As my new husband and I bid a fond farewell to the guests at our wedding reception, I felt disappointed that our big day that we had spent so long planning had come and gone so very quickly. The consolation, however, was that we were dashing home to change, pick up our waiting luggage and passports, and head off to Heathrow to begin the honeymoon of a lifetime on safari in Tanzania.

Eight hours and a stopover in Amsterdam later, we arrived at Kilimanjaro airport. Despite feeling exhausted we were excited and eager to get our first glimpse of Tanzania. Kilimanjaro isn’t the most organised airport we had been to, a factor brought home by the disorderly throng we had to join in front of the visa desk, where eventually we handed over US $50 each for a stamp in our passport. In future, we promised ourselves to arrange our visa before leaving Britain.

A friendly representative from Ranger Safaris had arranged to meet and greet us after the luggage collection, and an hour later we arrived at the stunning Arusha Coffee Lodge set among a scenic coffee plantation. Despite the warm welcome we received, I have to admit to feeling somewhat awkward when our suitcases were taken from us by two ladies, who insisted on carrying them to our room for us – something they accomplished by balancing the luggage on their heads.

Our room was luxurious, to say the least, with a four-poster bed and a fantastic living area, plus an incredible bathroom with the most wonderful shower and bath (made for two). As soon as a bottle of champagne arrived courtesy of the manageress, we felt that we were now officially on our honeymoon.

The next day we awoke to a polite wake up call and a hurried breakfast as we had over-slept. Edward, who had co-ordinated our trip, came to welcome us and introduced us to Simon, who was to be our driver and guide for the week. They were both extremely nice, offering us lots of useful advice on how to make the most of our African safari.

Our transport throughout the safari was a comfortable and spacious Land Cruiser 4x4, ideal for dealing with the rough terrain and dirt roads that we would encounter throughout our visit. The first stop for us was a visit. The first stop for us was a visit to the impressive Mount Meru stopped to enjoy lunch and join the rest of our party.

During this short journey we began to appreciate our new surroundings and learn a little about life in Tanzania. As we drove through some of the villages I was surprised and upset at how basic they were. Whereas I had always believed that running water was a given and not a luxury, here were young children collecting stream water for their daily needs. The houses were made up of what looked like scrap materials, all very small yet, as our guide informed us, often home to an entire extended family. Children would wave and stick their thumbs up at us as we drove through the small villages and each time we happened to stop, they would quickly approach curious about us, and offer to sell us their handmade jewellery and carved wooden animals.

Mount Meru National Park gave us our first chance to spot the African wildlife we had come so far to experience. At first all we saw were trees and plant life, and then up ahead we caught our first glimpse of a giraffe. As we approached, this magnificent creature strolled out in front of us without a care in the world apparently not the slightest bit intimated by our presence. Soon, we were joined by more giraffes, all fascinating to watch and each one so graceful, in spite of their impressive size.

As we drove on we could make out a herd of zebras in the distance, quickly followed by baboons, this time closer by playing in the sun. When we mentioned to Simon how cute the baboons looked, he casually informed us that in actual fact they are capable of killing a lion; may be not so cuddly after all!

As we drove through the park, the views were stunning, with Mount Meru in the background and even, at one point, a clear view of Mount Kilimanjaro. Then as we reached the shore of Momella Lake this backdrop was complemented by the sight of thousands of pink flamingos alongside other aquatic birds such as reedbuck and water buck. While we also hoped to spot some hippos, one thing about a wildlife safari is that you can never guarantee which animals you will see at any particular place. Maybe next time…….

As we enjoyed lunch at the Mountain Lodge, with the beautiful surroundings and fantastic weather creating one of those unforgettable moments you only get to experience when visiting a new country, we met up with Amanda and Tony with whom we would be spending the rest of our safari. We also received a briefing from Edward where we were informed about health and safety guidelines, what to expect and how much to tip – US $10 per person if we had been happy with the driving and knowledge of our guide and US $7 if we felt our expectations hadn’t been reached.

We then set off on a two hour drive to Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, situated at the edge of an escarpment and overlooking not only the Great Rift Valley but also the beautiful Soda Lake of Manyara. We were greeted with a warm welcome, cold drinks and wet flannels; the latter much appreciated after our dusty drive. Our rooms were spectacular with amazing views and we wasted no time in changing into swimming suits to take a dip in the pool. I don’t think I will ever swim in such a dramatic setting again, combining a touch of luxury alongside such a wonderful, natural setting. Quite breathtaking.

