Lemala Kuria Hills Lodge

The glass fronted tented units are set amongst giant boulders for maximum privacy. Each eloquently designed unit stands elevated above the ground on raised timber decks which protrude over the exterior where comfortable furniture can be found for lounging. Interior is spacious and airy, furnished in the classic East African styles with hues of khaki amid the canvas. Each tent has a sitting room with a mini bar, bedroom with mosquito netted super king or similarly sized bed, spacious bathroom with freestanding bath, indoor and al fresco shower and a wealth of complimentary amenities meant to elevate the guest experience. Tented suites pack 2 guests max, with 10 suites available.

Amenities Include:

• En-suite bathroom
• In door & al fresco shower facilities
• Hot tub
• Super King or ¾ size mattress beds
• Balcony/ deck
• Veranda
• Lounge
• Private plunge pool
• Electrical outlets
• Double, twin or single beds
• Complimentary WIFI
• Mosquito nets
• Pure cotton linen
• Comfortable furniture
• Safe
• Hairdryer
• Mini fridge
• Tea & coffee

Family suites are comprised of two interleading tented suites, each side boasting their own individual facilities and amenities. The glass fronted units are set amongst giant boulders for maximum privacy. Featuring the same interior design and furnishings as the standard units, including a front facing deck with expansive views and comfortable furniture, en-suite bathrooms, in door and al fresco shower facilities, large mosquito netted beds and a lounge area with an abundance of atmosphere, these units are perfect for medium sized groups and families. Family Suites pack 4 guests max, with 5 suites available.

Amenities Include:

• En-suite bathroom
• In door & al fresco shower facilities
• Hot tub
• Super King or ¾ size mattress beds
• Balcony/ deck
• Veranda
• Lounge
• Private plunge pool
• Electrical outlets
• Double, twin or single beds
• Complimentary WIFI
• Mosquito nets
• Pure cotton linen
• Comfortable furniture
• Safe
• Hairdryer
• Mini fridge
• Tea & coffee

Three meals are served daily, comprising a continental bush breakfast, midday picnic (served between activities) sundowners, and a lavish three course meal served in the evening. Cuisine is prepared on site from the freshest local ingredients, incorporating local flavours for those who wish to sample authentic Tanzanian bush cuisine, and classic western crowd pleasers for those who favour convention.

Dining is communal, with the options of under-canvas or al fresco dining, with the opportunity for private dining and honeymoon banquets for those guests seeking a more intimate dining experience. Should you have any specific dietary requirements, be sure to inform the lodge in advance so they may accommodate you appropriately.

All standard drinks and beverages are covered in the initial fee. With fully inclusive rates, you’re free to indulge in a mouth-watering range of alcoholic and none-alcoholic beverages at your own discretion. Premium and imported products are charged at additional fees.

Set off on either early morning or full-day game drives amid the sprawling, fertile plains of the Serengeti. Experienced guides, familiar with the lay of the land and the abundance of wildlife that roams it will lead you safely through the lush landscape in search of the many staple safari creatures that depart on mass during the cycle of the Great Migration, featuring particularly high concentrations of wildebeest and other migrating plains game. Exotic Big 5 game viewing awaits your gaze, with regular sightings of all the big cats and predator and prey alike as you survey the landscape in open 4×4 safari vehicles.

Guided bush walks will allow you to soak up the intricacies of nature while traversing the land at a more intimate and insightful pace than conventional safari game drives. Knowledgeable guides will discuss with you the features of the land while pointing out local flora and fauna. Watch birds, walk in the footsteps of a lion herd or wildebeest, stalk the movements of the Great Migration, unravel the stories behind animal tracks or simply enjoy the vistas.

The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is one of Africa’s Endemic Bird Areas, featuring over 500 exotic species waiting for you to discover. Bird watching in the Serengeti is phenomenal year-round, but at its absolute best during November through April. Not only is this when European and North African migratory birds are present, but it is also nesting time for resident species. Keep your eyes peeled for the likes of the black-headed gonolek, Fischer’s lovebird and Verreaux’s eagle.

Take in the atmosphere of the tantalising Serengeti night sky while gathered around a cosy campfire in the company of friends and family. Untarnished by light pollution, the remote areas of the Serengeti bush provide the perfect arena for a picturesque star-gazing experience. Marvel at the infinite sky, which features the Big Dipper in the northern hemisphere and the Southern Cross and Pointers in the south.

Traverse the skies of the Serengeti for an exclusive birds-eye view of the Great Migration below. Watch as vast mammal herds pass beneath you as the morning winds direct your course from the vantage of a basket high in the sky. This truly unique game viewing experience draws to a close with a delicious breakfast spread in the heart of the Serengeti plains, after which, you can choose to continue your adventure with a full day game drive or return to camp for a leisurely morning. Please note, hot-air balloon excursions are charged at additional fees and are accessible via external camp location.

There are few better ways to conclude the eve of a riveting day’s safari adventure than a refreshing beverage while savouring the spectacular Serengeti sunset. Join your guide around the campfire as the lights begin to dim and exchange stories under stary skies, listen to tales of wildlife encounters and enjoy the atmosphere in good company. Enjoyed in-camp, by the pool, or have your private butler bring you favourite sundowner to the comfort of your own tent. Private sundowners can be arranged atop Kuria Kopje; an exclusive experience favoured by honeymooners for its atmospheric touches, perfectly situated to view the sunset from an elevated vantage amid the expansive Serengeti landscape.

