Where & what infographic of our time in Kenya

Inspired by the way Jeff & Kerryn-lee, of Pass the Map, documented their 2012 expedition through Southern Africa with infographics, we were inspired to do the same. So each Tuesday we will be posting a summary infographic, in the order of our route, and today's one is for Kenya, the 7th country of our expedition. 

While we were in Kenya our expedition started to unravel a little and we ended up spending a LONG time here getting everything back on track. It was here that Ishtar left the team, Matt was forced to resign from his job to be able to continue the expedition and our route also needed to be changed due to an outbreak of conflict in South Sudan. While we were sorting out our finances and next steps we were fortunate enough to have some very kind people put roofs over our heads, namely James and Claire Clark as well as Naomi, Sammy & Chui Mutua. Thank you so much to you all for kindly opening your homes to us - if it hadn't been for you the expedition would not have been able to continue. We are eternally grateful.

While in Kenya we also spent about a month camping, mainly at the Nairobi Scouts Camp. This camp was an incredible find and we by and large had it to ourselves the entire time (except weekends when day visitors flocked to the beautiful spot for picnicking). Set in the Ngong Forest even though the facilities weren't fantastic, the surroundings more than made up for it - oh and the fact that the site cost only $1 a day a person didn't hurt! It was here that we lived in $1.25 a day for a week - a perspective altering experience that you can read more about here.

At this stage of the expedition we were really impressed at how well our camping gear was doing - even after 6 months of hard use on the road and a month of solid use in Nairobi - particularly since most of it was second hand when we left South Africa! Our Cadac tent had literally been bent in half during storms in Tanzania, beaten by the wind in Namibia, soaked over and over again in rains across Southern Africa and yet still somehow kept standing and barely even leaked. This tent, by a gas bottle company we didn't even know made tents, was the most reliable and strongest piece of equipment we've had on this expedition and in fact ever before! Sadly when we tried to find out more about the tents we discovered they are no longer made, so your best bet for finding one is second hand - ours was anyway! If you're in Tanzania I'd recommend you check out these free online classifieds. You're bound to find everything you need for an adventurous weekend away here!

The variety of places we stayed while in Kenya gave us the opportunity to meet some amazing people, and having the time to really get to know them was a gift. We ended up with not only an incredible support system across Kenya but also a bunch of friends for life. For just this everything else we went through in Kenya was worth it.

All these experiences, from the way we were living, the people we met, to the issues we faced, changed us from travellers to nomads. We changed from the people who freaked out at a 3 day delay because of a broken windscreen in Namibia to the people who were prepared to not only give up everything to keep the expedition alive but stay in a campsite for weeks on end and love every minute. We learnt to roll with the punches and we learnt that, as cliched as it sounds, everything really does happen for a reason - if we hadn't been delayed in Kenya we would have been in the middle of the Sudanese desert when the conflict broke out and Juba shut down! In Kenya we threw away our timeline and recognised that it was going to take as long as it was going to take, there may be delays, there may be stops but we'll get there in the end. And that's ok, in fact it's exactly as we want it, because that's the real adventure and that's where the life-changing lessons are learned.

All in all Kenya was a tough time but we toughened up, got to re-explore the country we used to live in, and from here were truly ready to embrace all that T2T has to offer us.

Posted by Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

Where & what infographic of our time in Tanzania

Inspired by the way Jeff & Kerryn-lee (Pass the Map) documented their 2012 expedition through Southern Africa with infographics, we were motivated to do the same. So each Tuesday we will be posting a summary infographic, in the order of our route, and today's one is for Tanzania!

