Welcome at Ngerengere River Eco Cam

Myself and my two teenage children had the most wonderful stay at Eco Camp. Remmy communicated well throughout the organisation process and arranged an itinerary with me to suit our family with a mixture of leisure and cultural experiences. On this occassion and for a short stay of 5 nights in camp we knew our volunteer offering would be limited. We gained a good understanding of local cultures and challenges and were in awe of what Remmy, his family, local helpers and volunteers have achieved with relentless passion, determination, kind hearts and hard work. There are many ambitions still to achieve and partnership with volunteers and schools can play an important part in the future development and maintenance of this project. During our stay the school was in operation and we spent some time with the children there as well as visiting a local Masai family and a day trip to Mikumi national park.
I would recommend putting thought and a plan together with Remmy if you have particular skills, resources and ideas or want to be involved in a more hands-on way during your stay or want to time your trip to coordinate with a specific project. Possible areas might include: IT, marketing, website, photography, documentary, campaigning, building, carpentry, gardening, teaching and providing any related reources. Opportunites to make a real difference from the smallest to largest scale are here if it can be organised and prepared well. The camp relies upon solar power and battery power which is effective for basic lights and charging phones but internet has a weak signal and wifi is slow. Clean water is avaiable to all thanks to Remmy's initial water purification program.
Remmy, his younger sons Silva and Elvin and long term friend Lucy made us so welcome and comfortable and took care of everything from food to transport to translation. A couple from Brazil joined us during our stay which enhanced our time further and we enjoyed games, songs, football, and sharing of stories and experiences in our free time and in the evenings around the camp fire.
The accommodation is rustic-beautiful, clean, comfortable and cosy with running water and mosquito nets and all with 'en-suite' traditional hole in the ground style toilets with bucket throw flush which actually works remarkably well and is quite an enjoyable back to basics experience when you get used to it. Food was simple, local dishes freshly cooked and enjoyed at the long benches in the hall all together. Other snacks or provisions could be bought from the supermarket on the journey from the airport of National Park or in the closest village 17km away.
Be prepared for long journeys along very bumpy roads expecially the 45min 'off-road' bush journey to the camp itself. The location is deep in the bush and cut-off from the village. Some of the locals have morotbikes, bicycles or 4x4 vehicles to help the otherwise 6hr walk to the village! Be prepared to get involved, communicate across different languages, embrace simple living and a range of diverse people with respect, curiosity and openess to learn and share.
Be prepared to connect with other human beings who ultimately ar much the same and leave with some sadness and a warm sense of extended family.
Heidi, Frankie and DJ - August 2018