Today i do an out of the norm post because we have been doing some serious posts lately , its birthday month for us so am allowed to deviate a bit. You know those pamphlets they hand you, tour operators and promoters, when at an exhibition or a fair, with descriptions and pictures of various places you could visit and the various attractions they have and you're unimpressed? Well a few weeks ago I was handed one for a little place at the edge of the Tsavo West National park, The Voyager Ziwani. Apart from the pictures of the “spacious tents that offer the classic ambiance of a traditional African camping safari” the rest looked ordinary until we actually arrived to this private sanctuary.
This was part of the BAKE (Bloggers Association of Kenya) award prizes that this and fellow winning blogs from the food category (pikachakula.com) Photography (MutuaMatheka.co.ke) and the travel category (kenyataalii.com) were awarded in collaboration with Uniglobe Northline Travel and Heritage Hotels East-Africa who sponsored the trip.
What i actually saw was what was in the pamphlet .....and then some!!! Ziwani was a marvelous place. The first thing I noticed on arrival was that being close to the Tanzania border there was little or no coverage at all but with some networks it was possible to roam. You could simply disappear into nature when here. The tents were fully furnished with an en suite bathroom and tiled floors all this without losing the camping tent touch. But what impressed me the most were the sunsets. The sun sets right behind Mt. Kilimanjaro and with the dining area and fire place overlooking the Ziwa Dam the evening reflection of sundown rays was quite the view!
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| Sunset that disappears behind Mt Kilimanjaro |
Next in the line of impressive was Lake Chala. This small caldera lake (or Crater Lake as some call it) is right at the boundary of Kenya and Tanzania and you could even see the Tanzanian side from the Kenyan side we stood. The view from the top was to behold but the journey to the bottom was a bit rough but our guide took us to the bottom safely.
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| L. Chala from the top |
The lake, as I was informed by one of the locals had no inlet but had an outlet underground. I Wasn't sure but I will research and get some answers to where it gets its waters from. The blue waters were unpolluted and two of us decided to have a dip.
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| Found this kid fishing by the shore and just so you know i caught my first fish that day. proud moments!! |
Before we went to Chala we passed through a farm, Gicheha farm.
Impressive were their irrigation techniques not only because of the scale of their operations but also in the simplicity in their methods. They grew maize and tangerines in large scale while also experimenting with Yellow Passions and Bananas.
We left with a bag-full of tangerines each - very sweet those! (now a funny fact about some of the goats they keep there. The males they use for mating do so in the ratio of one goat for every hundred females -no Viagra no nothing!)
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| an antique plough that was still in use |
Impressive were their irrigation techniques not only because of the scale of their operations but also in the simplicity in their methods. They grew maize and tangerines in large scale while also experimenting with Yellow Passions and Bananas.
We left with a bag-full of tangerines each - very sweet those! (now a funny fact about some of the goats they keep there. The males they use for mating do so in the ratio of one goat for every hundred females -no Viagra no nothing!)
Also included was a visit to the World War 2 battle fields and the Sniper tree- sad story to it though…
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| the mkamba in him made one M. Matheka climb the tree looking for honey |
From the night game drives
to the game walks,to those Barbecue dinners and sunrise breakfasts
to the game walks,to those Barbecue dinners and sunrise breakfasts
passing though the crystal clear waters at the Mzima springs.
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| on their way to Mombasa |
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| water so clear you could see those little blue fishes |
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| about the Mzima springs for those who don't know |
Forget the coast December holidays and TEMBEA KENYA!!!
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| PEACE OUT!! |
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38577759@N06/sets/72157627501124392/ (Gicheha farm)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38577759@N06/sets/72157618475288970/ ( Voyager Ziwani)
Also see more pictures here (via @potentash)
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