Pit Stop in Chalinze & More

Pit Stop in Chalinze

Crafts at Kobil Restaurant, Chalinze

In no time, we were in Chalinze, where we stopped at the Kobil Restaurant to have samosas that my friend’s husband told us were not to be missed.

After browsing through the crafts that were on sale next to the restaurant, we got back on the road.

In about two hours, we saw two huge signs straddling the highway announcing that we were entering Mikumi National Park. These signs also warned of the danger of encountering wild animals on the next 50 km stretch of road.

Although we had reached the boundary of the park, we still had a ways to travel: Tan-Swiss Lodge is 2 km past the park when traveling away from Dar es Salaam.

Our Mikumi Safari Begins Unofficially

As soon as we passed the road sign, our safari experience unofficially began.

Without leaving the main road we started to see animals—giraffes, elephants, monkeys, and antelope—that had us squealing with delight.

We drove fairly quickly through the national park, slowing down occasionally to take pictures, because we wanted to get to Tan-Swiss Lodge before dark.

Shortly after we saw road signs telling us that we were leaving the park, we spotted the Tan-Swiss Lodge sign to our left. (Tan-Swiss Lodge is located on the highway so if you travel by public means, your bus driver can drop you off right in front of the hotel).

When we finally got to our destination, we were greeted with a refreshing drink and shown to our rooms.

If you travel beyond the park, you'll see this Tan-Swiss Lodge Road Sign.

Tan-Swiss Lodge: A Pleasant Budget Travel Surprise

In booking Tan-Swiss Lodge, my friends and I knew that at US$65 a night for a double room, we were budget traveling.

When I got to the lodge though, the infrastructure impressed me. I also appreciated the lodge’s effort to make everything look and feel as pleasant as possible.

Although the infrastructure was basic, the grounds were spacious and the walls were painted with lively safari-inspired patterns and murals.

The rooms, as someone wrote on TripAdvisor, were “of the same standard that you would find at any good hotel in Dar es Salaam.”

We freshened up for the evening and regrouped at the restaurant for dinner.

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My experience from previous safaris had taught me that unless I was staying somewhere upscale, the last thing to expect on safari was good food.

I was not very hungry that first night.

Against my better judgement, I decided to order a sandwich. I was hoping at the very least that it would be edible.

Not only was the sandwich edible but made with good quality homemade bread, good cheese, and was even warm if I recall correctly.

The sandwich was good by any standards.

Breakfast at Tan-Swiss Lodge — Photo Credit: bigbiketrip.net

I make a big deal about this because that’s one of the things that stood out for me at Tan-Swiss Lodge: the food.

I enjoyed every meal I ate there! The sandwich I had at dinner, as well as breakfast the next two mornings, were definitely noteworthy.

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