Camping on a Sandbank

One of the things from home I miss most whilst I've been living here is the lack of various activities and entertainment. Unfortunately but understandably, Ifakara does not offer openair cinema, concerts or a great range of fancy cafes.

This was the reason my Co-mzungus and me made it a mission to find the perfect weekend activities and if possible mix it up every now and then. It so happened last week that the previously flooded Kilombero river in the region, had revealed its beautiful and idyllic sandbank again.

It was a spontaneous but confident decision to organise a camping trip on the sandbank for the weekend. So the six of us plus two kids left Ifakara on Saturday afternoon in a car packed with delicious home-cooked food, tents and sleeping bags, a deck of cards and of course a cooler full of beer.

The local fishermen from the Kilombero river welcomed us in their nutshell-like boat and kindly escorted us on a calming boat ride to the sandbank. Once arrived we enjoyed the beautiful nature and tranquillity surrounding us, accompanied by the local beer 'Safari' and 'Kilimanjaro'.

The epic sunset was modest compared to the feast that we had prepared: home-cooked falafel, authentic Spanish gazpacho, potato salad, pizza dough on the open fire and last but not least, freshly caught and grilled fish from the river. The night ended with a unique starry sky - it's Africa, remember?

Honestly, the night on the sand was rough and none of us slept well. However, the delicious Swiss 'Zopf' and the Nutella made it all worth it - can you tell I'm a foodie? After breakfast we let two kites fly in the cool breeze and enjoyed the last few moments of the golden-orange sunrise.

Definitely a weekend well spent!