bwanamitch

Hi Tanzanian experts,

there are new Serengeti accommodations on the way. The company is Grumeti Reserves, their website www.grumetireserves.com is still dead, but I've found another source at www.africanexp.com.

The camps & lodges are located west of the Serengeti in the Grumeti GR/Ikoma WMA/Ikorongo GR.

Grumeti Reserves have formerly been a hunting operator (VIP Safaris) with exclusive concessions in the three areas mentioned above, and some time ago they've turned to photo tourism. Recently they've re-introduced about 30 rhinos in the area.

The new Sasakwa Lodge (opening is planned in August) has been called a "7-star" lodge in a newspaper article.

There's another luxury safari camp, Sabora Plains, that must be operational for some time now.

Does anyone of you ever heard of this camp?

Mitch

katesy

This month's Food & Wine magazine has a nice spread on Grumeti Reserves (Sabora, Sasakwa and Faru Faru).

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/...-on-1500-a-day

The hard copy has some great pictures (including a photo of their equestrian safaris). Looks like a very civilized place in the wild.

bat

Hi bwanamitch:
How have you been?
Eben reported on these in November.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34711271

And they are on his google earth plus lodge accommodations photos site go-safari.com

I am not sure why you say that the website is still dead. I have accessed it before and it seems "alive."

They are very, very expensive. Is it a "good" thing to bring Singita prices to TZ?

I guess that I would agree that it is better to change from a hunting concession to a photo safari destination. Good to reintroduce rhinos.

Someone posted an interesting article about tension between the local village and them. I will see if I can find it.

On my most recent trip I heard some criticism from some locals (not from the area). So I am not quite sure about them.

Patty

bat,
Mitch posted this July last year

pixelpower

Aren't these resorts part of the debate we had on the role of local people living in that area?

(Remember the article in NatGeo about Ikoma working together with local communities, while others (Grumeti?) do not, and about the bush-meat problems, etc...)

bat

Patty:
Oops. I thought it was interesting that he was back on the forum.
pixelpower--yes, that was the issue I was thinking of.

Nyamera

Here’s the thread http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34760801
Unfortunately there’s some silly talk about a t-shirt.

Apparently Grumeti Reserves is a huge wildlife success, so the people of the area can just forget about anyone at all caring about injustices committed against them. I’d like to have George Monbiot look into this, but some really pathetic googling has led me to believe that he’s soon to become a father.

In the food and wine article I saw, “My favorite time in the kitchen was watching the Tanzanian chef, Hassani Iddi, make chapati, the Indian flat bread that Tanzanians eat with every meal.” It reminded me of a young lodge manager in Kenya who told me that as a child he only had chapati for Christmas. All other days he had ugali.

bat

Thanks Nyamera:
I read the Food and Wine article in the other post and it says this:

"But if the thought of enjoying so much luxury in a land where so many people have so little causes guilt pangs, consider that Grumeti supports the economy of five local villages, whose people work as waitstaff, gardeners, masons and carpenters. The resort also supports more than a hundred rangers hired to patrol the area, many of them reformed poachers lured by Grumeti's higher wages."

Do you notice what job is missing from the list? Maybe it is merely an oversight but I did hear a comment about white staff when I was in TZ. I would like to hear from someone who has actually stayed there --or knows the staff to find out about their guides.

bat

Meant to put this in the other post--the F & W post is here.