Today we’d like to introduce you to Dagmara Ikiert.
Hi Dagmara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Moved to Morocco when I was 23, opened a boutique hotel in Marrakech at 24, and lived in this fascinating city for 9 years.
Almost 3 years ago decided it was time for a changed, packed up 2 suitcases, 5 adopted Moroccan street dogs, and moved to Tanzania, Mambo village in the Usambara Mountains. I am running an Eco-Lodge Mambo View Point and an educational program for girls – Sisterhood Land.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Hell, no.
Being called “crazy” and “irresponsible” just cause I wanted to follow my path, my own dreams was the biggest struggle of all. Constantly not being taken seriously because of my young age, not being taken seriously because of not being married and not having kids.
The road was bumpy, still is, and it feels sometimes like a constant fight against the whole world.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mambo View Point Eco Lodge?
Mambo View Point is a genuine Eco Lodge situated in the Usambara mountains, just 2 hour drive from Lushoto, near the village of Mambo. The Lodge is a unique project and a new model for development, at the same time providing you with an authentic and unforgettable experience of the mountains and rural Tanzania.
Our goals:
- Encourage entrepreneurship by stimulating and healthy environment.
- Improve economics not provide aid.
- Create a chain of employment.
- Educate the travelers about the living conditions of local communities, their challenges, and the idea of sustainable development and tourism.
- Eco-friendly approach with respect for nature but also intensive involvement with the well-being of the local community.
- Empower people by helping with a little push, some advice, tools, or a loan.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The Tanzanian tourism market is changing a lot, becoming more and more open to various types of guests despite being pretty elitist and expensive in the past decades.
This should affect positively locations like ours, attracting travelers interested in out of the beaten tracks activities, genuine contact with nature, and rural life.
Pricing:
- Cottage accommodation $50-75 pp pn
- Luxury tent accommodation $40-$50 pp pn
- Camping $5-$25 pp pn
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.mamboviewpoint.org/accommodation/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamboviewpointtanzania/
- Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/MamboViewPoint
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTVDhSAMqrDR2rfxjtVfzw
Image Credits
Dodo Knitter
