Accommodation review - Ngare Sero Lodge

A peaceful end (or beginning) to a Kili climb or rugged safari is a "yoga safari". Stacey Leach, second generation proprietor of 100-year-old Ngare Sero Lodge near Arusha, sent me this e-mail:

"We offer yoga safari on a yoga platform at the lodge and at our Lake Natron camp. I am a yoga instructor myself but many international teachers come for their own retreats."

I would love it if anyone wants to incorporate a few nights at Ngare Sero. (Yoga is optional.) More about the lodge below from Ngare Sero's literature:

"The Lodge, on the slopes of Mount Meru , is set in lush gardens amid forest and crystal clear waters fed by the Ngare Sero springs. Ngare Sero means dappled water in Maa (the language spoken by the Maasai peoples). The snows of Kilimanjaro form a splendid backdrop and a sun-downer on the veranda while watching the changing colors of the glaciers is an unforgettable experience. The lodge was created from a farmhouse built at the turn of the last century. It has just ten rooms and provides personal service to Lodge residents only. The gardens contain a profusion of trees and flowers, two hundred species of birds have been recorded. Troupes of Sykes and Colobus monkeys inhabit the forest and grounds. The keen angler can try his hand at still-water fly-fishing for specimen rainbow trout. Arusha National Park is close, Kilimanjaro International Airport and Arusha town are just half an hour away."

The Leaches are dedicated to the conservation of the forest reserve and protection of the vital springs. They are currently undertaking a project to pump water to the village and to the new school located just above the forest. And they are collaborating with the village and other neighbors in tree planting to enhance the riverine forest which is important to water conservation.

04-06-2006