Arusha. A new multi-million shilling upmarket lodge is being built nearly 90 kilometre Northeast of Arusha city to cater for holidaymakers seeking to be close to nature.
The 300 million worth stylish and eye-catching--Oligilai Maasai Lodge--stands out on 20 acres in the middle of the Africa’s highest Mountains of Meru and Kilimanjaro with awe-inspiring views.
With its traditional elegant architecture and furnishings, which are reminiscent of the early 1920’s, the lodge could accommodate just 15 guests for now and targets foreigners and locals that are after exclusive luxury.
Apart from giving the country the potential for its first world-renowned lodge, the owner is also linked with an ambitious project to transform Ndinyika vicinity into a tourist hub for the visitors of Arusha and Kilimanjaro national parks.
An indigenous investor behind the lodge, Mr William Kinua Mollel, says his mission, apart from spurring economic activities in the area, which hosts a lot of Maasai communities, is to bring the tourists close to nature for them to cherish.
“We have used traditional African building materials on our Lodge to offer the tourists a glimpse of nature,” Mr Mollel says, stressing that some of the most magnificent sunsets can be enjoyed from the terraces of the lodge.
He added: “Whether you like to relax or to enjoy the serene and vastness of the Maasai steppe in one of our six comfortable and well-appointed bungalows, it is just one step out of your bed where Mt Kilimanjaro and Meru will greet you with their snowy smile.”
Themed around traditionally circular African houses with special grass roofs and decorated with Africa’s beads, woodcarvings and sculptures, the lodge harmonises perfectly with its spectacular surroundings.
The drama, however, does not just stop with the great outdoors, it also flows through the split level interiors of the main building, which all offer an unrivalled generosity of space while somehow managing to combine an almost magically welcoming ambience of both warmth and cosiness supplemented by Maasai tradition wines and a variety of food options.
Chief Executive Officer of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato), Mr Sirili Akko, commended the investor for the idea, saying the lodge would add value to the country’s tourism industry.
As an authentic Maasai lodge, offers people from all over the world a unique and in-depth African bush experience.
The Maasai people themselves now consider the lodge as an essential part of their livelihoods and are eagerly waiting to give tourists a treat.
Mr Samwel Shuwaka Mollel from a nearby area, Kilima Simba, said the lodge is a blessing for the Maasai community as it would create numerous employment opportunities, transfer tourists dollars to the society and skills transfer.
Representing the Maasai elder’s council, Mr Loibon Toonga Laizer, who is also a regulator of the native traditional values, is optimistic that the investment would also promote cultural tourism.
