Africa means camping

My first acquaintance with sleeping places in Tanzania was in small room of a student at the foot of Mount Meru in Arusha with bars in front of the window. I was lying in a bed with two young people and three others on the ground among whom the owner of the room. I did not sleep much that night. All new impressions were overwhelming and next door the bongo flava hit of P square was repeated all night. I was feeling uncomfortable with me lying in that bed, while black people were lying on the ground.

Since then I slept in all sorts of circumstances and in all kinds of accomodations; Camping, Good and Dumpy guesthouses, Masaï manyattas, hotels, lodges, you name it.
My favorite sleeping facility is camping in the wild. A small nice tent with a good matrass and lots of sounds of the wild nature around me, is all I need to be totally happy.
The nature experience that Africa is offering can only be fulfilling if you step in the middle of it, which means camping. It was sensational to sleep at Rubondo Island and being woken up by the hard,low bassy gutturals of hippos coming ashore closeby.

However sometimes you meet other places with a soul, like Oasis Meserani in Arusha or Migunga Campsite at Mto Wa Mbu. The Dutch owners of that place do not invest much in keeping the place up, but still it is my favorite place to be. On that campground you will meet Vervet Monkeys with blue balls, the family Mongoose, all kinds of tropical birds like Honda Hondas, Ibisses and Bee-eaters. Last time we watched two owls eating “something” in a tree.

So we love to camp and we are not very font of the mainstream Touristic Lodges. However we take our Clients with much pleasure to Tilapia Hotel at the bay of Mwanza close to Lake Victoria. It is great to relax at this special and romantic environment after a rural time at Serengeti and the islands. The view at night is made for honeymoons and the prices of food do not spoil your mood before even tasting it. You can enjoy this during Mindful Adventures Safari to Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika.