Baker Safari Company

Sometimes when travelling you come across a rare place that stands out as just a little bit special. For us, a group of four 30-something 'backpackers' voyaging through East Africa for a month, Baker's safari lodge was one of them. We decided to end our trip with a touch of luxury before flying back, and looked for a place to quietly unwind & do one or two final game drives. We were not dissapointed. From the start, the owner was very helpful answering questions before we arrived, and all the staff we incredibly kind, polite and willing to help wherever they could without being obtrusive. The rooms are best described as clean, rustic and charming (no air-con but double ceiling fans were enough for us). The WiFi was a little temperamental while we were there unfortunately, but it's something we'd encountered before at several other places in Tanzania so maybe it's a cell network thing. We went in early Feb - the shoulder season - so there was plenty of greenery about, offering lots of shade and some humidity. The 1st night, the Masaii night watchman came to our room to show us 2 elephants that were foraging in the shubbery right below the lodge along the riverside, a few meters away! (There's a small walled cliff between) The next, we saw a pair of bushbabies in the canopy above us, and besides that there are frequently monkeys scampering about overhead during the day. The large covered terrace with a sofa, table & chairs and gramophone was the ideal place to relax, write/draw and drink chilled safari beer ;) On our final night - our penultimate in Africa, we enjoyed the most spectacular sunset over the Rufiji river from the small private beach area below the lodges. Wonderful. Along with Eagle View lodge in Kigali, this was one of our top place to stay in Africa so far, and we'll for sure come back next time.