The Sopa Serengeti Lodge has the Disneyesque feel of a theme park exhibit embellished with all the cliched accoutrements to be expected when no expense has been spared and no particular originality applied. From the outside as you approach the building appears austere and regimented, but upon arrival staff dressed in carnival apparel hurry to take your bags before ushering you into a reception area dripping with passe interiors and the grand airs of an African palace.
None of this is bad. Far from it. The usual impeccable service can also expected, even if the staff are rather poorly used in being expected to wear these ridiculous uniforms. However the spacious interior leads left into a bar, and right into a dining area. To the fore lies the pool area and patio which is the focus of the establishment. Needless today the pool deck looks out onto the vast wilderness that we have come here to enjoy.
The Serengeti Sopa has far more the feel of a hotel about it than a lodge. The rooms are to the left and right of the main reception area, and are attached as opposed to separate as one would expect in a lodge. Each of the 69 twin bedrooms are en-suite, each with 2 queen size beds, and each with a French door leading out onto a balcony that quite naturally is poised towards another fabulous view. Attention to detail is good without being overbearing, and everything works.
A large dining area offers a la carte dinners and buffet breakfasts, while evening entertainment is presented by an ensemble of singers drawn from the service and kitchen staff. This is a very nice touch, and CDs are available at the gift shop.
A reliable internet connection is available as well as a 3000 sq ft conference facility for meetings, presentations and private functions. A small gym is situated adjacent to the pool. Various local excursions can be arranged, as can a balloon safari.
The facility is principally for safari travelers en-route through the park and is extremely well organized in this respect. The movement to and fro of safari groups is slick, and a packed lunch comes with the package.
Two generators run 24-hours a day to light and power the hotel, which is once again heavily adorned with indigenous hardwood. Commissioned in 1992, there is a case for arguing that the lodge was built long before concerns for the state of local hardwood reserves had matured, but even so this yet again is a black mark against the establishment. The gift shop is replete with examples of local Mpingo carving, another seriously threatened species in Tanzania.
Another great destination in the Serengeti. Even though the Sopa Serengeti is not the most thoughtful of the many luxury accommodation options in the Serengeti, it cannot be faulted where it counts. Excellent service and a fine situation, as well as comfortable and well appointed rooms, all combine to make this another potentially memorable stop
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Rough Travel Africa Style: The Tented Camps & Lodges of Serengeti Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp Migration Camp Mbalageti Tented Camp Serena Serengeti Serena Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge Serengeti Sopa Lodge Ngorongoro Lobo Wildlife Lodge Serengeti Gibbs Farm Ndarakwai Ranch
