Ever since I first started travelling (and after I’d backpacked my way across the US) there have been two destinations on my wish list; one was Japan, which I finally visited for the first time last October; and the second is Africa, fuelled by an obsession with Born Free, Out of Africa and an overwhelming desire to see lions, elephants and rhino in the wild.
Well next month I’m flying to Kenya, then taking another plane to Tanzania, then taking another plane to the Serengeti in search of the Big 5. I KNOW.
Along the way I’ll get to see Kilimanjaro, and while I’m there I’ll be going on game drives and experiencing life in the Serengeti (although I can’t pretend I’ll be roughing it, because I’ll be staying at the luxurious Four Seasons Serengeti). I KNOW.
For the next four weeks I’m going to be running around getting visas and the dreaded yellow fever vaccination and channeling my inner Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen with a wardrobe of khaki.
It’s basically a dream trip for me, the fulfillment of a lifetime’s travelling ambition. The fact I’m doing it on my own feels like a bit of a challenge, a case of fearing the fear and doing it anyway. And although I feel *slightly* guilty going on this trip without No 1 Son I know he’ll have plenty of opportunity to explore any destinations he wants to, because he has caught my travelling bug. As a writer, my big African adventure promises to be an unforgettable travel experience, and I’ll be blogging, tweeting and instagramming about every minute.
You will love it….let me know if you can fit me in your duffle bag…..lucky you. Got everything you need in Kenya?? Lx
Absolutely with Melissa here: give the larium a miss. Awful stuff, and there are much better alternatives available that you only have to take one of beforehand (or at least, there used to be – it’s been a few years since we needed them). Have a fantastic time – SO jealous.
What a fantastic trip – I’ve been on safari in Africa once and it was just amazing (although I got a bit carried away trying to spot a leopard and kept yelling out at logs/shadows which looked vaguely cat like). Can’t wait to see your photos.
I’m only a teeny bit jealous. Ok, very. I am South African but before I did a gap year at 21, I’d never left SA due to apartheid so never got to see ‘proper’ Africa. In my gap year, I travelled from Kenya to South Africa on a back of a truck. We camped in the Masai Mara with just a Masai warrior and his spear for protection against wild animals. We went into the Ngorongoro Crater – which was stunning, but busy with game vehicles.
I went to Kenya one other time for a safari, and spent my honeymoon in Tanzania in the Selous, which is the size of Switzerland and completely wild.
Advice: don’t take Larium anti-malarials. They make you go crazy. Take layers to wear as game drives can get chilly early morning and at night. Don’t spend your time taking millions of pictures of animals, particularly if you’re not a good photographer. Yes, get some snaps, but just enjoy watching the animals and listening to them, rather than worrying about recording them. When you get home and see picture after picture of wildebeest you will suddenly wished you’d not taken as many.
Sunblock. Sunglasses. A hat. Long, lightweight trousers if doing bush walks do avoid your legs getting scratched/ticks.
When you are sitting on a ridge somewhere, nursing a cold gin & tonic watching the sun set with the sound of zebras calling, you will realise why every single person on the planet is originally from Africa. You cannot beat the feeling.
Enjoy it. Lucky you