When I was younger, well around my seventeenth birthday to be exact, I went on Rugby tour to South Africa for 3 weeks. It was seriously one of the best times of my life and there were so many highlights, way to many for me to list down here, however there was a couple of days that stand out the most in my memory and that was a short trip to Kruger national park. We spent 3 days discovering the wildlife and sleeping under the stars in some of the amazing accommodation provided. We saw a wide variety of animals, the highlight being a pride of lions, whilst eating biltong and other locally cooked food. The whole experience had me wanting to go on a proper safari holiday and not just a few days. I did my research online about the different types of safaris and finally decided to go to Tanzania for my fix. A Tanzania safari sounded perfect for me and I was feeling generous so I took my girlfriend along with me, it wasn’t a Tanzania honeymoon though, although give it a few years and I guess it could be! Here are some of the highlights of my trip!
The Animals
The main reason everyone goes on safari is to view the spectacular animals. Listen, we could all go to the local zoo and see some of the animals, but lets be honest, nothing beats seeing them in person wandering around in their natural habitat. This time on safari we didn’t’ see a pride of lions, but over the course of the holiday I saw so many amazing sights and situations. For instance, we saw a pack of hyena’s around dusk on the fourth night that had found a kill and we watched them eat their food. It was nature at it’s most brutal but still a beautiful natural sight. There are too many other highlights to include but the wildlife seen will always leave a lasting paw print in my memory
The Food
When in Rome do as the Romans do. For me, wherever I go on holiday, I take this saying as a rule. I like to try and get as in tune with the local culture and cuisine as possible and this safari holiday was no different. Some of the food available was certainly something I wanted to try, so I dived right in and it was something I didn’t regret. There was plenty of rice and chapatti available but 2 of the foods I tried, and loved, were Mshikaki and Nyama Choma (grilled meat and marinated beef). The spices were so flavourful too but not overwhelming. I’ve taken some of this cuisine back with me to the UK and regularly cook this style when looking for a good meal!
The Scenery
I’m not going to beat around the bush here and go into some Shakespearean quote about the beauty of nature and all that, but what I will say is that some of the views I saw on this holiday were simply incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it before. The sunsets and sunrises in particular were spectacular and the amount of selfie’s and pictures I got on my phone was impressive in itself. If you don’t believe me, search Tanzania safari sunsets in Google and take a look for yourself!
This holiday was amazing and one that I’ll certainly go on again. I loved every second of it and honestly I would recommend it to anyone who’s thinking about going on one. I’m even thinking about taking my girlfriend there for our honeymoon in a year or so! A Tanzania honeymoon, what could be better?
