LODGES' EXPERIENCE

Of the 3 lodges we've stayed in, Kisema Ngeda has to be the most memorable. 4 hours drive from Arusha, it is located in a little known corner at the edge of Lake Eyasi. During our long ride there we had our doubts about the place, whether it was worth such a long and at times difficult journey on a not entirely satisfactory road.

During the final stretch our imaginative tourist minds even briefly harboured thoughts of being murdered and mugged in the desolate African wilderness. However we duely arrived at Kisema Ngeda and our mindsets underwent a total change. There was no grand arch bearing the name of the lodge, just a simple roadsign a few hundred metres out at a crossroad pointing out the correct direction. Understated with no airs, because the luxury of Kisema Ngeda lies not just in its comfortable and modern facilities but also in its breathtaking view: The reception hut simply stretches out and melds seamlessly into the distance, where local cattle herds pass by against a backdrop of the crimson sun setting over Lake Eyasi. It was love at first sight. We simply dumped our luggage at the reception and with our cameras headed into this alluring picture, hoping to capture the last of those magnificent rays before they disappear into a star-filled night sky.

Nice scenery aside, special mention must also go towards the owner of the place - Mariana Nani - and her extraordinary life story. An Argentinian from Buenos Aires who has been travelling all her life. Backpacking, working odd jobs, working on a cruise ship - she basically led a life that we didn't imagine possible back in Singapore. And yet she met her husband, a Tanzanian of German descent, in a bar in Arusha, and fell in love. They eventually opened Kisema Ngeda and now they're happily settled down together running the family establishment and have two lovely kids. Sounds like something out of a fairytale no?