Restaurant Review Iringa: Mama Iringa

 

Dining area

Mama Iringa is an Iringa establishment, a cozy location just outside of town with delicious Italian food and a few rooms that serve as a guesthouse as well. Iringa is blessed with many large and diverse farms that produce a variety of high quality vegetables, meats, cheeses and other food items. The region punches far above it's weight when it comes to quality of food and Mama Iringa takes full advantage of the availability. The restaurant has been around for about 15 years and is run by an Italian woman. The restaurant is small but capable of hosting large groups and an indoor courtyard is an excellent place to have an afternoon coffee. 

While the ambiance and food are great, the most notable food item is the pizza, which I find to be world class. High quality ingredients with a brick oven results in several tasty combinations. I am partial to the Diavola with its spicy sausage but you really can't go wrong.

Kisolanza Farmhouse in September

 

Miombo trees putting out their leaves by the dam

 

A home away from home, even a night at Kisolanza Farmhouse can be rejuvenating (previous trips). I always look forward to the varied farm fresh menu, as well as the network of walking trails to enjoy in the cool climate. This time of year it is dry and cool with some miombo trees just starting to put their leaves out. We saw our first Barn Swallows of the year and there were plenty of birds around. When the sun was shining the weather was comfortable enough to only wear a t-shirt while strolling. 

There were two or three groups of overlanders and we were happy to see them using patronizing the location. Although southern highlands residents enjoy frequenting Kisolanza it is truly built for overlanders. Even though they are usually found in large groups they tend to be a respectful and interesting bunch of folks. There has been a change from these groups being dominated by under 30s to being more frequently composed of over 50s. They have massive converted bus-like vehicles that plod through a few African countries mixing camping with other types of accommodation. Average trips are four weeks long and I assume they have different themes like culture, wildlife, etc.

A weekend trip was just what we needed. It wasn't too cold at night but I couldn't help myself and still enjoyed a fire after a delicious roast beef dinner. 

I love the style of the cabins, a perfect mix between rustic and natural while also having a high standard

Breakfast is a favorite for sure, the don't usually wax poetic about yogurt, but in this case it is a real highlight along with the homemade strawberry jam

Dry season flowers at camp

 

Dry season flowers in the beginning of September

On first glance the dry season climate can appear lifeless with no rainfall for three consecutive months. But at certain times of the dry season there are signs of life with several species of trees and shrubs alike putting out flowers. My excitement for the flowering shrubs has grown due to my appreciation for the rarity of the event. The majority of the year many of the shrubs have a rather tough appearance, I would certainly not describe them as aesthetically pleasing. And shrubs take present in high densities so it's easy to write them off as an uninteresting part of the rugged landscape. 

Wildlife will quickly locate the flowers, whether they are birds or even elephants, all searching for energy to power through the long harsh dry season.

A lone cassia flowering

Ruaha National Park in September

Baobab tree, absolutely ICONIC

September is a great month for visiting Ruaha National Park. The crowds are low and the area is dry providing clearer views of wildlife. The Ruaha River is still flowing and there are some pools of water on the Mwagusi River. The nights are cold but it heats up quickly with typical cloudless sunny days.

I have been told by those in the tourism industry that it is the shoulder season. This means the already quiet Ruaha National Park is nearly empty and virtually any sightings you will have to yourself.

Having breakfast by the Mwagusi River

Nyerere National Park in August

Lake Manze sunset

 

I have written about Nyerere National Park once before (Trip I) but wanted to write a little more about the park due to the growing popularity. This time of year is a fantastic time to visit the park. The dry conditions result in the majority of the wildlife being found around the lakes and the Rufiji River. Many of the roads found on the seasonal floodplains are now passable albeit bumpy and slow. 

There has been an influx of day trip safaris from Zanzibar. Packages are available from $400-500 with a flight and game drive included. It's a smart package especially for those that came to Zanzibar for a beach holiday and have perhaps become a bit bored with the offerings of the island. Whatever the motivations, it works, and from 8 to 9am you can expect a steady stream of small planes dispensing Zanzibar day trippers. This can result in some overcrowding as well as a clash in "vibe". The day trippers come with a kind of care free exotic day trip energy while there are still tourists who sought the solitude of the bush. 

The bird watching is fantastic and I personally feel the best feature of the park is actually the game drives via river cruises. Exploring the channels and viewing wildlife from a boat provides an entirely different perspective from the safari vehicle. It is also more comfortable and for bird watchers, there is a lot more action from the water. Wild dogs are relatively common as they do den in the most visited area north of the lakes but seeing them simply depends on luck as they range far and wide.

Nyerere NP is still a great park to visit but planning your trip and timings is important. Wildlife densities are low and if you overlap with the Zanzibar blast, you might have a high tourist/low wildlife density trip, a less than ideal outcome!

Surrounding the lakes are grasslands and plains

Rufiji River Camp

 

There are a lot of things that I love about our Rufiji River camp. The location on the edge of the riverine forest provides habitat for all sorts of wildlife, both resident and passing through. It is about 400m from the river, safe enough to avoid the season flooding but close enough to enjoy the views or stroll down to the water. 

In August the climate is not as humid as the rest of the year and some cloudy days accompany very random and extremely light showers. The camp has resident Brown Greater Galagos that cry throughout the night. Elephants come through camp regularly, passing through to get to the river to drink. I was excited to see a Southern Giant Pouched Rat as well as a pair of dikdiks one evening. There was a troop of Banded Mongooses that were caught seeking shade in our banda one afternoon.

I was also happy to see Angolan black-and-white colobus monkeys. The baboons and Blue Monkeys were also around though not as aggressive as in times past. I think my previous visits to the camp have been dominated by building logistics and I haven't had time to properly reflect on and enjoy the environment. But now that I have time to enjoy it, I absolutely love the camp. The evening walks down by the river to view the sunset are epic!

Usa River: Dolly Escape Farm & River Camp

Tented room

 

I had the opportunity to attend a workshop in Usa River that was hosted by Dolly Escape Farm & River Camp. One of our friends used to have a property in this estate which is a 4,000 gated estate about 20km from both the international airport and Arusha. The estate is a former plantation turned real estate venture that is more South African than Tanzanian; there is a polo grounds, golf course, and reintroduced animals such as eland, zebra and gazelles. 

I'll save my comments about the estate and write about the tourism facilities in a vacuum. I stayed at the river camp, which was a beautiful setting directly on the river with the sounds of the river providing a steady backdrop throughout the day and night. The tents were luxurious and tasteful and a special nod to the property for providing a tasty snack plate in my tent after my late arrival at night. 

There are several tents but each has enough space between for adequate privacy and there is a nice communal dining area where meals are served. The meals were delicious three course meals with freshly made bread and local ingredients prepared in creative ways to appeal to international palates.

I also spent some time at the villas which were private and luxurious. The rooms were tastefully done in an old farmhouse style with a small pool and open dining area. I actually preferred the setting and safari style luxury tent but that is purely a personal preference!

View of the river