Log cabin with stunning views 40 mins from Iringa

Get away from it all, you will only hear birds singing! Experience stunning views of mountains and natural miombo woodland. Large balcony where you can relax and take in the view, and cook on campfire below. Conditions are very basic, and you have to walk 20 minutes from the road to reach the cabin. Think of it as camping. You will probably not be able to find the cabin on your own! Eliya can guide you for 30,000/=. The space We hope that staying in Ugele in the cabin will be one of your most memorable moments in Tanzania! We bought 30 acres in this area to protect the trees from cutting for charcoal. It's a wonderful ecosystem so close to Iringa town, and we hope that the local community can also benefit from some income if we attract visitors here. The rental price is just a token for upkeep. We want other people to enjoy this amazing location. It is basically like camping - conditions are basic with no running water, electricity or phone reception, which is of course, part of the appeal of this wilderness experience! If you climb up to the rocks, you can some times catch a wave of reception if you need to send a message, otherwise you can walk to Ugele village which is about 30 minutes walk from the cabin. The cabin is raised up, so the downstairs area has space to prepare food (a table and some shelves) and cook on an open wood fire - there are three stones to balance your pot in the traditional Tanzanian way. Upstairs there is a spacious balcony where we spend most of our time, there are benches that we put the mattresses on to make cushions, and a table. The cabin is made from 'mabanzi' wood off cuts. You just have to take care for splinters from the rough wood, and recommend not going bare-foot. There are a couple of pairs of flip-flops there that you can use. There are two bedrooms. We have put old ceiling boards on the floor and part of the walls to keep the wind and rain out of the bedroom. They are a bit old and weather worn, just so you are prepared! It can be very windy especially from June - August so we recommend you take a coat and a couple of jumpers. The wind still comes through the top of the boards, so we normally sleep in all our clothes plus blankets. There is no bathroom. We have a tank where we have collected rainwater - we try and use it sparingly, so it can last us until the next rainy season in November! Guest access After a 40 minute drive from Iringa town you reach Ugele village - we often stop to buy drinks or basic supplies (tomatoes / pasta) from the village shop, to support the village. After you pass Ugele village, you park on the road and it's a 20 minute walk through the bush to get to the cabin. It is not a steep or difficult climb, but can be quite overgrown, and we advise checking for tics after your walk. You cross a small stream on the way. This all adds to the incredible experience, as you can see the cabin in the distance, and after a hot walk carrying all your things, you get up on to the balcony and soak up the amazing view and sounds of nature. You will not be able to find the cabin on your own! We can provide a guide (20,000/= pay to guide) to come with you if you have your own transport (they will not stay with you, but will just walk you to the cabin) or connect you to drivers who know the place (50,000/= each way, pay direct to driver). Other things to note We rarely see any mosquitoes there - we used to have nets there but found we didn't need them, so we brought them back to town. We have never seen snakes or scorpions, so no need to worry there. We recommend checking for tics, as you have to walk through long grass, and recently we have found a few tics on us.