Tanzania has great appeal for families. Animal viewing is very exciting for children, and nothing can prepare a parent for the delight of watching their child’s reaction when they catch sight of a lion, giraffe or elephant for the very first time. Lemala Cubs offers younger guests aged 11 years and under the opportunity to experience spectacular range of exciting activities catered to local insight and education around the Tanzanian landscape, showing future generations the need for conservation of Africa’s wildlife, and keep kids well entertained while mum and dad relax.

There are few ways better to unwind amid the eve of an exciting day’s safari adventure than indulging in a rejuvenating array of spa treatments and wellness therapies at Kuria Hill’s spectacular in camp spa. Treat yourself to a well-deserved massage from your travels and absorb the sounds and melodies of your surroundings. Spas are a hymn to nature, intriguing to the senses, yet calming to the mind.

All Lemala’s camps and lodges employ the majority of their staff from the communities in which they operate so that local people are able to find nearby employment in order to help support their families. Lemala have also recruited 9 employees from a homeless shelter in Arusha, giving the young men the opportunity to gain employment and restore their lives. Lemala’s staff are given training so that they can excel in their roles, and receive promotions within the company, broadening their opportunities for the future.

‘Of a workforce of 335 staff, less than 5% are foreigners of which 3% are East Africans. Our Lemala ExCo Team’s Senior Management includes a strong female presence, made up of 6 females and 1 male.’

Lemala Camps and Lodges are working to remove plastic waste from national parks and conservation areas by gathering the waste plastic and storing it in collection bins (made from recycled plastic). The waste plastic is then used to construct school chairs and desks by Dunia Designs, a sustainable company in Arusha. Each of these collection bins can hold approximately 375 – 400 1.5 litre bottles or equivalent, which can be used to make 2 chairs and a desk.

‘The plastic collected from each bin is approx. 10 –15kg of plastic, which would be the weight of the plastic used in the creation of one school desk and 2 chairs, and not ending up in landfill or our wilderness. Keen conservationist Maasai Chief Lobulo is also a keen believer in education. His determination and vision is an inspiration to us all and we at Lemala Camps and Lodges have supported him via our CSR project, money donated by our guests and fundraising through the purchase of these plastic school desk & chair sets to build his first school called Eluway Primary, paying school teachers, providing clean water and education materials.’

Lemala encourages sustainable fishing within the local community by offering significantly higher prices for bigger fish. This results in fishermen catching fewer, larger fish and helps to protect marine populations while offering fishermen a fair price for their work.

‘The fish are purchased directly from the fishermen each morning at market prices ensuring the fisherman gets a fair price for his catch and that the proceeds of his efforts go directly to his family that all live local to wild waters.’

Lemala hosts an annual leadership academy for youths aged between 14 and 18 years old where speakers are invited to have an open discussion about their backgrounds, communities and social issues. This inspires and empowers young people and encourages them to consider career prospects. Empowering communities equates to more than just lending an open ear, as however helpful such a benevolent act may be, actions ultimately speak louder than words. This is why Lemala supports the Pippi House Women’s Shelter, a refuge for downtrodden women for local communities in need of support.

‘Each day we donate something and on the 22nd of the month, the teams deliver in person to Pippi House which provides an empowering, supportive environment for women to seek refuge from the streets.’

All the energy requirements at Kuria Hills Lodge are met by utilising both solar power electricity and a cutting-edge inverter battery system. The abundance of sun inherent to the Tanzanian landscape makes solar power the most viable option for sustained long-term energy production, harnessing its power for application in camp facilities, i.e., heating water, charging electrical equipment, washing clothes, lighting and more. Applied within the context of Kuria Hills Lodge, the need for conventional diesel-powered generators is largely non-existent, saving their use only for emergencies. These actions serve to lighten the overall footprint of the camp, benefiting the surrounding environment and protecting the encompassing ecosystems.

‘Our power plants include a 45Kw plant in Kuria Hills and a 65Kw plant in Mpingo and Nanyukie. We are proud to say that we have saved 150 tons/year of CO2 going into our atmosphere and have to date produced approximately 210 Mwh power/year.’

Lemala Tented Lodges have installed Reverse Osmosis Plants in each of their properties in order to provide clean drinking water and negate the need for plastic water bottles. Each guest is gifted an aluminium water bottle that they can fill at any time around camp, ensuring the need for plastic bottles is non-existent. State-of-the-art water pumps communicate wirelessly to ensure that water pressure remains constant. Every drop of water that comes out of the taps has been filtered and passed through a UV light to kill bacteria. With this new system, water is constantly circulated in holding tanks and exposed to UV light to ensure it does not stagnate and remains of a high quality.

The main area at Lemala Ngorongoro includes a new floor entirely constructed from recycled plastic bottles which were mostly collected from Lemala Camps and Lodges. This collaborative project with Dunia Designs has repurposed plastic so that waste plastic does not enter rivers or water sources where it is causing irreparable damage to aquatic life. Additionally, Lemala Camps and Lodges do not use any plastic straws.

Lemala Camps and Lodges recycle all waste that can be repurposed in order to prevent pollution and to reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfills. In May 2008, the company was the first in Africa to offer guests plastic-free, biodegradable lunch boxes, and 30% of the steel used in the construction of Lemala Tented Lodges is recycled from scrap metal. Glass bottles are also recycled and used by Shanga, a community project that employs people with disabilities to craft jewellery and glassware out of recycled glass, which can then be purchased from their shop.