Hosted in collaboration with Roane Travel Design; opinions are my own.

We made it to our first-ever destination in Africa! After flying from Greenville, SC to Atlanta, GA to Amsterdam to Mount Kiliminjaro, Tanzania, we were thrilled to have a nearby first stop from the Mount Kilimanjaro airport to Siringit Villa. Siringit Villa is a gorgeous 6-bedroom villa, part of Siringit Collection, a partner of TAASA Lodge and Roane Travel Design. Siringit Villa offered the comforts of home along with amazing hospitality and our first preview of Tanzanian culture.

Upon arrival, the staff at Siringit Villa welcomed us with a traditional Tanzanian “Jambo” song which the bros grew to love. The Villa was decorated meticulously and showcased so much beautiful Tanzanian culture. Their amazing chef, Ombeni, prepared a healthy, full meal for us to enjoy before our first night of rest. We headed right to bed in our mosquito net-lined beds, with two bedrooms connected with the bros in twin beds and Logan and I in a separate room. We knew right away that we would absolutely love Tanzania!

We spent our the next day at Siringit Villa enjoying a breakfast and relaxing around the property to get acquainted from jetlag. We then had a driver pick us up to take us into the city of Arusha to visit the Wine To Water factory of East Africa. Wine To Water is an amazing organization, founded by a North Carolina man aiming to bring clean water to the world, which continues to do clean water projects in Tanzania and beyond. I had spent many hours on calls with Wine To Water in advance, learning about their processes and the heart behind their organization. It was such a treat to actually be able to experience the good that Wine To Water is doing in Africa. The resort we’d head to next, TAASA Lodge, supports the initiatives of Wine To Water.

We ended our stay at Siringit Villa enjoying some local South African red wine, swimming in the pool, enjoying the scenery on the on-site golf course and enjoying the African sunset. Other American visitors were also at Siringit Villa alongside us so we joined them for an outside evening dinner and bonfire, watching the staff sing their national song and entertain us with African drumming. We had a wonderful host, Amos, who loved on our bros alongside the chef, Ombeni. Both Amos and Ombeni’s smiles lit up a room and they made us feel so welcome there.

In addition to TAASA Lodge, Siringit Villa also gives back in their local community. With a large focus on local education, Siringit Villa is helping young locals thrive through the Baraa Primary School, a government school in Arusha, Tanzania, which was founded through the owner of Siringit Villa. Through the improvements in infrastructure, sanitation, computer access, library access and more, Siringit Villa is helping to improve the overall academic performance of local youth.

Siringit Villa was the perfect stopping point on our way to our final destination. Our next stop in Tanzania: TAASA Lodge and onto a safari!