A multimillion-euro lodge is being built in Tanzania. The Oligilai Maasai Lodge will be an exclusive lodge 90km northeast of Arusha with an extensive view of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro.
The lodge will accommodate just 15 guests and is modelled around the traditional building style of the Maasai people, using natural materials to create an authentic feel. It will match the style of the surrounding Maasai villages and will include round houses with grass roofs and local artwork, beadwork and traditional woodcarvings.
Local investor, William Kinua Mollel, says: “If you like to relax and enjoy the serenity 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 Mount Kilimanjaro and Meru will greet you with their snowy smiles.”
Mollel hopes the lodge will spur activity in the area for the Maasai communities and assist in transforming the area into a central hub for visitors to the Arusha and Kilimanjaro national parks.
Members of the local community are excited about the opportunities the lodge will bring, including economic benefits and the potential for a transfer of skills. Community elder, Loibon Toonga Laizer, said he was optimistic that the investment would also promote cultural tourism in the vicinity.