The latest collection is designed to cater to a wider audience as well as featuring a wider range of activities on property.
First sites
The first lodge, Serengeti Explorer, is scheduled to open in March 2024, while Ngorongoro Explorer will follow later that year and Tarangire Explorer is slated to open in 2025.
Serengeti Explorer will offer a central, yet private location with panoramic views, extensive facilities and will cater to an underrepresented market between budget and full luxury.
Reconstruction consideration
Serengeti Explorer is being built on the site of the previous Serengeti Sopa Lodge in northern Tanzania and its reconstruction is designed not to cause unnecessary disruption to the environment.
The room count will be the same so as not to add additional population pressure to the fragile ecosystem.
Accommodation and dining
The property is slightly larger than Elewana Collection’s existing footprint, with 68 well-appointed explorer rooms and six suites. All rooms have a private balcony offering Serengeti views, and configurations will cater for couples, friends, families and special groups of all sizes with interconnecting rooms and rooms with wheelchair access.
There will be a wide selection of dining options ranging from a chef’s table located within an extensive wine cellar with an on-site sommelier, to a Boma restaurant offering a bush dinner of African and Swahili signature dishes. In addition, a main restaurant, poolside bistro and bar and deli and coffee shop will all serve up an array of dishes celebrating the farm-to table culture.
African culture theme
Serengeti Explorer aims to offer guests a fully immersive holiday experience, with many activities being introduced, aside from the game drives. A children’s bushcraft centre will cater for families, whilst an outdoor cinema will show African movie classics as well as more current releases.
African culture will be a central theme to Serengeti Explorer with an art gallery showcasing local talent as well as local crafts available for purchase in a retail centre. A creative photo studio will be equipped with useful technology and an on-site expert to ensure that guests take away their best images from the experience.
Additionally, a stargazing deck with an onsite astronomy guide will allow guests to enjoy a galactic night safari.
Mid-market safari target
Karim Wissanji, Elewana’s founder and CEO, commented: “The launch of Explorer by Elewana marks an exciting milestone for our group. This upscale safari lodge concept, set in the renowned wildlife-rich regions of Northern Tanzania, fills a unique niche by targeting the needs and price point of the mid-market safari guest.
“Explorer promises a range of immersive safari experiences within World Heritage-designated natural landscapes. Consistent with every Elewana property, Explorer will be characterised by exemplary service, remarkable wildlife encounters, and a deep connection to nature. Our commitment to conservation and community engagement, a cornerstone of our ethos, will continue to be at the heart of everything we do.”
