Original Maasai Lodge

Sixteen earth houses, laid out like a Maasai village on the open land between Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. Your terrace faces the sunrise, with Kilimanjaro in view when the cloud lifts.

Type
Lodge
Comfort
Premium
Where
Arusha National Park
Rooms
16 earth houses
Power
Solar
Altitude
Above 1,550 m
From Kilimanjaro Airport
About 90 minutes by road
Position
3°06′ S, 36°55′ E

Original Maasai Lodge is in Ngare Nanyuki, about 90 minutes by road from Kilimanjaro International Airport. Each house is built of earth and runs on solar power, with a toilet, a hot shower and its own terrace.

Days here are spent on foot and with your hosts. A stay includes a guided walk through Maasai land, spear throwing, stories about Maasai life and dancing at sunset. These are arranged for guests. For a fuller day, ask about Live like a Maasai.

The lodge is outside the national parks, so a game drive means a day out. Arusha National Park is the nearest, and we can build that day into your route.

Africa Amini Life runs the lodge. It says money from stays, activities and excursions booked with it goes to Africa Amini Alama, the charity behind its schools, polyclinic and water projects in the Maasai and Meru areas. You can visit those projects during your stay, free of charge.

Facilities

  • Infinity pool
  • Sun terrace over the Maasai steppe
  • Sauna and relaxation area
  • Massages
  • Restaurant with international and Swahili dishes
  • Bar and shop
  • Wi-Fi in all rooms, not always fast
  • Filtered drinking water, free
  • Play area, with childcare if you want it
  • Baby bed and high chair on request
  • Laundry, at extra charge

Rooms

  • Standard Bungalow
  • Superior Bungalow
  • Bungalow with two bedrooms
  • Kisiwa Boma

Included in every stay

  • Spear throwing with the Maasai
  • A guided walk through Maasai land
  • Stories of Maasai culture, land and life
  • Sunset with Maasai dances
  • A visit to the Africa Amini Alama projects

Included from three nights

  • A sunset drive in a historic Land Rover

Included from four nights

  • The Bush-Eagle dinner

Culture, on request

  • Art workshop with Maasai women
  • A visit to a Maasai church
  • Sacred Mount Mukuru and a market visit
  • The Live like a Maasai day

Active, on request

  • Mountain biking through Maasai land
  • Climbing Mount Mukuru
  • A hike to the Moshi waterfalls and a coffee plantation

With children, on request

  • Donkey rides with the Maasai

Safaris that stay here