After a 8.5 hour flight from Amsterdam on KLM, we arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport early in the evening. The big blue Boeing 777 looks out of place sitting in front of the airport door. some of us deplane; the rest will go on to Dar Es Salaam. we are a group of safari tourists mixed with Killi climbers; one group of Dutch travelers has “Specialist” boxes as they will cycle in Tanzania. the lines are long and slow as we wait to get visas then through passport control. the small airport is modern with a brand new, cardboard still attached air conditioner in the corner. There is not a mosquito in sight! (we remembered to take our Makarone)
Denniis is our driver, waiting outside and loads us into a small minivan. we drive on a paved 2 lane highway for 45 min, occasionally seeing a bicycle or moped on the side, and passing small huts with single lights on the doorways and people sitting on porches. It reminds us of driving into small villages in China decades ago when cars were a rare commodity and people travelled by bike.
The Arusha Duluti Serena Hotel is inside a gated compound. We are greeted with warm towels and pineapple banana juice. The well appointed main lodge has tall ceilings and wood beams. We walk along a stone path with flowering plants and banyan trees. I am eager to see the grounds and Lake Duluti during the day. our room is by no means rustic-semicircular with a tile floor and wood furniture, a large mosquito net around the bed.
I feels a bit unreal, this lovely compound outside of Arusha!