Posted by Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

Missing Mountains & Magic Moments in Moshi

There’s absolutely no doubt that Tanzania offers some of the most spectacular scenery and wildlife viewing opportunities in the world. The country has pristine white sanded and blue watered beaches, clichéd but very much real island paradises, baobabs in open savannahs, the annual Wildebeest migration, the continent’s largest mountain and two lakes so big they have inland beaches. Yet Tanzania is so much more than just these natural wonders. We spent a night in Moshi that illustrated this perfectly…

 We’d been to Tanzania four times before and not seen Kilimanjaro, except from the airplane, and decided we just couldn’t go for a fifth time and not at least briefly cast an eye on her. So from our stop at Mkoma Bay on the east coast at Pangani we headed inland to Moshi to see the famous mountain. We were lucky enough to make friends with another guest at Mkoma Bay who lives in Moshi and not only offered to lead the 380km from Pangani to Moshi but also a spot to camp for the night! We gladly followed Musi and Marie through the never ending roadworks (by now the same road must be in tip top condition) with our sense of excitement growing as we got closer, metre by metre, to Kilimanjaro. From a 100km outside of Moshi we started looking out for Africa’s largest mountain and were more than a little confused that the world’s largest free standing mountain was by now not immediately evident! It turns out this fact is true but made difficult to see by the fact that the area around Kilimanjaro is covered with mountain ranges, it’s just that none of these actually connect to Kilimanjaro itself. 

It didn’t help that is was a very rainy and cloudy day but as we drove into Moshi we could at last see at least the bottom of the world famous Kilimanjaro! As the locals say, we just needed to wait for her to lift her skirt and reveal herself in all her splendid glory.  Musi led us through Moshi to our camping spot for the night and after setting and cleaning ourselves up we headed out to catch some Moshi nightlife. We all piled into Musi’s car and headed to Glacier Bar, a massive house converted into several bars, restaurants and even fashion booths with a big open area in the middle where the party happens. As luck would have it the big event on at Glacier’s that night was the Redds Fashion Unibash. The fashion show is aimed at show-casing young designers from the country’s universities and offers cash prizes to those judged as having the best designs on the night. In between the fashion, all modelled by the Miss and Mr Tanzania contestants, the massive crowd was entertained by Joh Makini live in action.

Photo by Issa Michuzi

After an excellent dinner of nyama choma (grilled meat) we grabbed a drink and headed straight into the thriving mass of people surrounding the stage. The all-Tanzanian live line-up busted out Bongo Flava beats that kept the crowd literally jumping. And that included us! Bearing in mind that we’re old now and thumping club scenes are not really our bag anymore, the music has to be quite something for us to keep going – but that it certainly was. So much so we were almost disappointed when it stopped so the fashion show could start. That feeling passed the second the incredibly energetic MC stepped on stage with the phrase ‘Nice, nice, nice’, one we would hear countless more times that night. All the designs were modern, fashion forward and unmistakably African, but our favourites were most definitely the brightly coloured formal men’s wear. 

Photo by Issa Michuzi

Photo by Issa Michuzi

Despite slightly sore heads we awoke bright and early the next morning and jumped out from under our mosquito nets hoping to at last see Kilimanjaro in all her glory. Alas she was still hiding and for all we know there could have been a golf course or an ocean under all those clouds. After as many delays as possible, all aimed at giving the clouds time to disappear, we eventually headed to our next destination without having laid eyes on her. There was no sense of disappointment though since Moshi had delivered so many unexpected and unique experiences, more than making up for its hiding mountain.  

The entire Moshi encounter, from our generous host and now friend, to the slick and home-grown fashion event, is a great metaphor for Tanzania today: a vibrant, energetic, colourful, modern and cutting edge society that has so much more to offer than just safaris. 

Posted by Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

Skipping the Serengeti and finding Singida instead

Our planned route through Northern Tanzania was to head from Ngorongoro to Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria via the Serengeti, but that plan was forced to change when we discovered the ludicrous park fees for the Serengeti. We were aware that we’d have to pay $60 a day per person to get into the Serengeti National Park, fees we felt were high but would be worth it, but were not aware that in addition to this we’d also be required to pay a whopping $200 a day for our car to be in the park. The issue of park fees and their size is a matter for a whole other blog but the ethics of the matter were moot since our budget did not allow for such an expense, especially since camping, food etc.  were not included.

