Great starts and happy endings

In planning a safari holiday, the focus naturally tends to be on the thrilling days and nights spent out in the bush. But choosing the right property for settling into Africa when you arrive, and for winding down at the end, can embellish your time here with a complementary experience that rounds off your African adventure perfectly.

That’s why we were delighted to acquaint ourselves with Onsea House, a gem of a guest house near Arusha in Tanzania, on our recent expedition in the region in search of the best accommodation for our guests. And for those who covet maximum R&R in a holiday, Onsea House is now joined by a sister property, Machweo. This ‘wellness retreat’ is the place to be if pampering is on your tick-list. Whether it’s a swim in the pool, an avocado oil jacuzzi, a steam bath or a deep tissue massage, there’s everything you need here to leave you relaxed and revitalised.

Despite being just a few miles from the centre of Arusha, Onsea provides a thoroughly serene location. Landscaped gardens create a luxurious and calming immediate scene. But the real star is Africa’s own landscapes beyond. Rolling hills studded with baobab and acacia trees stretch up to the glorious Mount Meru on the horizon. Onsea House’s elevated position takes full advantage of these inspiring views and makes watching the sunset here especially enchanting.

The house itself strikes just the right balance between privacy and personal service. Priding itself on being ‘a home from home’, Onsea goes to great lengths to create a sense of comfort. With a relatively small number of guests accommodated at any one time, the focus really is on a quality experience. Inside, the style is understated and classy, with a clean and contemporary look which is warmed with touches of woody rusticity that you’d hope for in Africa.

Foodies are in for a treat at Onsea. Michelin-experienced chef Axel is clearly a man in the know when it comes to quality cuisine. He combines his Belgian roots with his current surroundings to deliver excellent fusion food – classic European dishes with accents from Africa.

We would return to Onsea House and Machweo without hesitation. The great service, amazing food, chic accommodation and gorgeous surroundings combine to make this guest house and retreat a pretty irresistible stop-off while in Tanzania. But more importantly, it’s another stunning accommodation to which we can take our guests – with the confidence that they’ll enjoy the standard of quality which would be expected from an Africa House safari experience.

Africa House's new baby!

We are delighted to announce that we have just become the proud ‘foster parents’ of a young elephant through the African conservation charity The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (under whose care he remains despite our adoption!)

The gorgeous young elephant in question (pictured, right) is called Chemi Chemi. He was found completely alone as a young calf, next to a water spring (hence his name, which is Swahili for ‘a spring’) – it is thought that his family were killed by poachers.


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Following his rescue and transfer to the care of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Chemi Chemi took to being bottle-fed and soon settled into his new herd. The matriarchal figure of the group has embraced Chemi Chemi as her own, providing the protection and attention that was missing since the loss of his own mother. He is now three-and-a-half years old and enjoys a happy existence and a bright future.
 
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a lifeline for animals whose well-being and chance of survival would otherwise be compromised. And the charity’s dedicated efforts have made a vital contribution to conservation work to protect Africa’s endangered species, in particular elephants and black rhinos.
 
So, at Africa House, we are very pleased to play our small part in supporting the Trust’s highly worthwhile work. As well as helping to alleviate the suffering of individual animals like Chemi Chemi, the David Sheldrick Trust and other charities like it are helping to conserve the irreplaceable species and environments which are so life-affirming to anyone who has ever been on safari – and which we should all treasure.