&Beyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge – the rebirth of a truly magical lodge

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Lake Manyara and Maji Moto continued

Once all the drama that was el Nino had subsided and on our return to Maji Moto we set about a “rescue and save” mission with our incredible team – together we rescued ball and claw bathtubs that were afloat on the Lake amongst the hippo and the wallowing buffalo, and salvaged absolutely everything that we could and that was precious to us: kelim rugs, cutlery, crockery, linen, guest amenity bottles … we relentlessly recovered just about everything, and set up about restoring our finds in the container (the only dry space that we had available). I can remember Bakari, who is still there today, packing each treasure lovingly into that container and making sure it would all be ready for our reopening. There was nothing that this incredible team was not prepared to do to get us up and running and ready for guests once more
After negotiations with TANAPA, the National Parks authority, we were given a new site  just slightly back from the Lake shore – and we realised there was much work that faced us.
A very sobering visit from the Directors followed – and Peter and I were given 2 weeks to recreate a brand new Maji Moto and open our doors to the guests! Peter, Nicky and I immediately set off for Nairobi where we met with Neilish from Tarpo and designed the ultimate Hemmingway tents …. Something that had never been done in East Africa, tents that were spacious and super comfortable ……….
Out Maji Team then set about getting our new site ready, armed with machettes we set about clearing think bush, laying foundations for the tents, making pathways to where each tent was to be erected, fashioning bridges and walkways across the little river and planting indigenous trees between each of the tents, laying pipes for water …………the tasks endless
We didn’t have a kitchen at the time, as it too had been washed away and the Chefs were given this immense task – and they set to work like true professionals, building a wooden structure and laying the banana bark roof tiles, laying a new cement floor and what they created was even better the original kitchen – complete with a makeshift pizza oven that made the most delicious wood fired breads and cakes!
The tents arrived and we painstakingly set each one up together … every department was in charge of something, the Chefs would feed us, the room stewards folding brilliant white towels and making beds, the butlers setting up the bathrooms at the back of each tent, the Masai guards keeping us safe as we worked through the nights and into the early mornings making sure that everything was just perfect!
And as we hit the 2 week mark – we were ready and welcomed our first guests back into camp. There was such immense pride of achievement amongst the Maji Team, something that every guest felt when staying with us and this little “intermediate or temporary” camp that was supposed to operate only for a few months in fact ran for nearly a year and continued to delight even the most discerning of our guests
For me this was a story of great courage and absolute commitment – a Team inspired and determined to be the very best, willing to do the impossible as they truly believed in this little Gem of a lodge and its value to our Tanzanian Safari circuit.

After a year, it was decided that that the Lake was not in fact going to subside back to i’s normal levels and our original site would remain under water for the foreseeable future
Because our new site in fact fell into the area that was very popular among the elephants, we were asked by the Park authorities, to look at new sites within the Park and to rebuild our lodge  for the 3rd time. This task was given to Peter and he returned to camp one afternoon having found the perfect spot for us to move to
This new site, was even further South into the Park, which meant total privacy for our guests and was situated in the heart of a Mahoganny Forest.

I remember setting out in the open landrover, Directors in tow and Peter turning off the road ….. into thick unrelenting bush – how he had found this place, I will still never know. We drove over trees, under them, through the thickest bush and thorn-trees. At one point we drove through a section that was lined with thick golden strands stretching between the trees, sticky strands….. that we soon realised where the work of the rather large Golden Orb spiders that now were sharing our landrover with us – at this point I wanted definitely to turn back!
We eventually popped out into a clearing and were met by the most perfectly peaceful sight. It was agreed that we could build the most beautiful tree camp here, the rooms to be cradled in the boughs of these ancient Mahohany trees….. and so yet again we embarked on what was to be our final rebuild in Manyara!
Peter took on the task of project manager for this new lodge … and each time he visited the site, he was met by something wonderful …..on Nick Plewmans first visit as our architect they were watched by a male leopard who sat up in the trees above them, on another occasion when Peter came down to monitor the teams that were building, he found not an awful lot had been achieved that particular day as a pride of lions had taken up residence and draped themselves high up in the trees and were observing the builders with much interest.
After many months, the lodge was completed and Lake Manyara Tree Lodge remains one of those truly magical places, where one can literally feel the energy given to it by the Mahohanny Forest that is nests within, with minimal impact to the land and absolute respect for the natural surroundings, the camp was reopened by the original team that had lovingly watched it grow into its present glory
The smiling faces of the original Maji Moto team are there to welcome you as you arrive at their newly built Lake Manyara Tree Lodge – where a level of comfort and spoiling is unsurpassed
And a magical experience awaits you ……………