Amboseli Sopa Lodge is set within mature wooded gardens with a wide variety of trees and plants which include thorn trees, Acacias, fragrant Frangipanis, colorful bougainvillea and giant cacti which all thrive in these surroundings. The gardens are also 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.

• Features

Reception

The enclosed and domed 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.

Lobby

The lobby is open, spacious and airy. It has a high ceiling with elevated and painted glass forming an atrium above an indoor garden. Both round and tubular calabashes form the suspended chandeliers above walls decorated with a Maasai theme, and comfortable, colorfully cushioned, rough timber furniture above bright, locally woven carpets complete the décor.

Attached to this area is a colorful and vibrant Maasai handicraft market where traditional beadwork and woodcarvings are manufactured, sometimes to the designs requested by our guests. And just beyond this is a well stocked boutique with a wide variety of souvenirs, books, safari clothing, T-shirts and toiletry items.

Leading away from the lobby towards Kilimanjaro there is a bridge over the large, split-level fishpond which leads to the Kibo restaurant and the Mawenzi bar.

Bars

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 360o 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 we put 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.

Dining

The Kibo Restaurant is named after the tallest peak of Mt. 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 bar-b-cue grills.

Our Facilities