We still needed to get to Mwanza though, since that’s where the next school food garden we were part of co-creating was scheduled, and so we worked out a new route around the park. This route meant heading south again before picking up the Dodoma-Mwanza Highway. The new route was approximately 800km compared to the 350km we would have traveled through the park. However after doing the maths we established it was still a much cheaper option than heading through the park and so we hit the road! We soon discovered we were completely off the beaten track and (I might add) were thrilled about this.

The road was in perfect condition and climbed and climbed closer to the clouds, to a point when we started to find it a little difficult to breathe and the car began to struggle. The highest point we climbed to in our trusty Nissan X-trail was just over 3000m and as you can imagine the views from up there were spectacular.  Before long we found ourselves in a town called Singida situated on a salt lake of the same name and surrounded by huge boulders. Best of all this lake, listed as an Important Bird Area, even has flamingos in it! We headed towards a bar, always our first port of call if we don’t know a place, so we could get some advice from locals on where to stay and what to do. We ended up at the KBH Hotel bar right on the lake shore and asked the owner if he knew of any camping facilities in town. He laughed and replied that Mzungus (white people in Swahili) don’t really come here and only Mzungus camp (so no) but did say we could camp on the hotel grounds. However the difference in price for a room in the hotel versus the campsite in the parking lot was so small it made more sense to just get a room – especially considering the room rate included Wi-Fi, breakfast and spectacular views over Lake Singida. We soon settled in our room and then went for a wander on the lake shore.

The beauty of spending time in Singida is that you can just relax and enjoy small town life in Tanzania – afternoon soccer training, the daily homeward migration of cattle and their herders, the bustle of traders unaffected by tourists and an incredible sunset. This sunset though was nothing on the sunrise we were treated to the next morning, which was without doubt the best of our entire journey so far! The white deposits of salt around the lake enhanced the orange of the rising sun, contrasting beautifully with the green coloured water of the lake all finished off with a seemingly never-ending jumble of boulders and a sprinkling of flamingos which made just this moment well worth an 800km detour.  

If you’re looking for more than just a few days absorbing your surroundings Singida does have more to offer like the Singida museum out past the J-Four Motel, plenty of bouldering opportunities (provided you have your own equipment), sunflower plantation tours, some excellent basket shopping – something the town is known for,  tours of the 113 year old town Mosque (including its clock tower which visitors can climb for spectacular views of the town) and even some rock paintings 35km south of Singida at Mjukhuda or 50km north near Lambi Village. I have to admit we didn’t do any of these activities because we were stuck by the lake, entranced by the view, the birdlife and enjoying the company of new found friends.

Posted by Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

Morogoro, Tanzania's Secret Revelation

With the final ceremony of the passing of Nelson Mandela now behind us, the transformation of the great statesman and humanitarian from man to legend will gather momentum, and rightfully so.  When the physical presence of someone of Madiba’s stature is no more, attention shifts to the geographical places where that person was born, lived and died, as well as the places where some of his or her most epic feats were accomplished.  In Mandela’s case this process has already begun, and thousands of tourists visit his house in Vilikazi Street, Soweto and his cell on Robben Island every year, and the village of Qunu where he grew up and is buried has joined that group of illustrious sites that honour his memory.  There are other lesser known, but hugely significant, places on this earth that have felt the presence of arguably the world’s greatest statesman, and a month ago I was privileged enough to visit one of them.

              The Solomon Mahlangu Nursery School, Morogoro

On a wall in the Solomon Mahlangu Nursery School in Morogoro, Tanzania there stands a mural featuring a white dove and the message “there shall be peace and friendship”, and beneath this a black child and white child hold each other’s hands while they wave the unmistakable black, green and yellow flag of the African National Congress.  I was there to visit the school and plant a food garden, and like most white South Africans who had been educated under apartheid I had a very limited knowledge of the history of the ANC and the struggle to liberate South Africa.  But there was no mistaking the colours on the mural and the message above it.  The mural might as well have been a graffito saying “Mandela was here.”

