Travel stories

Tanzania is our first introduction to sub-Saharan Africa. Our trip was postponed for 2 years due to the Coronapandemic, but in 2022 we went. Together with our son, Bram, and his girlfriend, Iris, we decided to  embark on the adventure from 10 to 26 June.

After a wonderful day of acclimation, we were introduced to our guide, loaded our duffel bags in the back of the jeep and left Arusha Villa with her monkeys and beautiful butterflies behind us. Via a beautiful route through National Park Tarangire we checked in at Tarangire Safari Lodge. The lodge has the sub-name ‘Awsome View’ for a reason and offers a breathtaking view of the valley with elephants, zebras and impalas.

After our Safari we are always welcomed at the lodge with a nice drink and we can enjoy the view on the terrace. We are all impressed. Our guide Chrisple is very knowledgeable and expertly leads us through all the national parks. Sleeping in is not an option, so always go to bed early. Although there is no WiFi available at some locations, we have nice conversations with each other around the campfire and play games (if we get to that).

Lake Manyara green camp is breathtakingly beautiful. Straight out of a scene from Out of Africa! Picture this: luxury tents on a waterfall with a river where elephants, Pumbas (warthogs), baboons and water bocks come to drink in the evening. National Geographic live, or Bush TV, as our hosts call it. A staff that continuously tries to please you with a pleasant conversation, good food and drinks. On a night safari where you meet a hippo 🦛 in full regalia and an elephant 🐘 who is initially startled and therefore comes very close to the open jeep. Surprised how green Tanzania is; forests (almost jungle-like), green meadows by the lake with all kinds of fowl.

Then Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge in Karatu. Ingenious hot water system; all sites had solar panels to provide electricity, but firewood was also used here to heat the water in a central boiler, providing guests with hot water on cloudy and foggy mornings. The Ngorongoro   crater, which is half an hour away, is also a unique experience. If you had to imagine The Garden of Eden, this comes very close. Paradise Lost.

During our Safari, our last stay is Pembezoni camp, beautifully situated in the middle of Serengeti. In this park you come across animals in numbers at once, which we did not expect. Truly to never forget. Delay caused by the migration of wildebeest and zebra, a lone buffalo that has chosen our camp to live its retirement.

After an overnight stay and a city tour in Stonetown, we spend the last days of our holiday in Fumba Beach on Zanzibar. Relax in a very nice resort, with individual houses, in the middle of a beautiful garden and monkeys. Overlooking the Indian Ocean and equipped with a nice swimming pool, cocktail bar and a restaurant that caters well for the inner man. And, like everywhere we went, friendly, hospitable people 🇹🇿🐚🤎

We made some really nice memories together: air travel that was not too bad (and it wasn’t), elephants in our backyard at Tarangire Safari Lodge, a picturesque stay by a river with a waterfall and outdoor toilet without water, but with sawdust in Lake Manyara, our first rhinoceros and a baboon in the neighbor’s car who quickly loots an egg and banana in Ngorongoro, the truly endless plains and previously unimagined amount of animals in Serengeti, the big five in one day, a zebra that is doomed by its broken leg (or leg – I don’t know what you call it with a zebra), the beautiful, moving animals everywhere in an almost untouched nature, except for the plastic empty bottles that you encountering unlikely places 😥, the almost laughable cacophony, caused by the call to prayer by many mosques in Stonetown, the relentless wind at our relaxing spot Fumba Beach, the beautiful children who greet our jeep, the hospitality of Hippo and Nelson and their teams in particular, the patience, humor and explanation from Chrisple, our guide, who had to change 2 flat tires on his long way back home (after dropping us off for our domestic flight), everywhere the delicious and often plentiful food, the tasty cocktails from Patrick and Bushman and our one-eyed bush-baby George 😜, the Qwixx competition, great conversations and each other’s company. It was great to experience this.

Big compliment to Explore Tanzania; the trip was well organized and perfectly matched our question ‘Experience Tanzania, not luxurious, but comfortable’, although we did experience our trip as luxurious, authentic, enchanting. Tanzania gave us the credo ‘Pole pole sana’, and we try to keep it as long as possible here in the hectic Netherlands.