Geralds Eco Homestay — Hotel in Arusha

We had met Gerald Ulomi, the owner of Gerald’s Eco Home stay, during a previous trip to Tanzania, and so we decided to book a room at his place and also asked him to organize a 12 day safari that included Arusha National Park, Tarangire, the Serengeti, Lake Manyara, and Lake Eyasi. Gerald is a phenomenal cook and accompanied us during our trip with his friend Jeremiah, the owner of IJUE AFRICA SAFARIS. A detailed review of the safari is can be found on Trip Advisor as well. ||Gerald’s establishment is located about 40 minutes from Kilimanjaro airport, just off the main road to Arusha, in the village of Shangarai amidst banana groves and patches of cornfields. Arusha is 10 minutes away, and two modern hospitals are nearby, just in case one needs medical attention. Gerald’s place is ideally located for spending a night or 2 before heading off to the bush or after returning from a safari. There is also a lot to do and see that is not mentioned in any guidebooks, and it is worth staying a few extra days. The room rates are very affordable, and Gerald’s meals are downright cheap but incredibly delicious: authentic East African cuisine at its finest.||||The term ‘home stay’ doesn’t really describe Gerald’s place. ‘Guesthouses’ would be more appropriate . The facility consists of a series of independent structures - Gerald and his family live in one of them - and each building contains several separate rooms, all with their own bathrooms with hot showers (not a given in Africa), covered verandas and balconies. The buildings are situated within a walled courtyard shaded by large trees, including a huge passion fruit vine, which fruits were served at breakfast together with homegrown bananas, mangoes and watermelons, eggs, bacon, pancakes, fresh toast – the works – and the most delicious coffee that Gerald hand-picked, hand-pealed and hand-roasted over an open fire. ||||The rooms are very attractive, and WIFI is available. We stayed in the ‘honeymoon’ suite with walls and floor made from resin-coated dried banana leaves. Walking barefoot was a real treat. Our bed was big and very comfortable, and we slept like babies. ||||The entire place looks almost like a movie set from Lord of the Rings, a mixture of Hobbit houses and fairy tree dwellings. Everything is organically designed, constructed of local wood and stone and charmingly decorated with hand painted murals and African folk art – the kind of things that cost a small fortune in the US, but are here used for generations as ordinary household objects and furnishings. |||| At breakfast, we could hear the children from a nearby school singing and roosters competing for attention. As most rural households in Africa, Gerald keeps chickens and rabbits and grows most of his own vegetables and herbs. As New Orleanians, we are spoiled when it comes to food, and Gerald’s cooking skills are simply extraordinary. Whether at his place or on safari, he creates the finest multi-course meals on a charcoal grill or an open fire. ||||We always choose the path less traveled and look for local flavor and experience, avoiding Western-style chain hotels. Our stay with Gerald and the subsequent camping safari ranks among the finest experiences we have had and deserves the highest recommendation. We became good friends and tears flowed when we had to say good-bye. Our next visit is already in...

The best decision I've made on this trip to Tanzania! After all the game drive and safari, I just needed a place to crash before flying out. But spending time at this eco-house turned out to be a real highlight, an immersive cultural experience. It made me feel warm and fuzzy and more hopeful about the future of humanity. |When I arrived, I was a bit tired and flustered. But Gerald made me a cup of (excellent!) home-brew coffee and I was able to relax. We went for a short hike around the village, learned to grind coffee beans and picked passion fruits off the vine. I was very happy to get to the river nearby and just chill to the sound of the water. That evening, Gerald invited me to dine with his family. It was a real joy because they have spark in them, full of life and wonder. The next day, they took me to the Maasai market in a zebra tuktuk and help me to find a bargain. I also enjoyed learning about Gerald's ethos of recycle-and-reuse in constructing his eco-house (and a new retreat centre!). I loved looking at his stingless bee hives. The honey was citrusy and delicious. Thank you so much for the...

Gerald is an outstanding host! He and his entire family will make you feel at home. Gerald works for 15 years in the safari business and is an exceptional source for information and always willing to provide advice and support in case you need to make arrangements for your trip. He is actually an excellent cook - very likely the best safari cook of Africa! - and you will be delighted. Highly recommend staying at...