Like a good historian I did my research, and like a good anthropologist I explored the location to discover more.  Morogoro is a small, bustling city about a hundred miles inland from Dar es Salaam, nestled against the Uluguru Mountains that tower above the city in jagged green magnificence.  In this spectacular setting the residents of Morogoro are in many ways an embodiment of the new Tanzania.  Proudly Tanzanian and African, they are hardworking and innovative and live by strong codes of social justice and hospitality.  In Morogoro, as is the case across Tanzania, a guest must always leave your care in better shape than they arrived in, which in our case meant leaving town with our vehicle overflowing with samosas, mandazis, vitumbua and a dozen bottles of Konyagi gin, thanks to our incredibly kind and generous hosts.

The warmth, dignity and generosity of the Tanzanian people must have deeply impressed Mandela when he visited the country in 1962, shortly before his arrest and imprisonment.  As President Jikaya Kikwete mentioned at Madiba’s funeral this week, he left his boots behind, intending to return for them when his African tour was complete (he ended up only getting them back in 1995).  Although I could find no evidence that the great man actually visited Morogoro during his visit, it was in Morogoro that the legacy of his time in Tanzania would live on.  In 1969, with much of the senior leadership imprisoned and the movement in a certain amount of disarray, a new generation of South African freedom fighters convened in Morogoro to chart a new way forward.  They included people like Oliver Tambo, Joe Slovo, Alfred Nzo and Moses Mabhida, names now familiar to most South Africans.  Without going into too much detail on a very fascinating but complex topic, it was at the Morogoro conference that the liberation movement finally and formally recognised the role that non-black South Africans were playing in the struggle, and acknowledged the role that people of all races, even the whites, would have to play in a post-apartheid South Africa.  It was in Morogoro that the African National Congress, to a certain extent, turned its back on African nationalism.  As a white South African, it was at the site of this educational complex at the foot of the Uluguru Mountains in far away Tanzania that the course that enabled the life and freedoms I enjoy today was charted.  It is a humbling thought.

This chapter of Morogoro’s history is not commemorated in grandiose plaques or monuments – in a country where tourism is still all about wildlife, Kilimanjaro and beaches the idea that mzungu tourists would be interested in the history of the struggle against apartheid has not quite caught on yet.  Hopefully that will change soon, but the Tanzanians are well aware of the role they played in the struggle and will gladly chat about it once you bring it up.  In some ways the fact that Morogoro’s historical significance requires interaction with the locals to uncover is deeply appropriate.  The city was founded by escaped slaves from Zanzibar in the nineteenth century, and the legacy of liberty lives on in the openness, dignity and pride of the people.

             Lupanga Peak looms above a small farm on the outskirts of Morogoro

When the hustle and bustle of the city gets too much for you, the mountains beckon.  The Ulugurus are part of Tanzania’s Eastern Arc mountain range, one of the world’s most pristine and unique ecosystems, and are draped in rainforest that plays host to many species found nowhere else on earth.  It takes a demanding but rewarding seven hours to reach Lupanga Peak (2150m) but you don’t have to go all the way up.  Look out for colobus monkeys and three-horned chameleons, while twitchers can look out for three species endemic to the Ulugurus - the Uluguru Bush Shrike (Malaconotus alius), the Loveridge’s Sunbird (Cynnyris loveridgei) and the Uluguru Grey-throated Mountain Greenbul (Arizelocichla neumanni).  There are several spectacular waterfalls, and many viewpoints from where you can look down on a city that in many ways embodies modern Tanzania – rewarding, prosperous, proudly African and free.

Details and other things to do in Morogoro:

The Solomon Mahlangu Nursery School is within the larger Solomon Mahlangu Campus, which is in turn one of the four campuses of the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA).  In addition to the historical angle the SUA is also famous as the headquarters of the HeroRats research programme, in which African Pouched Rats are trained to detect landmines and, more recently, tuberculosis.  More information on the SUA is available at www.suanet.ac.tz and you can find out more about the HeroRats (and even adopt one!) at www.apopo.org/en/.  If you would like to visit the Solomon Mahlangu Campus itself contact headmaster Moses Achimpota at achimpotamoses@yahoo.com.

