Emem
Head ranger
Knows 240 bird calls and the name of every buffalo.
Our story
About the lodge
Savannah Lodge began as a cattle ranch that was left to grow wild. In 2016 the families who owned it turned it into a reserve, and the lodge pays for its protection.
Conservation
A reserve that pays for itself
The 1,800 hectares of grassland and forest edge were heavily grazed until 2015. Ten years without cattle brought back the kob, then the buffalo, then the birds. Today 12 patrol rangers keep hunters out and the fire breaks clear.
Every night you stay pays for one ranger patrol. ₦2,000 from every outing ticket goes straight into the reserve fund, and the accounts are shared with the village councils each quarter.
- 1,800 haprotected
- 12patrol rangers
- 64neighbours on the team
- 240bird species
Community
Our neighbours
Most of our team come from the four villages around the reserve. The raffia weavers who run our craft mornings sell their work in the lodge shop at their own prices, and the kitchen buys vegetables, fish and palm oil from nearby farms.
Team
The people you will meet
Mma Arit
Head cook
Afang, pepper soup and patience.
Aniekan
Transfers
Twelve years on the Uyo road without a scratch.
Idara
Guest host
Will find you a quiet corner or a party, whichever you need.
Example team for this demo.
How we run
Light footprint
- Solar by day and nightBatteries carry the lodge through the dark.
- RainwaterCollected, filtered and used for showers.
- No plastic bottlesRefill stations and steel bottles in every room.
- Local food90% of the kitchen buys within 40 km.
Stay and support the reserve
Every night pays for a ranger patrol.