Big Momella Lake

At least, part of Big Momella Lake. The pink edging around the edges of the lake are thousands of Lesser Flamingos.
Arusha National Park
October 2014

Have you also seen/visited the settings of "Hatari", a movie from the early 60s, starring John Wayne and Hardy Krueger?

The main lodge at Arusha NP is where the film was made: it used to be rather tatty (if very charismatic); from Hix's reports, it has been vastly improved over the past decade or so.

I think the animal-catching sections of the film were made in Arusha NP, and also Serengeti and Ngorogoro.

It is a marvellous film - hopeless story, patronising representations of Africans, very unPC stuff about catching animals. I love it!

Me too. Afaik some (if not most) stunts and scenes with animals are done by the actors theirselfes (itself?). So my deep respect to the duke, Hardy and Co. As I child (and sometimes even now) I wish(ed), I could have joined the film crew or could have been a member of an animal catching-company. Catching wild animals in Africa for zoos - what a great job, what a great adventure!

And by the way: I give an elephant poo to political correctness for this film.

There were a number of locations used throughout the movie. Most of the animal catching scenes were done in the Serengeti, from what I heard. Three different locations were used for the Main House and surrounding areas. The interiors were shot at what is now Momella Lodge, and many of the exteriors at a nearby farm. After the filming Hardy Kruger bought the nearby farm and ran it as a dairy for many years before the Tanzanian laws changed and he eventually sold it. After falling into disuse it was turned into a hotel, and is now called Hatari Lodge. I stayed at this lodge, but not at Momella.

Due to landscaping and upgrades to the grounds at Hatari Lodge, the scenes in the movie that were shot there are unrecognisable. And from what I have been told, the interior of Momella lodge has been rebuilt and also looks nothing like what was seen in the movie.



Hix