Tanzania Trog Part 4: Nyumbas
Nyumba is the Swahili word for home. Nyumba is also the name that the tour company, Thomson Safaris, gives to their "classic camps." We stayed at three different Nyumbas: the Kogakuria Nyumba in northern Serengeti, one in central Serengeti, and one at the Ngorongoro Crater.
Every tent consists of a sleeping area, or bedroom if you prefer, and a bathroom. The tent is completly open with curains and flaps for privacy. The entrance must be kept zipped at all times to keep out bugs. Each tent had two small solar panels attached to the roof of the tent. These would power the tiny LED lights that would illuminate the tent in the late afternoon and at night. Really they jgave off just enough light to see by so much of the tent is dark or in shadow during the night. There is no running water, so every tent is provided with two jugs of water and a wash basin that drains into a bucket. The toilet is chemical and requires a little extra effort because you have to pump the chemicals after every use and slide the trap closed. Every day one of the staff members would empty the bucket and the toilet, which i'm guessing was the least popular job. For showers we had to tell the staff when we wanted to take a shower. They would then bring hot water that had been boiling in the kitchen all day and put it into a bucket. You would then pull a lever and hot water would come out of a normal showerhead. It was a bit tricky getting the timing right since there was obviously a limited amount of water. The trick was to only turn the water on when you were rinsing yourself. I became quite good at taking a three minute shower (something that would shock certain members of my family since i love long showers). In the mornings we would be awakened by one of the staff members saying "Jambo, jambo!" ("Hello, hello!") outside of our tents. They would leave a thermos of hot water outside our "door" so that we could wash our faces and get ready for the day.
Home sweet home
Bedroom
Wash basin/"sink"
Toilet/bathroom
Each camp also had a dining area. At the Kogakuria Nyumba and the Ngorongoro Nyumba this was just a large tent, but at the Central Serengeti camp it was a little more elaborate with a permanent structure with a thatched roof. At each camp there were eleven staff members to serve our every need. Before every meal there was a staff member who would pour soapy water on our hands and then warm water to rinse them. The food was amazing! Fresh, unprocessed meats and vegetables served in a gourmet style. I can't begin to describe nice it was to eat food that wasn't loaded with hormones and chemicals. Dinner usually consisted of some kind of meat, usually beef or lamb, a variety of cooked vegetables, delicious fresh bread, and a baked desert. We went on a tour of the kitchen at the Kogakuria Nyumba to meet the wondeful chefs. Everything is cooked on charcoal grills or in a charcoal oven, were they put charcoals on the top and bottom of the oven to heat it. It was an amazing experience to realize that such wonderful food was being in such a seemingly primitive way campared to the appliances we have here in the States.
As you can tell this wasn't exactly roughing it. The staffs were all wonderful and helpful. I still expect someone to come to my door every morning with thermos of hot water and singing, "Jambo, jambo!" I thought I would be scared sleeping in a tent by myself out in the middle of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro but I felt quite safe. There was always a tracker or two at every camp who patrolled all night to make sure no animals were at the camp or about to stampede through your tent. Every night we fell asleep to an assortment of animal noises. Mostly we heard hyenas, zebras, and birds, but in the Central Serengeti Nyumba we were also treated to the sounds of lions roaring through the night.
The lovely staff at Kogakuria Nyumba
Every tent consists of a sleeping area, or bedroom if you prefer, and a bathroom. The tent is completly open with curains and flaps for privacy. The entrance must be kept zipped at all times to keep out bugs. Each tent had two small solar panels attached to the roof of the tent. These would power the tiny LED lights that would illuminate the tent in the late afternoon and at night. Really they jgave off just enough light to see by so much of the tent is dark or in shadow during the night. There is no running water, so every tent is provided with two jugs of water and a wash basin that drains into a bucket. The toilet is chemical and requires a little extra effort because you have to pump the chemicals after every use and slide the trap closed. Every day one of the staff members would empty the bucket and the toilet, which i'm guessing was the least popular job. For showers we had to tell the staff when we wanted to take a shower. They would then bring hot water that had been boiling in the kitchen all day and put it into a bucket. You would then pull a lever and hot water would come out of a normal showerhead. It was a bit tricky getting the timing right since there was obviously a limited amount of water. The trick was to only turn the water on when you were rinsing yourself. I became quite good at taking a three minute shower (something that would shock certain members of my family since i love long showers). In the mornings we would be awakened by one of the staff members saying "Jambo, jambo!" ("Hello, hello!") outside of our tents. They would leave a thermos of hot water outside our "door" so that we could wash our faces and get ready for the day.
Home sweet home
Bedroom
Wash basin/"sink"
Toilet/bathroom
Each camp also had a dining area. At the Kogakuria Nyumba and the Ngorongoro Nyumba this was just a large tent, but at the Central Serengeti camp it was a little more elaborate with a permanent structure with a thatched roof. At each camp there were eleven staff members to serve our every need. Before every meal there was a staff member who would pour soapy water on our hands and then warm water to rinse them. The food was amazing! Fresh, unprocessed meats and vegetables served in a gourmet style. I can't begin to describe nice it was to eat food that wasn't loaded with hormones and chemicals. Dinner usually consisted of some kind of meat, usually beef or lamb, a variety of cooked vegetables, delicious fresh bread, and a baked desert. We went on a tour of the kitchen at the Kogakuria Nyumba to meet the wondeful chefs. Everything is cooked on charcoal grills or in a charcoal oven, were they put charcoals on the top and bottom of the oven to heat it. It was an amazing experience to realize that such wonderful food was being in such a seemingly primitive way campared to the appliances we have here in the States.
As you can tell this wasn't exactly roughing it. The staffs were all wonderful and helpful. I still expect someone to come to my door every morning with thermos of hot water and singing, "Jambo, jambo!" I thought I would be scared sleeping in a tent by myself out in the middle of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro but I felt quite safe. There was always a tracker or two at every camp who patrolled all night to make sure no animals were at the camp or about to stampede through your tent. Every night we fell asleep to an assortment of animal noises. Mostly we heard hyenas, zebras, and birds, but in the Central Serengeti Nyumba we were also treated to the sounds of lions roaring through the night.
The lovely staff at Kogakuria Nyumba