To arrange a Morogoro city tour, cultural experiences and excursions up the Ulugurus, contact Chilunga Cultural Tourism (http://www.chilunga.or.tz/).  Chilunga is a registered charity that ensures all the proceeds from your visit go to supporting the sustainable livelihoods of the local communities, and they know the city and the mountains like nobody else.  You can book your tours online, and they can also help you arrange accommodation in Morogoro.

Morogoro has a great atmosphere, which is shaped by the contrast of the old German colonial architecture and well-planned street layout with the chaotic but friendly informality of modern Tanzania.  The climate is usually warm but a lot cooler than on the coast, so walking around the city is a pleasant and engaging experience.  The Main Market has the best selection of fresh produce in Tanzania, the size and variety of fruits in particular is astounding.  When you’ve had enough, head to the Rumbo White Bar (any taxi will know where it is) for the best nyama choma (grilled meat) and Chips Mayai (chip omelette) in town, washed down with Kilimanjaro beer or, if you’re feeling frisky, local Konyagi gin.  Watch the football and laugh with the locals well into the night.

              Enjoying a lunch of Chips Mayai

About an hours’ drive southwest is the Mikumi National Park, where you can get the Big Five wildlife experience without the hassle, crowding and exorbitant prices of the Serengeti.  A little further down the road is the more remote and challenging but hugely rewarding Udzungwa Mountains National Park, one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots.  For more information on these and other parks in the region check out the TanParks website http://www.tanzaniaparks.com.

Getting there:

Morogoro does not have a commercial airport, but good quality bus links from Dar es Salaam are available for about $5.  Sandinavia Express and Sumatra are the most reputable and reliable companies, and the journey takes about two hours.  A number of airlines offer flights into Dar es Salaam from all over the world. 

By Matt Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Matt)

6 of the best: African Inland Beaches

A day at the beach is a classic and favourite getaway, but let’s face it, it has its drawbacks.  The sand, sun and water combination is what we go for, but in most seaside locations the wind blows sand in your face, the waves pound you into a pulp and the salt burns your eyes.  A different type of beach beckons – Africa has some of the world’s largest and most beautiful lakes, and most of these lakes have great beaches that offer sand, sun and water without the salt and seaside weather.  As an additional bonus, they are often set in amazing landscapes and near some amazing cultural and wildlife destinations.  So grab your bucket, spade, towel and sunblock and head inland…

1.    Chikale Beach, Nkhata Bay, Lake Malawi, Malawi

Lake Malawi, or the “Lake of Stars”, is a massive, pristine, crystal clear inland sea almost 600km long which is home to more species of fish than any other body of fresh water in the world.  It gives the landlocked country of Malawi one of Africa’s longest coastlines, and the small town of Nkhata Bay, about halfway up the lake shore, is the most popular destination.  It is a delightfully relaxed and stunningly beautiful place, but be careful – after a couple of days here all the pressures and commitments of real life seem very far away, and you’ll be bargaining with yourself about ways to extend your stay.  Nkhata Bay is full of people who came on holiday twenty years ago and never went back!  Malawians are exceptionally warm and friendly, and even a quick dip in the lake will have you surrounded by brilliantly coloured fish found nowhere else on earth.

Best for: Snorkelling, chilling out

Stay at: Mayoka Village Beach Lodge; Njaya Lodge 

Nearby attractions: The surprisingly massive Anglican cathedral on Likoma Island, horse-riding and mountain biking at Nyika National Park.  Ask at your lodge or around town for details.

Getting there: The nearest city is Mzuzu, about 50km away.  Regular buses run from Blantyre and Lilongwe to Mzuzu, taking six to eight hours.  A new ferry service began operation in November 2013 so check this out for a unique way to travel.

