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| ACCOMMODATION FEATURE
Images Courtesy of Anyadwe House
ANYADWE HOUSE
INCE 2020, the waters of Lake Victoria have risen materials, it is standard practice to scatter distinctive
Sto submerge thousands of acres of shoreline, cushions around the public areas to (a) briefly enliven
along with the homes and hotels that stand on them, your companion’s day (as in ‘Ooh, look at that lovely
before surging down the Nile to cause further mayhem fabric!’) and (b) help you to tell one lodge from the next.
downstream. One notable casualty in this latter Anyadwe is above such a laboured ploy, however, for
category was Baker’s Lodge, the most luxurious and it is already completely different to everywhere else.
exclusive of the riverside properties serving Murchison As one of our party opined, it employs an ‘unusually
Falls NP. As its cottages slumped into the rising river, modern approach with evident cubist influences.’
the owners salvaged the furniture and conceived of a Doesn’t ‘cubist’ mean the same as ‘box’?’ asked my
new vision above the new waterline. companion with a perception that briefly added an
unexpectedly cerebral depth to our relationship.
The result is the even more luxurious and exclusive
Anyadwe House, which, like Baker’s before it, stands So, in a nutshell (or in a large box if you prefer),
on the southern bank on the River Nile facing the wilds Anyadwe House comprises four spacious and
of Murchison Falls National Park, just a little further luxurious en suite rooms, all with river views, two on
uphill. Anyadwe means ‘Daughter of the Moon’ and each side of a storied lounge-dining building. Guests
was the name given by the Acholi people to Lady can relax, eat, enjoy a drink, browse the excellent
Florence Baker, wife of the explorer, Sir Samuel Baker. library and enjoy the river views from the terrace: or go
Together, the couple were the first outsiders to reach upstairs to do exactly the same things but 4m higher,
Murchison Falls in 1864. like a giraffe. The shady ground floor veranda leads
to a lovely stone swimming pool where you can do all
As my most recent companion and I discovered, the aforementioned things and swim as well. It can get
a weekend spent at Anyadwe House pendulums hot so if you use the stuff, don’t forget your sunscreen!
between two extremes. Having come all this way, it
does make sense to get out and about to explore the With only 4 double/twin rooms, Anyadwe is more of
national park. All well and good, but do take time to a home from home than a lodge. To be specific, it’s
simply relax and do nothing as well. You’ll find that the home by the Nile you always dreamt of, though
these apparently conflicting demands on your time are perhaps with more concrete. Perhaps in your dreams,
not mutually exclusive. Though Anyadwe lies outside the nearest decent supermarket isn’t 300km away
the park, animals don’t know this and you may be either but that difficulty is taken care of. Justus, Winnie,
lucky enough to see elephant, buffalo and antelope in Precious and Irene are there on site to make sure that
the grounds and you’ll certainly hear hippo grazing the you are pampered and fed three times a day, and to
lawns during the night. exacting standards too. The house is completely off
grid and is solar powered by the fierce Murchison sun.
Architecturally, Anyadwe House is a bold break with With 25 x 200Ah batteries on site, there is sufficient
the gum pole and thatch safari style used by every electricity to drive powerful ceiling fans that keep the
other lodge in the vicinity. Having assembled these
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