Southbound for a Mini-Adventure

With our visas renewed for a final three months, we had the chance to take what will possibly be our last opportunity for a mini adventure in Tanzania ... and it was so much fun!

The road from Dodoma to Iringa is almost complete and so instead of an 8 hour drive as it would have been just a couple of years ago, now takes just under 4, with very little traffic! Although, there are still a few unfinished stretches! Check out the dust cloud we left behind us on one of them!

We spent one night in Iringa and had the chance revisit the Amani Christian Training Centre where Jenny was part of a Soapbox Team in 1997, building a house and doing some work with street kids. 17 years later the house is still standing and being used ... amazing!

The next day, we drove down 'The Never-Ending Road' to Ruaha National Park. A couple of hours drive, with very little (no) tarmac in sight! It was definitely worth it all though!

We were only in the park for just 24 hours but it was amazing! The views in Ruaha are incredibly breath-taking and totally impossible to capture. Ruaha is vast and each area looks completely different ... and then of course there were the incredible animals that we got to see on our two safari drives! Below are just a few of the photos we took! (check out the Beckwith's Big Adventure album Our Mini-Adventure in Tanzania on Facebook for more photo's of the whole trip but especially the safari!)

Foxes River Lodge where we stayed was amazing. Literally staying by the river amongst the animals. Waking up in the morning we discovered that hippos had been wandering around our little banda during the night! 

There was also a pride of lions who were hanging out round the camp too (about 7 or 8 apparently!). At meal times we had walk a short distance (less than 5 minutes) to the restaurant which was set high-up on a rock with amazing views. 

We were advised that for the evening meal we drive there, as although there were Masai guys employed to walk us to and from our room, there was concern that our girls, being quite small, maybe a little too tempting for the lions!! Yes, really! The photo below shows one of the young males, about 4 or 5 years old who wasn't going to get the opportunity to snack on our girls!

Having done lots of driving over 3 days. We did one more stint on the road to stay at Kisolanza for a few nights R & R! We got to stay in a beautiful cottage, eat wonderful food and be completely looked after ... and be a little bit silly too!

One of the highlights there for us was ... wait for it ... feeling cold!! The elevation is a lot higher than Dodoma and being in the southern hemisphere it is 'winter' time. We really had to wrap up warm and it felt wonderful ... as did the need to use the log fire in our cottage! For those wondering ... it was around 10 degrees celsius (50 degrees fahrenheit). It's amazing what you get used to, it honestly felt freezing at times!

We explored a little bit around the farm and took a walk along a mini-dam. It all felt decidedly English and familiar ... so it was with great reluctance that we packed up and returned home!

On the way home we popped into Neema Crafts in Iringa. An absolutely amazing place where we had stayed on the first night of our trip. They provide handicraft training and employment to people with disabilities. The things that they make are beautiful (the girls next bedroom will be sporting some of the African bunting below!), as is the yumminess we were served in their cafe, which is run by deaf people, so the menu even includes some sign language you can use! To run something like this in a country where the majority of the staff would be marginalised because of their disabilities is truly inspiring! (Read up on the history of it on the link we shared!)

It really was a wonderfully timed break away from absolutely everything! Our favourite family adventure to date and we feel really privileged that living here in Tanzania, we have had the opportunity to do it!

Now the clock is ticking while we wait to see what comes next! ;)