The 7 Most Eco-Friendly Safari Lodges in East Africa

Known for its abundance of wildlife and the perfect destination for a safari holiday, East Africa is also home to some of the most eco-friendly lodges anywhere on the planet. From green initiatives such as reusing water to only using renewable energy to power various areas in the lodges, to community involvement and more, these are the best places to stay if you want to go on safari but are conscious about your carbon footprint.

Where Are The Best Eco-Friendly Safari Lodges in East Africa?

1. Basecamp Maasai Mara – Kenya

Described as ‘a model in positive impact tourism’, Basecamp Maasai Mara is one of the most eco-friendly safari lodges in East Africa.

Found in the Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, it’s also an ideal place to base yourself to see some of Africa’s most iconic species: elephants, lions, crocodiles, hippos, rhinos, leopards, giraffes and more are all known to frequent the Maasai Mara area.

The lodges themselves are made up of canvas tents and raised accommodations, offering a unique, authentic African bush experience. Each room contains two showers – both solar powered – one inside the bathroom, and an outdoor one, shielded from view of others, but offering a stunning view over the National Park surrounding you.

Food is sourced locally and supports local farmers, while a percentage of the profits that Basecamp makes go towards anti-poaching measures not just in the Maasai Mara National Park, but throughout Kenya. 

2. Ndali Lodge – Uganda

Few eco-lodges can boast that they run almost exclusively on 100% solar power, but Ndali Lodge in Uganda is one of them.

Found in a 1,000-acre estate in rural Uganda, Ndali Lodge makes the most of its surroundings to become one of the best eco-friendly destinations in all of Africa. Around a tenth of the estate is used for growing crops such as coffee and bananas, and the rest is left wild, encouraging wildlife to settle in the grounds.

In addition, the crops that are grown are used in the catering options at the lodge – not many hotels across the world can say that they have grown, cultivated, roasted and brewed their own coffee within 1,000 acres of the kitchens.

Situated close to Lake Nyinambuga, a hydraulic-powered water pump helps to draw water from the lake to use in the hotel – from showers in guest rooms to boiling water in the kitchen, and even to watering the plants in the hotel’s grounds.

Perhaps the biggest selling point of Ndali Lodge, though, is that there is no electricity. Instead, everything is either solar powered, and at night, candles are used to light up the internal areas, offering a peaceful, calming atmosphere without damaging the planet at all. A true eco lodge paradise.

3. Binshangari Eco Lodge – Ethiopia

200km from Ethiopia’s bustling capital city, Addis Ababa, Binshangari Eco Lodge offers a serene escape without the worry of any form of pollution, be that noise, light or air.

Found in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, the lodge is surrounded by diverse wildlife, including elephants, baboons, hippos and the native and endangered Ethiopian wolf. This is the perfect place to base yourself for a safari.

It’s also the perfect place to base yourself for a digital detox, given that there is no television, no WiFi and no electricity at the lodge, offering you the rare opportunity in today’s technology-focussed modern world to put your devices down and live in the moment.

But it’s not just the lack of electricity which makes Binshangari Eco Lodge an eco-friendly escape in East Africa. All of the water used at the lodge is reused (where possible), such as shower water being reused to water nearby plants, and the water is heated by solar panels on top of the water tanks, thus taking advantage of the natural climate.

Outdoor activities such as canoeing, birdwatching and hiking are all offered by local guides at the hotel, keeping you away from technology and into embracing the moment.

4. Singita Sasakwa Lodge – Tanzania

Built in what was once an Edwardian manor house, the Singita Sasakwa Lodge in Tanzania is another excellent eco-friendly safari lodge to visit in East Africa.

Located on the edge of the Serengeti National Park, one of Africa’s most diverse national parks, brimming with exotic wildlife, this is a place where daily safari wildlife sightings are almost guaranteed.

As with many other eco-lodges, solar power is exclusively used to heat water in guest bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as the water that is used for the kitchens and bars.

Moreover, local farmers are supported through the Fair Trade scheme, and their crops are bought at fair prices, which enables a successful partnership between local farmers and Singita Sasakwa Lodge to flourish. Any food waste is composted where possible, and either used in the hotel gardens or returned to the farmers for use on their crops.

The hotel also supports community initiatives and schemes along with its eco-friendly policies, including the annual Serengeti Girls Run, where runners (both male and female) come together to raise money for empowerment programmes for girls in rural Tanzania.

5. Bisate Lodge – Rwanda

Serving as a base for Rwanda’s famous gorilla-trekking safaris, Bisate Lodge is easily one of the most eco-friendly safari lodges in East Africa.

The mountain gorillas of Rwanda are a critically endangered species, with estimates of around 300-400 left in the country, and only around 1,000 left in the wild elsewhere in the world.

As such, Bisate Lodge puts a huge emphasis on making sure the next generations can be around to see these magnificent creatures, and does so through a series of eco-friendly initiatives.

For starters, the lodges are built at the heart of a reforestation project, and since opening in June 2017, the lodge has planted over 150,000 indigenous trees on its property to encourage the restoration of the land and create essential habitats for the gorillas.

Taking advantage of being in a rainforest, rainwater is harvested and filtered for both drinking water and for water in guest bathrooms. It is also heated through solar energy. Food is sourced locally, while the majority of the construction materials used at the hotel are locally-sourced volcanic stone, thus reducing the hotel’s carbon footprint from importing materials like concrete.

Guests are also invited to take part in a tree-planting ceremony during their stay, thus helping with reforestation efforts.

6. Kyaninga Lodge – Uganda

Another eco-lodge in Rwanda’s northern neighbour, Uganda, but this time, instead of gorillas being the main attraction, it's one of mankind’s closest relatives: chimpanzees.

Perched on the edge of an ancient volcanic crater lake with incredible views over the Rwenzori Mountains, this is a true wilderness paradise in the heart of East Africa.

The eco-friendly measures started during the lodge’s construction, which took six years because it was entirely hand-built, using sustainably sourced eucalyptus logs and volcanic stone from the crater area.

Solar panels heat the entire lodge, reducing their carbon footprint by a huge amount, while food is sourced from their own gardens, or, if the produce is not available in the gardens, then from local markets.

Over 10,000 trees have been planted in the name of the lodge in and around the nearby crater, and a further 25,000 have been planted by the crystal-clear Kyaninga Crater Lake, enabling guests to swim in its well-looked-after waters during their stay.

Even the community efforts at Kyaninga Lodge are eco-focused, with profits from the hotel going towards producing bamboo wheelchairs for local disabled people, again reusing local materials instead of relying on foreign imports.

7. Angama Mara – Kenya

Angama Mara Lodge, also found in the Maasai Mara National Park, is another superb example of an eco-friendly safari lodge in East Africa.

The lodge is entirely powered by a combination of solar energy and hydropower, with one backup generator solely used for pumping water. 

The lodge also has a rule in place that single-use plastics are banned, with any plastics used in the hotel being recycled into what they call ‘eco-bricks’, which are used in the hotel’s organic gardens as plant beds or plant pots.

The hotel employs lots of local people, and they are never short of work. All of the laundry at the hotel is done by hand to save water, and guests are naturally encouraged to reuse their bedding and towels more than once to conserve energy wherever possible.

All of the lighting used throughout the hotel is energy-efficient, from LED strip lighting to energy-saving lightbulbs. 

Plus, Angama Mara has also been awarded the Gold Eco Tourism award from Ecotourism Kenya (2019) for its eco-friendly initiatives and efforts, showing how important eco-friendly measures are in the operation of the safari lodge.