Tanzania

Tanzania, wow, what a trip! Where do I even begin?

First off, one of our best friends lives there with her husband, Sande, so what better way to explore a new country than with a local. When we landed in Arusha, Kate picked us up and showed us around her home. We went up to their property (The Panorama) and had an arvo beer while watching the sunset. The next day we explored around Arusha and did a drive out toward the Kenyan border where we had some local bbq’d meat and we saw our first giraffe of the trip, on the side of the road!

Then, off we went to the Serengeti!! We were all so excited. The little girl in me, with my favourite movie ever being The Lion King, was screaming on the inside. And to add to my ‘Lion King’ experience, they do actually use the phrase "hakuna matata"; it’s a Swahili phrase that translates to "no worries" or "no problems" in English.

We took what felt like the world’s smallest plane to get there. To say I was nervous in that small tin can is an understatement. Once we touched down on the dirt runway in the middle of the Serengeti we were treated with an elephant right on the side. And within about 5 minutes of heading out of the airport, we were greeted by a pride of lionesses having a snooze by a tree - we couldn’t believe our luck.

We saw so much over the 2.5 days we were there! Giraffes, lions, hippos, zebras, gazelles, buffalo, warthog (and yes…they call them pumbaa), hyenas, elephants, jackal, cheetah, leopard, dik-dik, crocodiles, impalas, topi, love birds and monkeys (and so much more). One of my favourite sightings was at what felt like pride rock, there was a HUGE pride of lions there and younger cubs. They were so unfazed by us being there. It was incredible.

We slept in a big tent like structure in the middle of the national park. Because the areas aren’t fenced off, each room has a walkie talkie. You radio in during the evenings for one of the local Maasai men to escort you to and from the dining tent - this is for safety from any animals that may be lurking around. You could hear lions, hyenas and various other animals throughout the night! It was amazing…and slightly scary.

Once our time in the Serengeti came to an end, we headed back to Arusha for a few hours and then to Zanzibar for a few days of relaxation before heading back home. We spent one night in Stone Town and tbh I think it would be better to do a day trip there instead, but that’s just me. The next day we headed north to an area called Nungwi, this is where our accomodation was. It was lovely. The weather wasn’t great when we went, there were on and off showers but it was still so nice to just sit and relax. The area doesn’t have a lot going on, so if you don’t mind spending time predominantly in the hotel, then great! I think Paje is another nice area to stay if you were visiting Zanzibar.

One of the phrases I absolutely loved learning was, ‘pole pole’ (pronounced po-lay po-lay). In Swahili it translates to ‘slowly, slowly’. For me, this phrase is how I would explain travelling within the country; it encourages a more relaxed, laid-back lifestyle. It’s something I think I need to remind myself of and adopt more in my life.

Arusha

The Panorama, there’s a bar, and you can camp there! It’s also got a stunning view.

Zanzibar