In October, we had a visitor from the Bay Area. Jeff is a close friend and came to spend some time in Tanzania doing the regular trip: safari and Zanzibar. You know, the spectacular once in a lifetime trip to Africa. It just so happens that he came during our week long holiday. “What to do?” we asked ourselves. With his future plans and our attempt at saving money, we figured out the perfect trip. We headed to a small farm near Lushoto in the Usambara mountains. Bright and early, we piled in the car (only 4 hours after Jeff got off the flight… I know, some friends we are,) and arrived 7 hours later. It was not super comfortable since there were 5 of us (David and Bego came too!) and the air-con crapped out, but when we finally made it, we saw why the long drive was worth it. (A huge shout out to Cody who drove the entire time.)
Maweni Farm was wonderful and we had such a lovely holiday. We had the option of staying in the lodge or the tents and chose wisely. The three tents were amazing and as soon as we set our bags down, we realized that this was the perfect home for the next 5 days.
Everything about the farm was fantastic. The sky was blue and the weather was cooler than sweaty Dar. It gave us the chance to hang out, play cards outside, have some evening drinks. The tents were great too, but could have been a tad larger. We really weren’t complaining though; they were clean, private and included a bathroom. What more could you ask for?
The food and hospitality were just perfect. The fresh fruits and vegetables from the surrounding area were all delicious and the food was consistently tasty. I can still taste the amazing cabbage dish we had for dinner one night. I never would have imagined that a plain old side dish of cooked cabbage would be so good. I was even introduced to a new type of passion fruit that is sweet and has a white center.
The surrounding areas were beautiful. The farm has a lake, friendly monkeys that come over from a neighboring farm for a daily visit and some active yellow birds. The lake was the perfect spot to have sun-downers and watch as the birds built their nests. Really, the trip was wonderful and I would highly recommend it. If it were not for the long drive (partially due to police, construction and accidents) we would pop up there when ever we got the chance.
Greetings from Riga 