Our 2 person tents with cots on the Maasai Steppe provided great memories. A latrine tent was set up for us as well as a shower tent with a water-bag shower.
We spent our nights in wilderness camps, tented camps and permanent lodges, all of which might let you think we were roughing it. Not so much. In fact, a good deal of the safari industry seems to be built around luxury accommodations, which isn’t surprising when you stop to think about the Colonial origins of safaris, the airfare and difficulty of getting to Africa and the concept of being driven around in a high-end high-maintenance vehicle for days so you can spot animals. Safaris aren’t a lark for the person scraping together a few bucks for a getaway. According to one website, backpacking in Africa can be very cheap–unless you sign up for a safari.
Peter and Lumo, our friendly cooks on the Maasai Steppe. We were well-cared for by many attentive people.
We admire the backpacking, couch-surfing, hitch-hiking approach to travel, but we’ve reached what is politely called “the mature years” and now choose a bed, well-prepared food and a few niceties as we travel. One nicety was out of the question in this case–wi-fi. When wi-fi did exist, it would quickly bog down as multiple guests signed on, making blogging on the fly impossible.
Our tented lodge room near Lake Manyara had the ambiance of camping with the features of a good hotel room.
There were many daily luxuries, however, including tasty meals of locally-sourced food, beer, and mosquito nets. We were constantly attended to by valets to carry our bags, maids to turn down the beds, waiters to bring coffee or juice, handymen to bring firewood or light the heater, and more. I’m used to carrying my bags and taking care of myself, and I felt ambivalent about the pampering, given that the attendants were all native Africans. Was I just a colonialist, teleported into 2014? At the same time, the attendents counted on our tips for a (relatively) prosperous life. I left Africa without solving this conundrum.
The lounge/dining area of the Lake Manyara tented lodge is rustic, grand and semi-permanent.
Here’s a sampling of our night time accommodations, from tents to lodges.
The view from the Lake Manyara lodge deck. Betsy said it reminded her of Jurassic Park–you’re set amidst a vast landscape where the wild animals come to you.
Lemala Tented Camp, set in thick bush on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, was pleasantly utilitarian. We were not allowed to leave our tent at night without being accompanied by a Maasai guard.
We stayed at two permanent lodges, both plantations built during Colonial times. They had a quiet, understated luxury with plentiful attendants and beautiful grounds, including….
….a lap pool and cabana….
….and a large organic garden. All of the lodges emphasized conservation and earth-friendly practices.
I really like the tents! Do you have more photos of the insides of the tents? Did you feel safe in the tents?
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