BootsnAll Travel Network



Emau Hill and some amazing people

We left our lovely beach paradise in Pimponi with fears of more African public transportation nightmares. Luckily for us, there was a school from Dar Es Salam that was camping at the grounds in Pimponi where we were staying and the teachers offered us a ride with them in their bus because they too were headed for Amani. Score!  Now this was not just some normal Tanzanian school which is very poor and can barely afford books-more on schools or lack-thereof in Africa later…these were ambassodor’s kids from a very expensive private school. None the less, we were thrilled to be on an airconditioned bus with a bunch of teenagers heading to Amani National Rain Forest. Compared to the alternative of public transport (see earlier Dhala Dhala entry), we felt like we were in a limo!  We arrived in Amani in a torrential downpour (of course, since it’s a rainforest) and still had another 5 miles to get to our campsite on Emau hill. We thought we were going to have to hoof it, but luckily a local let us use their cell phone (amazing that Africa’s cell phones work even in the rainforest-U.S could learn a thing or two), the owner of the campsite was kind enough to spare us a long wet hike and picked us up about an hour after we arrived.

Emau Hill is a non-profit organization headed by Pia from Denmark and her husband Steven from England, two of the most unselfish giving people you could ever meet. I could write a novel on what they have done for the people in these remote communities. This is an area of Tanzania that is very poor, most people have no electricity, no running water and live in houses made mainly from mud. The average salary is about $50 a month.  Emau Hill has provided jobs to the community such as construction, fairming, cooking, and even sewing at their newly built craft shop.  Their campsite is located deep in the Amani Forest and used to be for foreign volunteers but now it has been slightly transformed so that tourists can also visit this non-profit establishment and stay in one of the already set-up tents. Christy and I were in heavan, a beautiful campsite sourrounded by tropical rain forest.  The tents were amazing.  Each one was huge with two beds equiped with new mosquito nets, a desk, chairs for outside and inside, candles, spice packs, etc.  We loved going to sleep at night to the sounds of the crickets and birds right outside out tent. We spent 4 days hiking through the rainforest, meeting the local kids from the villages and hanging out with Steven, Pia, and Frank and Martina also from Denmark. We ate wonderful, fresh meals (they grow most fruits and veggies on site) under the palapa in the main dining area and heard great community service stories from Steven and Pia about things they have done in the area to help out the local people. Currently, they are trying to raise money to purchase and deliver mosquito nets to everyone in their surrounding community to help reduce malaria, which kills so many people in Tanzania each year, particularly the very young and very old.  It was great to experience a part of Africa that most tourists dont get to see.   



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3 responses to “Emau Hill and some amazing people”

  1. Lisa says:

    Hi

    Steve is my brother. They are doing some fantastic stuff there. I was with them in February last year (2007). Glad you enjoyed it.

    Lisa

  2. […] when I was there but the fully erect and equipped tents sound good.  Have a read for yourself here.  And yes Steve and Pia are some pretty amazing people.  Oh and congratulations Steve and […]

  3. Glad you had a great time there last year. Stephen & I set up Tukae 8 years ago, and it’s still going! It’d be great if you could draw people’s attention to the website – we really need interest and funds to continue the work we do. The latest newsletter is either already attached to the website or will be shortly.

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