2.    Matema, Lake Nyasa, Tanzania

Head north along the lake shore from Nkhata Bay and in about five hours you cross the border into Tanzania, where Lake Malawi is known as Lake Nyasa.  The only Tanzanian village on the lake is Matema, a sleepy little place wedged between the lake and the Livingstonia Mountains.  There is nowhere near the same level of tourism development here, but the beach makes up for it – a huge expanse of perfect sand fringed by palm trees and mountains that seem to leap out of the water right in front of you.  Being less tourist-oriented it takes some time and effort to uncover the area’s attractions, but they are worth it.  Or you can just relax on the beach…

Best for: Exploring, solitude

Stay at: Blue Canoe Safari Camp; Matema Lakeside Resort

Nearby attractions : Hikes to several nearby waterfalls, as well as boat trips to the Nakyala Ritual Cave.  Contact Newton Weston at EnviCulture to arrange activities

Getting there: Matema can either be accessed from the south through Malawi by boat or bus, or from the north via the Tanzanian city of Mbeya.  Flights are available from Dar es Salaam to Songwe airport near Mbeya, from where it is an hour or so to Matema.  The bus direct from Dar es Salaam takes about 12 hours.

3.    Mahale Mountains, Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania

Lake Tanganyika is Africa’s deepest lake, and vies with Lake Malawi as the most beautiful.  They are the two most southerly Rift Valley lakes, and have similar characteristics – fringed by forest-covered mountains that plummet straight down into deep, clear waters teeming with tropical fish.  Tanganyika is the more remote, extreme and mysterious of the two.  Most of its 700km east coast belongs to Tanzania, and about halfway up a cluster of forest-cloaked mountains jut out into the lake, creating the Mahale Mountains National Park.  This is one of the few places in the world where you can see chimpanzees in the wild, and it is fringed with some of Africa’s best beaches to boot.

Best for: Wildlife, snorkelling

Stay at: There are 4 very luxurious private lodges with price tags to match: Kungwe Beach Lodge; Greystoke Mahale Camp; Flycatcher Mahale Camp and Nkungwe Luxury Tented Camp

The TANAPA camp and best option for the budget conscious: KasihaCamp 

Nearby attractions: The Mahale Mountains National Park is primarily a chimpanzee sanctuary, but there are also rare baboon and monkey species as well as big game to be seen.  Mahale has no roads to speak of so walking and boating are the only ways to get around the park.   

Getting there: There are flights into Kigoma from Dar es Salaam every day, and from there you can fly (45 minutes), take a boat (4-7 hours) or board the historic MV Liemba ferry (10 hours) to Mahale.  Arrange transport and activities with your accommodation establishment before you travel.

4.    Ssese Islands, Lake Victoria, Uganda

Lake Victoria is the second largest body of fresh water on earth, a staggering 340km across, with over 4000km of lake shore.  Unlike the Rift Valley lakes, Victoria is relatively shallow and surrounded by hills and floodplains rather than mountains, and millions of people live around its shores.  Getting away from the crowds can be a bit of a challenge, but the Ssese Islands in the Ugandan part of the lake are a tranquil haven for intrepid travellers.  There are 84 islands in total, with at least ten different accommodation establishments that provide great places to relax and contemplate the sheer size and magnificence of this huge inland sea.  When the sun goes down, Kalangala Bay on Buggala Island brings out the party, but in a delightfully low key way.

Best for: Nightlife, relaxing

Stay at: Most accommodation is on Buggala Island, the largest in the archipelago: Ssese Islands Beach Hotel; MirembeBeach Resort 

If you’re feeling like taking the off the beaten track thing a little further, head for the unforgettable Banda Island 

Nearby attractions: You’ll be far away from everything except the islands, but if you get bored of the one you’re on you can always take a boat trip to the next one…

Getting there: Several ferries transport people and goods from the islands to Entebbe, which is conveniently the location of Uganda’s international airport.  Water taxis and small boats connect the islands to each other.

