A “fiery” awakening

This morning we wake up at 6.00, we are at the Roika Tented Camp Lodge, not far from the entrance to the Tarangire National Park in Tanzania.

We hear the Masai of the lodge screaming, initially we thought they were doing some ritual, but then we look out of the tent and, in the dark, we see a very intense orange light: a fire!

As we prepare, we check the situation, there is also the wind blowing in our direction and, for a moment, the flames seem to advance towards our tent.

"Let's put everything in a suitcase" was the first thing we said and in the meantime we check the flames that seem less high, thanks also to the fact that the wind has calmed down a bit.

We cannot understand what happened and what is going on fire, we think of the main structure of the lodge, and in fact then we will find out that it is like that.

Fredrick and Safe come to look for us and tell us to pack our bags so we can leave, we are already practically ready, so we take everything out of our tent, we pass in the meadow among the other tents and we arrive where there is the structure where the guides sleep and where is also our car Sir Stanley Selous.

We load everything in the car and we leave and we head towards the Tarangire National Park; we arrive after about ten minutes, pay the entry fee and then go to the bar, that is where there are also the gift shop and other facilities, and we order our breakfast.

What to say, it was an almost fun experience, we never really felt in danger, if it were not that we are very sorry for the lodge and for the people who work there, who now risk to loose their jobs; as we passed by car we saw that they tried to save objects, taking them away with cloth, we could not understand the extent of the damage, but certainly not a trivial matter.

Later they will tell us if we can go back to the lodge for the night or if we have to find another accommodation, but we will think about it in due course; now we just have to leave for our safari in the Tarangire National Park!