Monkey Mountain LodgeMTENDE · ZANZIBAR
The lodge from the air, perched in the bush above Mtende

MTENDE · MAKUNDUCHI · ZANZIBAR

Under the canopy, the ocean for a horizon.

A small lodge perched above Mtende village, in the wild south of Zanzibar. Just a handful of places to stay, a table open to the sea, and the silence of the bush at sunset.

9,6 guest rating
10,0 location
9,9 staff
9,4 value for money

THE PLACE

Between the bush and the water

The lodge sits in vegetation that was never cleared. Monkeys come through at first light, birds serve as the alarm clock, and from the terrace the sea opens all the way to the horizon.

Everything is built from local materials: timber frames, makuti roofs, wooden floors. A handful of places to stay, one kitchen, one bar. Nothing more, because nothing more is needed.

Behind the lodge the bush begins: a forest of century-old baobabs, footpaths, and at dusk a light you will not find anywhere else on the island. Mtende beach is just below, 450 m away, a five-minute walk.

ROOMS

Our rooms

Each has its own terrace, view and private entrance. Breakfast included. Room-only bookings are handled on Booking.com, where availability and payment are managed in real time.

Bungalow with terrace 1

  • 75 m²
  • Entire bungalow
  • 2 guests
  • Sea view
  • Non-smoking

Seventy-five square metres to yourselves, with your own entrance and your own terrace. It is the one we keep for honeymoons.

An extra-large double bed of over two metres, under a mosquito net, on a wooden floor.

The private terrace is furnished for two and looks out to sea. The private bathroom has a shower and complimentary toiletries.

In the morning there is nothing between the terrace and the horizon. The birds serve as the alarm clock, and you drink your coffee without having met a soul.

AMENITIES

  • Private entrance
  • Private terrace
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Private bathroom with shower
  • Toiletries and towels
  • Mosquito net
  • Fan
  • Fridge
  • Electric kettle
  • Safe
  • Dressing area and wardrobe
  • Desk
  • Socket near the bed
  • Free Wi-Fi
Book on Booking.com Availability and payment handled by Booking.com.

Deluxe family room

  • 100 m²
  • 2 adults + 1 child
  • 2 large double beds
  • Connecting rooms
  • Sea view

One hundred square metres under a high makuti frame: the largest volume at the lodge, and the only one that comfortably takes a family or two couples travelling together.

Two large double beds, and a folding bed available for a child.

The private terrace faces the sea. Private bathroom with shower, independent entrance, and the same ocean outlook as the bungalow.

The height under the makuti frame gives the room a volume found nowhere else at the lodge. A family, or two couples, fit in comfortably.

AMENITIES

  • Private entrance
  • Private terrace
  • Folding bed on request
  • Private bathroom with shower
  • Toiletries and towels
  • Mosquito net
  • Fan
  • Fridge
  • Electric kettle
  • Safe
  • Dressing area and wardrobe
  • Desk
  • Free Wi-Fi
Book on Booking.com Availability and payment handled by Booking.com.

Bungalow with terrace 3

  • 75 m²
  • 2 guests
  • 1 double bed
  • Private terrace

The most sheltered of the three bungalows, opening onto the bush and the ocean.

A double bed under a mosquito net, a private bathroom with shower, and a shaded terrace.

It is the quietest of the three, the one where you hear the birds and the wind in the vegetation first. A bed under a mosquito net, a shaded terrace, and the bush running down to the sea: nothing more is needed.

AMENITIES

  • Private terrace
  • Private bathroom with shower
  • Toiletries and towels
  • Mosquito net
  • Fan
  • Free Wi-Fi
Book on Booking.com Availability and payment handled by Booking.com.

SPECIAL SERVICE

Romantic sunset dinner

Evenings only, by reservation. A table laid for two, away from the dining room, at the hour the sun goes down over the ocean. The chef prepares the menu during the afternoon, so we need advance notice.

EVENINGS, BY RESERVATION

A table for two, facing the falling sun

We seat you apart, a cocktail in hand, at the exact moment the light turns orange. Then service begins, unhurried, while the sky changes colour. It is the same dinner as in the romantic escape — open too to those not staying at the lodge.

