A stay at Erebero Hills is about so much more than simply gorilla trekking. There is the opportunity to immerse yourself in local culture, experience the process of tea production, or explore the inner workings of our own syntropic farm.
As you walk up the hill to our Positive Impact centre, you may notice farmers tending to abundant crops of fruit, vegetables and herbs on the slopes that fall away to the forest below. While much of the land around Erebero Hills is being reforested, an area was set aside as the site of the lodge’s syntropic farm, a regenerative farming initiative designed to heal the land while offering a bounty of produce for the lodge, and an impactful training and livelihood opportunity for the local community.
Previously this land housed depleted tea plantations, the soil exhausted of its natural nutrients and microbial diversity. Using the principles of syntropic farming, a method rooted in permaculture, the project prioritises the restoration of soil health through the reintroduction of diverse plant life.
Mirroring Nature
The farm’s design mirrors the complexity of a natural forest, with towering neem and tamarind trees providing a protective canopy for the diverse plant life below. Beneath their shade, fruit trees flourish, offering familiar harvests like bananas, mangos, and avocados, alongside rarer treasures such as jackfruit, custard apple, and tamarillo. Interspersed among these are vibrant patches of dragonfruit, pineapple, African basil, and lemongrass, each contributing to the ecosystem’s productivity, and restoring the soil health one tree at a time.
Planted with an intentional rhythm that encourages the soil’s natural regenerative processes, every plant plays a role, whether fixing nitrogen in the soil, providing shade, or attracting pollinators that keep the system thriving. The farm is a carefully curated space that bridges cultivated land and untamed wilderness, its natural shape of harmonious layers mirroring the forest beyond.
Farm to Fork
The farm is both a source of produce and a living classroom for the community. Forest Foods, a Kenyan organisation teaching sustainable agriculture, supported the plans for the farm, and in turn local farmers and members of the Bakiga community have received training in syntropic farming methods. This knowledge-sharing has allowed them to use their learnings to transform their own plots, improving yields and reducing dependency on harmful chemicals.
As a guest at Erebero Hills, you are invited to visit the farm and step into this dynamic environment, where the air carries the fragrance of ripening fruit and freshly turned earth. Guided by one of the local farmers, gain firsthand insight into the techniques that have transformed this landscape and see where the produce, central to the lodge’s culinary offerings comes from. Our farm to fork approach ensures that every dish carries the freshness of these slopes. Any excess produce is dried and sold, providing additional income for the local farmers who tend the land.
The syntropic farm at Erebero Hills demonstrates how thoughtful, ecologically grounded practices can transform a landscape and create opportunities for growth, for the soil, the farmers, and the wider community.
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