
Newborn wildebeest, hunting cheetahs and a day in the crater, timed for the plains' most dramatic weeks.
12 days
Twelve Days: Kilimanjaro Hike, Maasai Villages and the Northern Parks
Boots on the Shira Plateau, conversations in Maasai communities, then four of Tanzania's great parks without a rushed overnight in sight.
8 days
Eight Days at the Mara River Crossings
Tarangire and Ngorongoro to warm up, then two full days at the river waiting for a million hooves to decide.
11 days
Northern Parks and Gombe Chimpanzees: An 11-Day Journey
Baobabs and crater floors in the north, then a flight and a boat ride west to wild chimpanzees on the shore of Lake Tanganyika.
8 days
Mara River Crossings by Air: Serengeti and Ngorongoro
A morning flight puts you beside the northern crossing points, with two days to wait for the herds.
12 days
Unhurried Tanzania: Twelve Days at a Gentle Pace
Longer stays, easy walks and a flight home from the Serengeti, for celebrations and multi-generation groups.
14 days
Lemosho Summit, Then Serengeti
Eight days to Uhuru Peak, a proper rest, then a flight into the plains and a day in Ngorongoro Crater.
5 days
After the Summit: Northern Parks in Five Days
Collected from your Moshi hotel, then Tarangire, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater before you fly home.
5 days
Northern Circuit in Five Days
Baobabs, a crater floor, open plains and a lakeshore, stitched into one tight private loop.
6 days
Northern Circuit with Two Serengeti Nights
The classic four-park loop, with an extra night on the plains to chase the best morning light.
4 days
Baobabs, Hadzabe and the Crater
Elephants, a hunt with one of the world's last hunter-gatherer peoples, and a day on the crater floor.
10 days
10-Day Great Migration Safari: Three Days at the Mara River
Elephants, a crater descent and Olduvai first, then three unhurried days waiting on the river banks.
10 days
10-Day Slow-Light Photographic Safari
Small groups, spare seats and long stops in elephant, crater and big-cat country.
More partner stays
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Arusha and Kilimanjaro · Arusha
Arusha Coffee Lodge
Coffee estate retreat
- Wi-Fi
- Pool
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Arusha and Kilimanjaro · Arusha
Gran Melia, Arusha
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- Wi-Fi
- Pool
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Stay at Kahawa House
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