  • A cocktail at sunset
  • A starter
  • A main course
  • A dessert
  • Coffee or tea
  • A bottle for the table — prosecco, chardonnay or red wine, your choice
80 $ per person · evenings only, by reservation
Champagne — $45 extra per bottle, in place of the bottle included.
Book on WhatsApp Booking and enquiries on WhatsApp only, on +33 6 16 44 20 83

EXCLUSIVE OFFER

Romantic escape

Two nights that exist only here. You will not find them on any platform, because they take preparation only the lodge can handle — and because we take just a few each month.

TWO NIGHTS

Two nights entirely your own

We hand you a key, and we leave you alone. The bungalow is yours: seventy-five square metres, a terrace set above the canopy, and nobody on the horizon but the monkeys crossing at first light. The bed is enormous, the mosquito net falls like a veil, and the only thing that will wake you is birdsong.

You come back whenever you like. The bed will have been turned down, the net lowered, and the next morning breakfast arrives on your terrace at whatever time you chose the night before. That is all. That is exactly enough.

  • Two nights in the bungalow with terrace — 75 m², private entrance, sea view, the only stand-alone unit at the lodge
  • Romantic dinner
  • Bungalow prepared for your arrival — fresh flowers, folded linen, a welcome drink on the terrace
  • Breakfast whenever you like — served on your terrace if you would rather see nobody
180 $ per person · $360 for two, both nights and the dinner included
Book on WhatsApp Booking and enquiries on WhatsApp only, on +33 6 16 44 20 83

RESTAURANT

Panoramic Bar & Restaurant

The dining room and bar open onto the terrace, facing the sea. You eat the fish the Mtende fishermen brought in that morning, and drink a cocktail as the sun goes down over the ocean.

Breakfast included

Lunch and dinner

On request in the morning: the kitchen buys the fish the same day.

Book a table

On WhatsApp, on +33 6 16 44 20 83. The bar is also open to passing visitors.

The bar

Open all day, from 8 am until the last guest. Fresh juices, local beers, cocktails.

PDF

Our menu

Food, cocktails, wines and fresh drinks — the full Panoramic Bar & Restaurant menu, prices in US dollars. It changes with the seasons and the day's catch.

Open the menu

ACTIVITIES NEARBY

The south, without the tour buses

ON FOOT, JUST BELOW

Mtende cove

A small white-sand bay wedged between two rocky points, almost always empty. A few minutes down the lodge path.

20 MIN ON FOOT

The baobabs

Behind the lodge, the bush opens onto a few century-old giants. The best moment is the last hour before dark, when the light turns orange.

A FULL DAY

Safari Blue

Zanzibar's best-known day at sea: boat, sandbanks that surface at low tide, snorkelling stops, grilled seafood lunch on the beach. Early start, back late afternoon. We handle the booking and the transport.

ABOUT 20 MIN BY CAR

Kizimkazi dolphins

Departure at first light, when the sea is flat and nobody is out yet. We book the boat and drive you there.

ON SITE

Car hire

A vehicle can be arranged at the lodge if you would rather drive yourselves up to Jozani, Paje or Stone Town.

WHAT GUESTS SAY

9.6 out of 10

Average of ratings left by guests who stayed at the lodge. Location scores the maximum.

Location10,0
Staff9,9
Cleanliness9,6
Comfort9,5
Value for money9,4
Facilities9,4

PRACTICAL

Getting here and staying

Mtende is around 69 km from Abeid Amani Karume International Airport. The drive takes a little over an hour and a half depending on road conditions.

CONTACT US

A question? Write to us

We reply the same day, in French or English. WhatsApp is fastest: it is the lodge phone, and it is always on us.

The message opens pre-filled in your own app; nothing is sent until you confirm it.

@monkey_mountain_zanzibar The lodge day by day — morning light, the evening catch, the six o'clock monkeys.

Four selected posts from the account. Scroll sideways to browse them.

Mtende Village, Makunduchi, Zanzibar — about 1 hr 30 from Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.