Angama Mara, the luxury safari lodge in Kenya's Maasai Mara Reserve, has debuted its newly completed "farm." Swahili for vegetable garden, the “Shamba” farm offers a place to relax, pick fresh produce, and have a special farm-to-table lunch complete with butler service.
Designed by architect, Ian Dommisse, the Shamba is built with environmentally friendly construction methods, and is divided into five zones for different produce, including: pumpkins and fruit trees; citrus and blooming red spirals; "crop circles" and helping herbs; dining and lazing; and a Kenyan medicinal healing garden. When the Shamba is fully planted it will provide most of the lodge's need for salads, herbs, tomatoes and baby vegetables.
Located within walking distance of the lodge, guests can stop by on their way to or from the Reserve. The Shamba's keepers welcome guests at the passionfruit bower that forms the entrance to the garden. They then guide guests via paths through the one-acre garden, explaining all the produce and encouraging guests to pick and taste the produce along the way. The keepers also share the story behind the farm’s unique layout.
The lodge offers private "Shamba-to-table" lunches in the garden under shade trees. Guests can pick their own ingredients, which are then washed and readied for a fresh salad. Angama Mara's butlers prepare a wicker basket filled with loaves of bread, local Kenyan cheeses and chilled rosé wine to accompany the salad. The Shamba-to-table experience is just one of the included activities available to guests at Angama Mara.
Angama Mara opened in June 2015, and is comprised of two separate camps, each encompassing 15 tented guest suites, placed on the edge of the Oloololo Escarpment. The lodge offers game viewing year-round in the Mara Triangle, with direct access to the reserve. Guests can also enjoy a fitness center, a 40-foot-long swimming pool, a curated gallery of African art, clothing and jewelry, and a sun-filled studio where local Maasai women work at beading bespoke items.
Related Articles
Animal Magic in Africa's Ultimate Hotel for Wildlife Lovers
A Renovation for andBeyond Bateleur Camp in the Maasai Mara
andBeyond to Open Four Camps in 2018
Luxury Hotelier Steve Fitzgerald Passes Away