5.    Gisenyi, Lake Kivu, Rwanda

Rwanda is another landlocked African country that, thanks to the region’s unique geography, has a beautiful coastline.  The country’s thousand hills end abruptly at Lake Kivu, another Rift Valley lake and one of the most dramatic.  At the northern end of the lake is the town of Gisenyi, where you can relax on the beach with a cocktail with a panoramic view of an active volcano (Mount Nyiragongo).  Like the rest of Rwanda Gisenyi is refreshingly hassle-free and well organised by central African standards, and a few days on the beach is a great way to finish off a gorilla safari in the nearby Volcanoes National Park.

Best for: Photography, bird watching, gorillas.

Stay at: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel; Palm Garden Resort; INZU Lodge

Nearby attractions: Rwanda offers incredible gorilla tracking experiences at the nearby Volcanoes National Park, its expensive and requires booking well in advance but is a once in a lifetime experience.  There are lots of tour companies online, the Rwanda Development Board is a good place to start. Depending on the security situation just across the border in the DR Congo, it may be possible to arrange an excursion to visit or even climb Mount Nyiragongo – check with your accommodation establishment.

Getting there: It takes about 3 hours and $10 to get to Gisenyi from Kigali on Rwanda’s very safe and reliable public bus system, the views are spectacular, get a window seat on the right. There may also be flights from Kigali but these are currently suspended.  Kigali International Airport has links to many international hubs. 

6.    Eliye Springs, Lake Turkana, Kenya

Lake Turkana is the most northerly Rift Valley lake, also called the Jade Sea.  It is an otherworldly destination miles from anywhere, on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya, with palm trees, a volcanic desert landscape, ever-changing waters and deeply traditional local people.  It will make you feel like you’ve dropped into an episode of the Arabian Nights.  Very few travellers make it this far into the wilderness, but the ones that do gather at Eliye Springs on the lake’s western shore to sip cool drinks, watch the burnished copper sun go down over the Jade Sea and swap tall tales about how they got there.

Best for: Adventure, solitude, culture.

Stay at: Eliye Springs Resort

Nearby attractions: Two of the lake’s three large islands are accessible, weather permitting, from Eliye Springs.  Both are national parks and offer spectacular scenery, lots of crocodiles (don’t go swimming) and occasional volcanic activity.  The Lake Turkana Cultural Festival happens at the lake’s southern end each May.

Getting there: Flight from Nairobi to Lodwar, then the resort will come and collect you.  Alternatively, catch the bus from Nairobi via Kitale and Lodwar, then hire a taxi to take you to Eliye Springs.

By Matt Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Matt)

'The roads we've traveled (so far)' in pictures

How to get accommodation right

Recently I had the opportunity to stay at Gibbs Farm near the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania and was blown away from the second I arrived…every single detail had been attended to in the most perfect way. Nothing was ostentatious, but it all felt special and you could tell that everything about the working farm is geared towards the guests’ needs.  From the car wash for your dust-ridden vehicle as you arrive and the pre-dinner canapés served to guests while the resident bush babies are also being fed,  to the in-room post safari massages to ensure no amount of game viewing results in a stiff neck, Gibbs Farm has got it all right! What was most striking, however, was the ways they showed that ensuring your guests’ stay is an unforgettable experience is not complicated nor needs to cost the earth.  So, based on my incredible break from reality at Gibbs Farm, here are 5 simple guidelines that can help you do the same…

1) Great food from fresh produce – sounds simple but too often the focus is on variety of food rather than quality. The number of ingredients required to offer this variety means the quality and freshness suffers – there’s just no way around this, and that’s regardless of the skills of your chef.  Rather stick to a few dishes you do fantastically well and with great ingredients, this means your food costs will fall even though guest satisfaction will improve. Gibbs Farm, as already mentioned, is a working farm and 90% of all food served – the cheese, meat, vegetables and even the coffee – is grown or made on the premises. And you can tell with every bite. The lunch buffet I just sampled only featured 8 dishes, but each was mouth-watering and so much more enjoyable than a typical 30 meal buffet filled with 27 bad dishes that must be suffered through to find the 3 decent ones. To ensure you really feel spoilt Gibbs Farm have added a cake & coffee buffet in the afternoons, again not massive in variety but to die for in taste…so still far from the 30 meal buffet in quantity but also far more enjoyable, luxurious and unforgettable. This learning applies to more than just the buffet but even the size of your menu – nobody likes being faced with a 20 page menu anyway, guests and chefs alike!

