Just about a month ago I touched down at Kilimanjaro International Airport, ready to commence my first ever trip to Africa. Having travelled quite extensively in my twenties, I was full of excitement as to what awaited me, and how it would differ or resemble what I had experienced so far. It didn’t take me long to realise that the following two weeks were going to be jam-packed full of incredible experiences that I will not forget all too quickly. From Kilimanjaro, we travelled to Tarangire on to Ngorongoro Crater, and finally on to the Serengeti, ending in Arusha and returning to the UK from there.
During the course of my 12-day trip, we covered lots of ground as we biked, bush walked and went on both day and night drives. My most memorable wildlife sighting was on my first night drive. I saw a leopard killing a warthog – a very rare sight, I am told. After also having seen hyena mating and another poor warthog get killed, this time by a lioness, the guests I was travelling with told me I had the luck of a first time safari goer – therefore becoming known as the lucky charm of the trip, with everybody rubbing my head for luck as we waited for a river crossing.
There were certain times during my trip where I felt like it could not have been more different than backpacking across Australia and Asia. I was used to not planning any accommodation and taking each day as it comes, being solely independent. Experiencing Tanzania, on the other hand, was all smoothly planned from start to finish, with every camp and lodge being incredibly attentive and making me feel entirely taken care of at all times. Despite the differences, however, every now and then, I felt almost transported back to Australia, especially whilst I was enjoying the sundowners. Both Tanzania and western Australia are very untouched, both extraordinarily wild, and both possess the most beautiful red sunsets.
Tarangire is the area that I treasure most. There was an abundance of wildlife and all within one park, there’s so many different areas from water and moss to arid areas, baobabs and more. What I found most interesting was the difference between mastering the logistics of our guests’ safaris from Africa House in Brighton, day in and day out, to experiencing it first hand. I can’t explain how awesome it was. A trip like this really needs to be experienced first hand in order to understand it at its fullest.
If you would like to know more about Jess’s trip or are interested in visiting Tanzania yourself, please do get in touch with one of our destination specialists.