BABOON BEHAVIOURS:

I awoke the next day feeling extremely hung over, despite having very little to drink the previous night. I put it down to being exhausted from the wedding and considered it may be altitude sickness. We had to pack our suitcases as we were moving on to Serengeti Sopa Lodge via Manyara Park. As we arrived we had the chance to witness a little wildlife larceny as one of the local olive baboons climbed up onto a jeep and ran off with somebody’s handbag. Apparently these baboons generally travel around in packs, so from then on we made a point to keep a close eye on our bags. Back out in the bush, it was amazing to watch zebras grazing all around us, their characteristic black stripes so distinctive against the background of the long grass, and with no two zebras sharing the same markings. We even had an rant group of them run out in front of our jeep, all in a neat single file – a true African zebra crossing!

Better still was our first sighting of a bank elephant, which we thought was huge until his mother joined him! There’s nothing you can quite compare with watching a family of elephants drinking and bathing in a lake, and all so close that you could reach out and touch them. We also made up for our earlier disappointment when pig-like noise nearby alerted us to some hippos wallowing in the mud. However, while they might have looked and sounded comical, Simon warned us to stay in the vehicle when they’re nearby as in fact they’re a dangerous animal more than capable of charging if we got too close.

Our journey continued North West across the stunning hilly countryside of Karatu and the Highlands filled with wheat and coffee plantations, before moving on to Ngorongoro conservation area. From here lay the vast plains of Serengeti where the roads turn to uneven dust tracks. By this leisurely meal in the Lodge’s restaurant – after also, we were on our honeymoon.

The next day we descended 2,000ft into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and one of the world’s seven natural wonders. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas ranging from forest, swamps, lakes and springs, to open grassland and sandy dunes.

There was so much to see at all times it was difficult to know where to look. We saw a watering hole where there were lions, lionesses and their curbs stalking the wildebeest, zebras and gazelle as they made their way down to have an early morning drink. We held our breath as a lioness made a run at a zebra, but the zebra was too alert and made a dash to safety. In fact, we were so close to the lions that it seemed as if we could reach out and touch them, and they didn’t seem at all bothered as we snapped photos and watched their every move.

Just then Simon had a call over the radio to say that a cheetah had been spotted stalking a group of gazelles. As we rushed over to watch, I have to admit to silently praying that the cheetah would go hungry that day. But just as we arrived at the selected spot, out of nowhere the cheetah made its move. All I could see at first was the gazelles moving very quickly, all but one poor beast that had been thrown up in the air by the Cheetah who was now going in for the kill. At this point I turned away, only plucking up the courage to look again as the cheetah was dragging its prize to a ditch to feed. We were told that we had been lucky to witness a kill, although, despite being a part of African nature, I found the scene a little distressing.

As we moved on, nothing afterwards could quite compare to what we had just seen. Even what we thought was a distant glimpse of the rare and endangered black rhino could, in all fairness, just as likely have been a big rock.

The following day we departed Ngorongoro and headed south east, en route to Lake Manyara, Mto wa Mbu village and Tarangire beyond. Tarangire is recognised as one of the best parks in the area for elephant viewing especially during the dry season, and we weren’t disappointed. We spent a good 30 minutes observing a herd of elephants drinking and bathing in a watering hole before catching a glimpse of a leopard camouflaged in a tree as it found shade from the sun. As we made our way to the Tarangire Sopa Lodge we saw the remains of a giraffe being eaten by a pack of hungry vultures. Simon guessed that a lion had made the kill before the vultures came in to finish the feast. It was upsetting to see that such a large and magnificent creature could be such easy prey. Although we still had half a day’s safari remaining. We opted out in preference to an afternoon by the pool – a short time spent relaxing and contemplating the past few weeks.

Throughout our safari experience, it made a huge difference having such great travelling companions as Amanda and Tony. It gave us the chance to chat and share our experiences of the day, and there’s nothing like chatting about each day’s highlights to bring them back to life in the evening. Similarly, all of the lodges we stayed in were magnificent and the service was without fault, with a high percentage of the staff speaking extremely good English. Perhaps the most important thing though was that our guide was excellent. Having a quality guide can turn a good safari into a great experience and its certainly worth finding out before booking a trip like our that the guides used to have a really good knowledge of the local people, culture and wildlife.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our safari experience. It really was the honeymoon of a life time, and although we didn’t get to spend a lot of time alone together as we moved on between each lodge, this only gave us the perfect excuse to plan our next trip. We can’t wait.