Kiboko Lodge

The location of this lodge is amazing, offering a serene setting to enjoy the wildlife of Tanzania when not on safari. The lodge sits on the edge of a marsh and gave us multiple terrace options (including a private one attached to our room) to do some bird watching. While there , we saw the African fish eagle and Black-and-white cascade hornbill, songbirds too many to count, along with some visiting Vervet monkeys. The staff were among the most attentive and friendly that we have experienced and our room (the Simba house) was everything we could hope for. We highly recommend it if you’re looking for a quieter place to relax.

The views of Mt Meru and the surrounding bush country were magnificent. The grounds include banana, papaya, mango, pineapple and avocado plants/trees, all of which enhance the experience. The staff were extremely attentive and polite. All speak English. We loved the food so much my wife wanted to bring the chef home (joking of course, but high praise). The lodge staff were trained as part of a program to provide a good livelihood to local residents who otherwise would have limited opportunities. While the lodge is remote (not in Arusha city), it is close to Arusha National Park, and lodge staff will provide driving tours (for extra cost), which is well worth it.

This place is wonderful. The camp is in a lovely location in the forest near the Arusha natl. park. The staff is super friendly and the food is great.

Well-run hotel with a social & environmental conscience. Nearly all of the staff, except the Manager, are graduates of a program which saves homeless boys from the street, educates them and teaches them a vocation so that they can be responsible young men who then become gainfully employed adults. Many of the boys are drug addicts when they first enter the program. One of the vocations offered is in hospitality. The boys now employed by Kiboko Lodge are customer-driven, sober, have some working knowledge of english, & are proud of the new lives they have earned with hard work. They do virtually all the work at the Lodge by keeping it clean, preparing and serving meals & doing some maintenance. The meals were delicious, bountiful, and appealing to the eye. Breakfast is normally served in the Tea Room, which is ideal for birdwatching & listening to the sounds of nature. Lunch is often served on one of the terraces. Dinner is ususually served in the dining room, which is an open-air area with a roof and a fireplace. My cottage was very comfortable. It is a bit rustic, yet well-appointed. Being in a rural area, Wifi is limited to the dining room/Reception area. The bathroom has the only power outlet in each of the accommodations & the generator providing power to the outlets is from 6:30pm - 9:30pm. If a guest needs to charge a phone or tablet, & is unable to wait for the generator, the guest can ask the Manager to charge devices if the Lodge doesn't need to use the chargers.

I like that it is helping to support children who are out of school and teach them a skill. However, the cøeanliness and the accommodations are sub par for the price. There is also no option for the food and that is exceptionally expensive. If you want the students to gain a real skill, teach them what good hospitality, cleanliness and service really mean so they can be the best. The location is also right by the swamp so there are lots of mosquitos. I know they try to be environmentally friendly but they are filling glass bottles with plastic water to look environmentally friendly. I would rather drink straight from a fresh plastic bottle.