A loud trumpet and an intent look signalling his displeasure at our intrusion was enough to make us go off track into the tall grasses. The spotlight we had been using up to now to search for game, now guided us along rough terrain. Every bump and jolt proved worth it when the light fell on a pair of mysterious eyes. On closer view, it was a shape sitting upright, staring straight at us with amber eyes shining bright in the night. And then, like a flash, it disappeared into the valley beyond… We never deciphered what the eyes belonged to, only kept guessing, but my! What an image to carry back home in the mind’s eye!

A visit to Kisampa offers everything – beauty, excitement and character.

Gilbert from Hippo tours was punctually at my residence at 11 am as promised. The 3-hour drive to Kisampa encompasses plenty of pretty stretches to delight. Once we jostled past the Saturday morning Dar es Salaam city traffic, there was pleasant relief in the form of quaint villages and brilliant green plantations of pineapple and sisal.

We parked by the Wami River and got into a dug-out canoe to cross over to the rainforest leading to the camp. I was warmly received by Richard and Jeanann Barbour. While I sipped fresh limejuice, they spoke about how this project had come about. Apparently, this was the brainchild of their son Dr. Rob, who set it up with his wife Jackie and then invited his parents to come all the way from Australia to help them run the show. This is now their home and conserving the sanctuary their prime objective.

Set in a quiet oasis just off the park limits of Saadani National Park and overlooking the Wami river valley, Kisampa has its own signature blend of wilderness, romance and freedom. This private conservancy invites you to relax, contemplate the postcard panoramic landscape and the sounds of the bush, and to tailor your holiday to your idea of a good time.

Kisampa adjoins the Saadani National Park - known for its enchanting symphony of bush, beach and river - but is a private conservation area and therefore free from the restrictions that apply to a national park. Guests are free to walk, camp, go for night drives, and still have the option of entering the park, which is a stone’s throw away.

There are several other activities guests can indulge in. Canoeing on the Wami River in a traditional dug-out canoe, walking barefoot through the sand river or in the Kisampa area on a nature treasure hunt, visiting the villages of Matipwili and Gongo, and volunteering time on any of the social development or conservation projects, are some of the options. Game drives in Kisampa or Saadani National Park can be organised and the length and nature of the drive tailored to client wishes; so can be picnic lunches on the beach or bush. Boat safaris in Saadani by motorised boat can be arranged. At the camp’s dining cum lounge area, there is a library of relevant reference books that can be enjoyed in a separate reading den.

At Kisampa, you can soak yourself in complete privacy and follow your heart. There are no boundaries to what you can do – you can walk with the local cattle herders, catch fish and cook it, learn a skill in the village, offer your skills to the village, play soccer with the local football team, plant a tree, climb a tree, roast corn on the cob, dig for water in the sand river, or just stretch your legs and do nothing!

Kisampa is becoming a favoured destination for students (from Tanzania and elsewhere) who come for a real bush experience and learn while having fun.

Rob and Jackie’s children, James and Sarah, have made their adventure heaven here and happily welcome other children to join in their fun-filled days. 

Here, guests can savour exquisite meals prepared from fresh and nutritious local ingredients. Bread baked in the camp’s kitchen is delicious, and Kisampa honey featured in many of the recipes, is unparalleled. The hosts are happy to organise private picnics on request as well as cater for special dietary needs.

The six bandas are a riveting amalgam of style, functionality and minimalism. Designed to harness the colours and textures of the natural landscape, they combine thatch, wood and eco-friendly materials to give them a bush-like ambience. With accommodation restricted to a maximum of twelve guests, this bush retreat assures an undisturbed getaway.

Each banda has a natural bathroom attached to it. A bush shower (with steaming hot water delivered on request) suspended from a tree lets you bathe under the stars. A safari-box water-saving compost toilet is in line with the emphasis on eco-technology.

I was led to my banda by Bori, the headman, and his assistant Habibu. Service is paramount here. The well-trained and ever-courteous staff (all the members are from the local Matipwili village and trained by the Barbour family) is attentive without being over-bearing.

The no-walls concept of the banda works beautifully and allows charming uninterrupted vistas of nature’s handiwork that the place is blessed with. For pre-dusk, I had been promised an uphill walk culminating in tempting views from a sunset point. I lay in anticipation in a hammock strung next to my bed and gazed at the sun lighting up the valley in molten gold.

Towards evening, the air turned cooler and the views inexpressibly beautiful. I met up with my hosts for a brief walk to the hilltop for sunset. As I sat there, a glass of chilled gin and tonic in hand, pulsating ochre lances backlit the trees standing sentry over the wilderness below. As I watched in nostalgia, the sun took its bow and left behind a landscape red in its warmth. The birds fell silent; there wasn’t a sound. Such was the serenity of the moment that any onlooker could be forgiven for imagining this to be the most peaceful place on earth.

