Day 8

The lodge

Before I arrived in the Bilila Lodge I wasn’t sure what would await me. I mean, the Lodge is located in the wilderness of the Serengeti Park and the next shop, market, internet- or power-connection is kilometres away! So I wondered how they would solve a couple of things: How will a luxury approach be got together in the wilderness of the Serengeti? Will the technical infrastructure work? Is it possible to have such a complex not appearing like some sort of foreign substance in the middle of the environment?

Well, let me put the answer to my questions this way: they mastered all these things - perfectly.

Getting to the Lodge

When you arrive in the Lodge, you have already started your safari while going from the airstrip (or in our case from Ngorongoro – see day 6) to the lodge. You drive through the natural beauty of the Serengeti and are immediately in another world. Mr. Warren Goadby, the lodge operations manager, told me that collecting VIPs from the airstrip is always an exciting adventure – you never know what will happen and what you will see on the way.
You arrive at a building that is the complete opposite to some overly monumental five star city hotels. Elegant yes, high class certainly – but perfectly integrated into the environment.

They have a main building and a couple of separate buildings, where the rooms, spa, etc. are located. You walk on beautifully crafted wooden pathways from one building to another. The whole complex feels more like an open small village that blends into the Serengeti Park, located between trees, grass, water-holes and rocks.

The wildlife and the Maasai guards

The pathways are about two metres above the ground. You walk high above the Serengeti Park with all its animals. Fences are not allowed in the Park, so basically the Sergengeti just continues through the residential area. To prevent any issues with the wildlife some guys who work here as guards know the Serengeti like nobody else: they are the Maasai. Those great and incredibly friendly people have an eye on everything that moves in the bush.

Ecosystem

Not only is the colour of the buildings green, but also the whole construction is built and run “green”. When the lodge was build no trees were cut down and many materials are from within the country. They have a water recycling facility and everything runs on low light, low noise and controlled emission of fumes. The Lodge is basically a small ecosystem in the huge ecosystem of the Serengeti National Park.

Comfort

It all sounds very nice, but what about the luxury comfort in the lodge? Believe me, you will have nothing to complain about. The rooms are fantastic and you will find all the things you need to be of a very high standard. From the technical equipment point of view, I didn’t notice that I was staying in the wilderness. High-speed Internet connection, flat-screen TV panels, air conditioning, they even have their own cellular phone transmitter.
The cuisine is excellent and the spa (still under construction) is going to be astonishing. And of course you will find all the facilities you expect from a five star hotel.

The Staff

But the most important plus factor to all this luxury is provided by the people working at the lodge. They are great and share a natural friendliness. The tone is less formal and more openhearted than elsewhere, but at the same time they maintain a high level of professional service. I enjoy staying here – everybody has a story to tell, and the wide variety from the Maasai to Europeans makes an interesting mix.

Night at the Bilila Lodge Kempinski

Like on day 3 I uploaded a small sound file: Get an impression what it sounds like at the Bilila Lodge at night!

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