Page 28 - Jan-March 2025
P. 28

| 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




          26
          26
   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33