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NAMANGA |
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The scenic interest picks up after Kajiado, as the road snakes into
the hills, giving views of the conical Mount Meru in Tanzania (4565m),
and your first glimpses of Kilimanjaro if the sky's clear. NAMANGA town
sits square on the border, only 130km from Arusha in Tanzania. The
petrol station, from where the murram road leads off east towards
Amboseli, is probably the best place to start if you're trying for a
lift into the park.
Namanga River Lodge is the grandest accommodation option (PO Box 4
Namanga tel 67 Namanga; Ksh2000-4000). A colonial oddity composed of
wooden cabins set amid pretty gardens, it was the halfway house on the
old safari trail between Nairobi and Arusha. The place has a likeable,
slightly cranky atmosphere, and has clearly seen better days - the era
of baggy trousers and printed frocks seems just around the corner, but
it's overpriced for non-Kenyans. Good snacks are served, and you can
also happily camp in the garden (Ksh300 per person). Much better value
are the s/c rooms (hot water in buckets) at the Namanga Safari Lodge
next door (PO Box 5 Namanga tel 29 Namanga; under Ksh500), with its
pleasantly kitsch garden and bar, reasonable food, and cheaper camping,
too (Ksh150 per person). Best of the two basic B&Ls is Orock County B&L
(Ksh500-1000), at the start of the track to the River Lodge .
On the main road from Nairobi are several large tourist emporiums ,
including one not far north of Namanga and the other in the town itself,
at the big petrol station. Both are packed to overflowing with Maasai
bead- and leather-work, as well as Makonde ebony carvings from southern
Tanzania and, of course, Kamba animals and Kisii soapstone. They're not
especially cheap but, depending on the volume of business, you can
strike reasonable bargains and the choice is huge. The glass beads used
in the beadwork are not African; they come from the Czech Republic,
which exports them to Peru and the Native American reservations as well
as East Africa. And don't be misled by the expensive black-and-white
marriage necklaces, which are not traditional Maasai ware; nor are the
carved animal pendants. As with any art, styles change and innovations
are emulated. Amongst all the trinketry are genuine used articles which
tend to attract high prices. For these, you might do better by making
offers to people you meet on the road. Bartering clothes or food often
works to the benefit of both parties.
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