The Group

A safari, if you haven't been to any, is only as good as the eye of your driver guides. You can stand all day peering through the most powerful binoculars available, but you will not be able to spot anything outside zebras, giraffes, warthogs and the guinea fowls. It is the guides who spot the cats in between attending to a small matter of driving the safari van, avoiding the herbivores, potholes etc. We had two excellent guides in Athuman and Mohamed who not only helped us to get close encounters with the big 5, but also kept us entertained with their anecdotes. There were many other safari groups who had taken the same route along with us, but ended up seeing far less than what we saw during our trip. Food on the safari was brilliant, thanks to our cooks Charlie and Rafael. Don't let your finicky eating habits prevent you from making a trip to Tanzania. I am a vegetarian. I not only managed to remain one but also gained a few pounds on the trip! I would certainly recommend "Shades of Africa" to anyone who is looking for a good camping safari. I booked them through geckos and premier tours.

My travel mates didn't play any less part in making my trip a memorable one. I am thankful to all of them - Richard and Meg (for always livening things up), Cheryl, Leanne and Holly (for helping me climb the brute), Graham (my tent mate) and Pete and Heidi (for sharing her lens with me. I owe half my decent photographs to her powerful lens).