First: Matt helping with the daily harvest. Second: Pre-dinner snacks as only Gibbs Farm can do! Third: Ishtar taking the freshly harvested produce up to the Gibbs Farm Kitchens to be cooked 

2) Put yourself in the shoes of your guest                                                                                          

Think about where they’ve had to come from, how they get to your accommodation and what needs arise from the specific conditions related to these questions and your establishment. So if getting to you means a long dusty road offering a car wash as guests arrive, and get whisked off to their rooms, shows that you not only understand their journey but care about making it as comfortable as possible. If you know they have traveled through a particularly cold region ensure the hand towels waiting to greet them are heated. Think about what facilities they are most likely to require as they arrive and ensure they are immediately accessible: for example if the warm water in rooms needs to be switched on and requires time to heat up ensure this is done before your guest arrives. Make sure that the number of guests per room is accommodated for – in terms of the number of towels, glasses for water etc.  Little things like this easily convert a mundane experience into something luxurious, and each little special touch may not specifically be remembered but will contribute to an unforgettable overall experience.

3) Think of alternative ways to meet guests’ needs, think of local ways to meet guests’ needs

Too often establishments rush to look and be exactly the same as millions of others around the world forgetting that by looking to solve challenges with local solutions they can not only save money but develop a point of differentiation and interest. This can be as simple as the alternatives to non-drinkable tap water that don’t need to mean costly bottled water! At Gibbs Farm water filters are used, and the water served in beautiful hand crafted glass jugs – much classier, environmentally friendly and best of all for proprietors, cheaper.  Even better these jugs are made locally using glass bottles recycled from the farm - proof that a really simple solution can have a positive impact, not only for the establishment and guests but for the surrounding community too. They take this a step further and even the lamp shades for the wall lights in the rooms are made locally from the farm’s recycled glass, resulting in décor that is note-worthy, unique and cheaper, even though this is in no way visible in the end product.

4) Keep your guests busy                                                                                                                    

The more remote your establishment the more important this becomes – and while remoteness can be a major pull factor, unless it is coupled with something to do the visit will never be for more than a few days. Gibbs Farm offers a range of daily activities for almost every hour of the day – starting with bread-baking classes, wildlife censuses and coffee roasting in the morning; to vegetable harvesting and volleyball during the day, all finished off with Bush Baby feeding and sometimes even live music in the evenings. It is impossible to get bored at Gibbs Farm regardless how long your stay. So if you want to encourage guests to stay longer all you need to do is offer an incentive to do this – and free or low-cost activities are much more likely to do this! 

First: Coffee Roasting with guests first thing in the morning. Second: The Rhythm of the Farm - & how guests can get involved. Third: Matt & Ishtar taking a tour of the studio of the Gibbs Farm artist in-resident, Athumani Katongo.

5) Offer free Wi-Fi

The fact that this still needs to be offered as advice to accommodation establishments astounds me, especially with the large number of very reasonable uncapped data packages available on the market.  Yet even some of the biggest hotel chains in the world do not offer this, or even worse do offer Wi-Fi but at an additional cost to guests. This has become a non-negotiable factor, like clean rooms, for many travellers and I know I am not alone in actively boycotting places that do not offer free Wi-Fi. Gibbs Farm is in an incredibly remote location – part of its charm – and if they can get fast and reliable Wi-Fi out at the edge of the Ngorongoro crater you have no excuse!

Words by Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

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