Kisampa is paradise terrain with an enticing mix of ox-bow lakes, mangrove forests, riverine forests, grasslands, coastal savannah and steep ridges. Such diversity makes it a birders’ haven. Elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, colobus monkey, baboon and plains game, are all present, but not in large numbers and are shy. Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, red duiker and prolific numbers of reedbuck and waterbuck are specialties. Hippos and crocodiles are a common sight in the Wami River.

While the mesmerising beauty of this place makes for an exclusive safari experience, the Barbour family’s focus on conservation and community development activities makes it a soul-reviving getaway.

Pre-dinner, my hosts and I met up by the campfire for drinks and snacks. It was a quiet moonlit night except for the sound of the crackling fire. We were exchanging bush experiences when we were interrupted by heavy shuffling at close range. Trumpeting indicated the presence of elephants. Our knowledge of animal behaviour assured us that they wouldn’t come any closer. Undeterred, we carried on our talks.

Soon, Habibu announced that dinner was ready and we moved over to the dinner table set up nearby. He ran through the menu for the evening in impeccable English before serving the fare. The main course – Guinea fowl in coconut sauce – was divine, followed by sinfully delightful Kisampa honey ice-cream.

Feeling sated, we went out into the night for the game drive.

On return, I was escorted back to my banda. In the light breeze, the flames of the oil lamp flirted with the moonlight; the union resulted in a soft, mellow effect that made me drowsy.

Lying in my bed with the dawn light streaming in, I listened for the sweet sound that had woken me. It was a pair of small birds with a bright orange plumage. What better way to wake up?

I chose to have a light breakfast of fresh fruits and honeyed toast before starting for the village tour with Jeanann. The honey was the purest I had tasted in a long time. Kisampa sent four people to Honey Care Africa, Nairobi, to learn the technique of bee-keeping using Langstroff hives. They then helped six locals to purchase these hives. As a result, honey is now produced in the area.

Jetropha farming is another project developed by Kisampa. Jetropha, which has its origins in Central South America, is a non-food plant, toxic to animals and humans. The Barbours organised to buy some seeds and gave them to three villages, thereby providing them with an opportunity for diversification of their income. While the outer husk is high in phosphate and potassium, the actual seed can be crushed and pressed and the oil used to make bio-diesel and high-quality soap. Once established, this shall become a cash crop for the villagers.

Still in its initial stages, fish farming is yet another project started by the Barbours in Kisampa with technical help from marine biologist Mat Richmond. This involves planting sticks from brushwood parks in the ox-bow lakes and allowing algae to develop on them, algae being food for the fish. During the rainy season, a fishing net is cast, the sticks removed and the fish harvested.

Kisampa is, as the Barbours appropriately call it, a marriage of community and conservation. It is about benefiting the village people by involving them in the preservation of the sanctuary. Kisampa has also become a channel for fundraising to help develop the local schools, village library, office and resource centre, obtaining medical facilities and safe water for the village, and sponsoring under-privileged children through their entire education.

A brief drive took us to Matipwili Secondary School in Matipwili village. Built about three years ago by Tanapa, Tanzania Railways Limited, the government and Kisampa, the school has five neat classrooms and 300 students. As a result of the generosity of clients of Kisampa who volunteered to sponsor, 65 of the children have an education.

Next, we passed by the Matipwili Primary School. Jeanann pointed out some renovations done here by two Australian schools.

Jeanann walked me through the heart of the village and showed me the clinic, a simple theatre where the villagers gather to watch a football match or movie, and the colourful marketplace. I was introduced to the doctor in charge of the clinic, and Amir – the village chairman. We were by now followed by a cheerful little army of children greeting us and posing for pictures. Jeanann is obviously a very popular and highly respected figure, someone who represents hope for a brighter tomorrow.

“Charity is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it.” The Barbour family has helped the villagers to grow out of poverty. One cannot remain unmoved by seeing the big difference a small family has made in the lives of these locals. Thanks to the passionate endeavour of the Barbours, the villagers can today dare to dream of a better life and believe that their dream will turn to reality.

By Munirah Baxamusa Kheraluwala
m_kheraluwala@yahoo.co.uk

Factfile
Location: Kisampa is set in a private conservation area, on a ridgeline overlooking the Wami River Valley. It is 100 km north of Dar and adjoins the Saadani National Park to the north-east.
Area: 60 sq kms.
Getting there: By a 30-minute charter flight (Spears Air Limited) from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, or a 3-hour drive from Dar. (Matipwili Airstrip – built using local labour - is Kisampa Camp’s private TCAA registered airstrip.)
Best time to visit: All year round.

For further information contact:
KISAMPA Tanzania
Sanctuary (T) Limited
P.O. Box 23000, Oysterbay
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel: +255 754 927 694/ 746 316 815/ 753 005 442
info@kisampa.com
www.kisampa.com