TRAVEL : Acacia lodge, a home away from home

The increasingly growing profile of Karatu as a premier tourism destination in Arusha Region has occasioned an increased demand for quality accommodation, fine dining and conference facilities.

I visited the Acacia farm lodge during a meeting I attended recently. The lodge is one of the latest additions in Karatu town. The only thing that held my interest for the two days was the well-manicured lawns and flower gardens exclusively set in a mixed farm land.

Each flower garden is made unique from the others with ceramic and concrete pots spread around the garden to give it a more liberating look.

In the front yard of the lodge is a beautiful landscape with stone slabs and grass placed simultaneously to create an interesting checked garden pattern adding detail to an otherwise panoramic view of the Ngorongoro forest reserve area. A waterfall nearby is an added attraction in the area.

A flowerbed is laid with natural white limestone gravel which makes it look neat and tidy and with the lights trained on them, it becomes a spectacular spot at night.

The new lodge is set to target local corporate citizens or team building activities, among many others, according to the General Manager, Asheri Kiisay, a local from the Iraqw tribe.

The farm lodge, in addition, targets the people who have disposable income who want to relax away from the hustle and bustle of city life. “The experience has been splendid since we began operations in November 2014 and nothing beats the joy of seeing our guests appreciate what we offer, that is our greatest fulfillment,” said Asheri, a young man in his early 40s.

Acacia Farm Lodge was only a dream in their mind until 2012 when the local investor built the property at a small hill on the spectacular Great Rift Valley’s escarpment surrounded by a coffee farm in a timeless tranquility setting, an ambience the owner’s intent is on exploiting to attract high-end visitors.

As the name suggests, it all started as a mixed farm, surrounded by acacia trees in a 25 acre area of land to become a unique and desirable mix of simplicity and opulence of the 28 spacious, contemporary African styled rooms, which open up to nature with a private balcony.

The rooms hold a comfortable lounge and en-suite bedroom all with a mini bar, coffee making facility, air-conditioning, satellite television, Wi-Fi and other modern and appropriate amenities plus a private balcony with sweeping views of the farm, the surrounding scenic landscape, in which the most amazing sunsets are a treat for senses for visitors.

Acacia Farm Lodge has numerous top-class facilities for the in-house guests to use including the main public area where there is a gorgeous lounge and a cozy bar as well as an intimate dining room and a lovely coffee shop.

A well-stocked curio shop, an inviting swimming pool and it’s bar area as well as a well-equipped Gym and a refreshing Spa. Far from the main building, there is a small room used as a business centre attached to a conference room able to hold 40 delegates equipped with all the standard facilities.

Next to the swimming pool is a beautifully designed pergola with polished mazeras stone finishing and overlooking the luscious garden. A bicycle garden elegantly stands on the space before accommodation chalets and the swimming pool, with pots of flowers placed around the back and front of the bicycle to form a vintage style garden theme.

Having the lodge a short distance from the neighbouring Sumawe and Gongali village communities, it has become a source of motivation for the local people to work in the lodge. It currently employs 40 staff mostly drawn from the local communities nearby.

The lodge sits in its own farm that holds a handful of mature nature tree species, and a farmhouse that feeds all the visitors coming to the facility. It produces fruits, vegetables and other foodstuffs. In outsourcing some of its supplies the lodge management, according to the general manager, reaches out to the neigbhouring village, in which supplementary hotel supplies are purchased to boost the local economy.

Situated in the vast plains of Karatu and only 3 kms from the town, Acacia farm lodge has grown in popularity especially among visitors and travellers on the busy Ngorongoro to Serengeti road who want to get a short break and fresh air in the countryside before or after their tour in Ngorongoro or Serengeti. Its proximity to Lake Manyara and Tarangire national parks makes it an ideal stop-over for tourists.

E-mail: [email protected]