Amboseli Sopa Lodge is nestled in 200 acres of private wooded Masai land on the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro, and makes a great base to explore the neighbouring Amboseli National Park.
The lodge has mature wooded gardens with a variety of trees and plants including thorn trees, frangipanis, colourful bougainvillea and giant cactus plants. There are many different species of birds that build their nests in the trees, while monkeys with babies clinging under their bellies and squirrels dart through the gardens.
The reception desk is designed like the entrance into a Masai hut, and the wall behind is painted in bold brown strokes, and decorated with silver spear heads, and Masai beaded necklaces. A walkway over a fish pond connects the lobby to the Kibo restaurant and Mawenzi bar.
There is also a Masai market, which is owned by the local community, and the proceeds help run their community. Besides the market, is a well stocked boutique (gift) shop stocked with varieties of African souvenirs.
There are 83 spacious cottage-style rooms rooms in total, and each room is en-suite and has a verandah. 40 of the rooms have 2 queen size beds, of which 6 also have interconnecting doors making them ideal for families. 24 rooms can be turned to triples on request.
Activities offered by Amboseli Sopa Lodge include guided nature walks, an in-house cultural centre, visits to nearby Masai villages, Masai dancing and nightly wildlife feeding.
General Information For Guests
The rooms are all brightly decorated with Maasai themed wall murals, and each room has either one or two queensized beds as well as a veranda, and an en-suite bathroom. Some rooms interconnect, making this ideal for families.
The two bedroom Presidential suite has a private dining room and an attached kitchenette, a large lounge and a large veranda.
Hair dryers are available on request.
The enclosed and domed main reception area is designed around the curves of a traditional Maasai house, and its walls are decorated with Maasai beaded necklaces and tribally themed murals.
Attached to the main lobby is a Maasai handicraft market where traditional beadwork and woodcarvings are manufactured and sold. And just beyond this is a well stocked boutique with a wide variety of souvenirs, books, safari clothing, T-shirts and toiletry items.
There is a swimming pool.
The Kibo Restaurant is named after the tallest peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, and is a round structure with a thatched palm frond roof following the design of traditional African huts. The glass windows and doors face the mountain, the floor is made of a mixture of multicolored marble shards and clay tiles, and the side of the mantle of the circular, central fire place is decorated with wood carvings of wildlife.
The Mawenzi Terrace is an outdoor dining area set beside the Mawenzi Bar and named after Kilimanjaro’s second highest peak. The terrace is shaded by an enormous Acacia tree whose branches also spread out over the long curve of a natural stone-topped buffet table and its two recessed BBQ grills.
The Mawenzi Bar is divided into two by a massive central fire place and a freeform wall with subtly concealed lighting. The inner section has suspended wrought iron, shaded chandeliers, beautiful furnishings made of authentic African driftwood, and its walls are decorated with a multitude of Maasai handicrafts and artifacts.
Hemingway’s Bar is dedicated to the memory of Ernest Hemingway, who died in 1961, and is perched on top of massive boulders at the highest point of the property. It offers uninterrupted 360 degree views of the surrounding landscapes and is the perfect place for an evening sundowner. Steps lead down from the bar to a grotto with a sand floor and African wooden stools, and it is from here that you can get a closer view of the spotted and striped hyenas, the white tailed mongooses, and the Genet cats which come to feast on the meat the lodge puts out for them every night.
The Pool Bar is set in a brightly coloured, rodavel-style building adjacent to the swimming pool's deep end. A central, decorated pillar supports the conical thatched roof while high tables and chairs fill the floor area beside the bar counters.
The gardens are home to numerous species of birds as well as monkeys, mongooses, squirrels, duikers, the occasional gazelle and, once in a while, even an ever inquisitive leopard.
Babysitting can be arranged on request.
