Maasai Giraffe Eco Lodge — Hotel in Arusha

We stayed at the lodge for 4 days and were really pleased with our experience! The pros largely outweigh the cons. Pros:

We came from Kili airport and left at Arusha airport, it is very convenient that the lodge offers a driving service! We paid 225$ each way, it is expensive but honestly worth it: our Maasai guide (and driver) Lepara knew all the roads since he is native from the area, we also had peace of mind knowing that we were driving with the right car for that kind of road, he knew how to deal with police who arrests everyone for no reason, if anything had happened to the car he would have known where we were, who to call, etc. So no regret for paying that amount of money to be safe The lodge is beautiful: cute “houses”, great decoration (we especially appreciated the handmade carpets in our lodge! Wish they were selling them), big green space, sometimes there are giraffes, and highlight of my life: a calf that was just born 😭❤️🐮 and roaming free bc they rescued him OMG THE FOOD!! the whole area is even drier than usual so we thought probably we would just have soup and some meat if they can find any; no no no: you get a 3-course service at dinner, breakfast is copious (sausages, eggs, bread, fruits, butter, jam chocolate, etc), tea, coffee, hot chocolate, even some redbull! They also sell wine and beer (expensive and wine is only sold by the bottle only). Everything is cooked to perfection, nothing is spicy and meals are well varied ! the people 🥹 so from how it is phrased on the lodge's website, we thought we would be staying at Ingrid’s camp and she happens to have some kind of partnership with Maasai close to the lodge and if we want we could pay to go see them and do some activities - a kind of tourism that we are not really fond of. BUT NO: it is basically a camp co-managed by Maasai! They are on the property all the time, the guides are native Maasai people, they know everybody in the villages in the area, outside Maasai people to the camp come by the camp to let their herds of animal feed on the green grass, etc. Thank you very much Lepara and Lucas for sharing your culture with us. This was such a genuine experience that I didn't think I would ever get to live :) activities: we really enjoyed the Maasai “barbecue” ! But it is not for the faint hearted 😂 be prepared to eat the WHOLE animal (drinking blood, eating heart, kidneys, intestines, etc) what a unique experience, and so genuine, Maasai people in the neighborhood heard we were barbecueing so they came too 😂 and all helped out and shared the sheep with us (thanks because there was so much food!)

Now the bad points: we wish the information on the website was more detailed so you know exactly what to expect when you arrive (in terms of services, logistics and comfort) and you can prepare adequately. For example if we had known there were no plugs in the habitation, we could have taken with us a small portable power station for big plugs - and not just a portable battery only for USB cables… Also, we almost didn’t book that place because we thought there was no swimming pool, as it is not advertised on the website ! Ingrid was back in her country when we came at Maasai Giraffe Lodge so we unfortunately didn’t get to meet her. The manager was then the person in charge but honestly if he hadn’t been there, it would have made absolutely no difference. We were very disappointed by his abilities to lead, to show up, or to solve any issue… For 2 days we had no light in the room (so no fans eitehr), as well as no hot water (after running it for 45min several times a day) - it seems that it was only us and the next door neighbor who had the 2 same issues. Also, for 3 days we had no wifi and the manager once again didn’t seem to care at all. Which is not very convenient when you need to heck your flight schedule, to check-in, to make...

My wife and I stayed in a tent for two nights at Maasai Giraffe Eco Lodge and overall found the accommodation to be quite pleasant. The tent and mattress were comfortable. Lots of friendly dogs around and it is in a good location at Lake Natron. We found the staff to be friendly and they had communicated well in advance the park entrance fees to expect on arrival, so we were aware of what the fees would be when we entered the park and it went smoothly. ||As many have already commented, Lake Natron in general is expensive. Hence why we opted for a budget camping option with breakfast included and we brought our own snacks and water to get us by for the other meals. We also hired a 4WD in Arusha and drove ourselves. This meant that although it was more expensive than other parts of Tanzania, it was still possible for budget travellers. ||Unfortunately, our experience with the Maasai guide wasn’t as pleasant. We were happy to support local Maasai people by getting them to show us around their local area but sadly, the guide allocated to us by the lodge knew little English and we learned absolutely nothing about the Maasai culture or the area. Literally nothing. He just directed us how to get from one place to another, which we could’ve done ourselves using Google Maps. He also took our water that we had bought, leaving us short of water, and then also asked us if we could drive him home about 3 hours away at the end of our stay. It was also obvious that he was stalling on a few occasions to allow women and girls to set up their arts and crafts in front of our vehicle, even though we had indicated on numerous occasions that we didn’t wish to buy anything. The local men appear to share the guide roles on rotation to get money from tourists, even though they aren’t qualified, don’t even seem to want to do it and lack understanding of what tourists expect from a guide. Yet they still charge you a fortune compared to other parts of Tanzania. It’s about more than simply giving directions of how to get from one place to another. The lodge should better select who they allocate as guides to their customers. ||Some other feedback that isn’t about the lodge but we feel travellers should be aware of about Lake Natron before deciding to visit:||We would’ve loved to have engaged with local women with an art/craft workshop, seen some traditional ceremonies, etc. but we didn’t see any of that on offer at Lake Natron. ||The 20,000 year old human footprints nearby were incredible to see. But once again, our guide could give no information about it. The sign was so sun damaged that you couldn’t read it. There was no gate protecting the footprints, so I fear for the day that someone gets in to vandalise this incredible piece of history. Can’t help but wonder, where is the money from the government fees and local tribe fees going, if not to help maintain Lake Natron’s wonderful treasures? ||If driving Longido way, we found a lot of Maasai children and teenagers trying to run in front of our car, trying to force us to stop only to surround our car and pressure us for money. Unfortunately you have to just keep driving because once you stop they surround your car and then you can’t move. There were a lot of unkind and threatening gestures too. These attempts happened constantly on our drive to Lake Natron and it left us feeling negative before even arriving at Lake Natron. it is something the local community MUST address if they wish to see tourists continuing to go to Lake Natron because the price of guided tours are simply out of budget for many travellers, leaving many of us with no option but to self drive. ||I share this feedback because I feel the experience for tourists at Lake Natron could be so much better than what it...

We have stayed for two nights at the Maasai Giraffe Eco Lodge. Originally, we should have paid 160 USD per night, so you might expect a lodge of a upper class level. However the reality is way different: the compound is spread out over a large area of badly maintained lawn, with bare soils in between. By the time we arrived, there was no water in the pool and was only started to be refilled the next day, ready when we finally left. The rooms are very simple, partly worn. The bath math was dirty. The was no warm water, shampoo provided, anything of comfort. There are grids in front of the window, very simple curtains. The moskito nets have big wholes. There are only two light bulbs from the sealing, NO ELECTRICITY and (of course) NO WiFi internet (nowhere). As the place is so remote, there is also no mobile internet either. You can recharge your devices in the restaurant - only if you're lucky enough that the sun is shining. The restaurant itself is also a bit dirty and worn out. There is basically no service as you have to ask for everything. What was especially annoying, was the fact, that the different people (Maasai guards, Regional government and Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority) were showing up, making sure, you pay their fees (40 USD, 71 USD, 130 USD for two persons, two nights and a car). At least after complaining, the price for the accommodation was reduced to 90 USD per night, but the place is...