Feeling excited but exhausted and a bit disorientated, I found myself in the visa queue at Kilimanjaro Airport at 4 in the morning, after a night on a plane with a 5-hour wait in Istanbul Airport. At this point, despite being excited about going on safari, I was fed up and just wanted to be in bed.

I’d passed the time on the flight sleeping where I could and watching films, but the journey had felt slow and the plane headphones were rubbish! I think it’s always a good idea to bring some good headphones on a trip. If you are prone to forgetting things like I am, make sure you write headphones on your list!

As we came out of the airport it was pitch black and the air was cold. Our guide was waiting with a sign with our names on it. It was such a nice sight after a long time travelling, it made us feel special and got us all excited for the holiday again. Cheery despite the early hour, Julius drove us to our lodge, chatting to us along the way about what going on safari is like and how we would always be on the lookout in the hope of spotting something special.

As he was talking about this on the road out of the airport, the vehicle’s headlights lit something further down the road. The shape grew in size as it opened its wings, and an eagle owl silently took off in front of us. The sight gave us a little thrill and made me peer along the edges of the road in the hope of spotting something else exciting.

The further talk of safari got me feeling eager and enthusiastic already.

Honestly, I was so interested in driving through small villages as we bumped along in the vehicle to our lodge. As a few people were beginning to wake, it became a nice little snippet of what the little towns and villages would look like when I saw them the next day. Although, after a while I couldn’t stop myself from nodding off.

Our first big game drive took place in the Serengeti. We met Julius in the morning and I felt my excitement grow as our tented camp receded in the distance and we entered the endless plains of the Serengeti.

The thrill really settles in when you are out there looking for animals. At first I was worried we’d be sitting for hours waiting for an animal to come wandering along, but Julius always had something intriguing to show us as we drove. Then suddenly, we heard lots of animated voices chattering in Swahili on the radio, and Julius whisked us off to an incredible leopard sighting.

Just from one look at the leopard through his binoculars, he could tell that it had not succeeded in its attempts to kill that day and would be very hungry. He parked exactly in the right place as the leopard, as he had said, made its way to the tree we were right in front of, giving us the best view as it climbed its way up effortlessly. The great predator then lay down moodily on a branch and scanned the horizon for potential prey with clear precision.

At the start, we were a bit competitive as a family in trying to spot animals first, but Julius won every time! Once, he stopped the vehicle at the base of a huge rock. With one swift look in his binoculars, he confirmed there was a lion sunbathing on it. It took us ages – and some hints – to find it. As it was camouflaged so well, it was a wonder he spotted it so quickly; the rest of us only realised when it turned its head.

I was amazed at how calm and chilled the animals were with all of us sitting in a great big vehicle. We had to slow down as a bull elephant crossed the road right in front of us, without so much as a second glance. Then, as we held our breaths in anticipation, watching a group of lions hunt, one got almost under the vehicle, using it as camouflage as it attempted to catch a buffalo.

Like the elephant, the lion didn’t mind us being there at all, if anything I think he might have appreciated it! Before the lions came right over to us and we were just watching from a distance, we were all whispering, but then when a mane appeared right next to the driver’s door we all became completely silent. I tensed up and quickly wound up my window as I watched it crouch directly next to our vehicle. I was a little scared, yet thrilled at the same time to be seeing a wild animal only inches away. It almost didn’t seem real.

A moment that really stuck out to me was when, in the Ngorongoro Crater, we spotted a pair of jackals hunting a baby gazelle. We stopped and watched the event in awe, paying very little attention to the pair of lions sunbathing near the road on the opposite side. We knew the lions were there, and you would assume they would naturally be the main point of interest. Yet we were completely transfixed by the battle between the young gazelle and its mother as they tried to fight off the jackals.

I felt both admiration and sadness for the mother as she fought so hard to save her baby. I knew everyone wanted to see a “kill” on safari, I did too, but I didn’t expect it to be such a drawn-out and brutal event. No one gave up. I was rooting for the gazelles, but it’s hard not to have mixed feelings. We chatted about it together over lunch with Julius, which was nice, and we talked about the incredible resilience of animals out in the wild.

One of the things I found most interesting about safari throughout this trip was not what I expected to find interesting at all. I thought I’d be most fascinated by lion sightings, huge herds of elephants and buffalo. And while spotting these things was incredible (such as a family of five lions sleeping up a tree!), the smaller things were just as interesting.

I loved spotting little creatures, like the rock hyraxes. They looked like big guinea pigs, and we saw them on just about every rock formation everywhere we went. The more you looked, the more you noticed. As a family, when we stopped to look for them, we would see who could count up the most.

This really showed me that it is not always what you expect that will grab your attention when you’re out on safari.

Julius was a wonderful guide. Not only was he incredibly knowledgeable about the behavioral patterns and lives of large animals and predators, but he also taught us a huge amount about the rest of the ecosystem. He knew fantastic details about the copious types of interesting birds, such as huge black and white secretary birds, which we saw in the Ngorongoro Crater, often over 4ft tall and captivating as they strode around. Or marabou storks with their massive, gnarly beaks, looking very prehistoric.

Waking up at 5 in the morning is not unusual on safari. That initial jolt feels a little unpleasant (especially if you are like me, as the rest of my family are early birds!). It can be chilly in the mornings, and I often found myself wanting nothing more than to turn over and doze off again. Once you manage to drag yourself out of that warm and comfy bed, you’ll realise that setting off on an adventure is always worth the morning alarm.

This particular alarm, however, was for something especially exciting. The air was cold as we were taken from our tent in the pitch black to meet our driver. Everyone laughed at me in the vehicle as I kept my four layers and woolly hat on! I dozed off for a bit and woke up just in time to see hippos grazing right next to the road, and not long after, a lone hyena on the prowl.

Then, we were there: the launch site for the hot-air balloons.

I was nervous, to be honest, as I’m not that keen on heights, but watching the balloons inflate dramatically made me eager to get going. It felt so strange as we got into the basket that lay on its side, ready for launch. Before we knew it, the balloon had been pulled up, and we were rising in the sky.

It was unnerving how quickly we rose in the balloon, but once we got to a good height and I got used to it, I felt very grateful for how stable the movements felt. There’s not a lot to hear up there – when the gas is on it roars ferociously, and then in a blink it is turned off and the world goes so silent and peaceful. There wasn’t much conversation between everyone at the time, with so much to take in and absorb everyone seemed to be in their own little world.

From above, we followed the river’s course with the green vegetation lining the riverbed. The sun rose behind us as we glided over stalking lions, hippos jostling for space in the water and towers of giraffes. The landscape was so vast and the views from the basket were astounding.

The landing was slow and relatively smooth, as we bumped a little and came to a neat hold. Back to reality.

If there is one thing I’d relive again from this trip it would be the hot air balloon as it’s probably something I’ll never get to experience again. It was a truly beautiful experience.

Back on firm ground, everyone on our balloon chatted together as we drank champagne; the corks were popped right at our landing site. We were with a group of Dutch tourists on our balloon, joining them for a lavish breakfast, set out in the middle of the Serengeti. The chefs cooked then and there, fruit, bread and orange juice, as well as that delicious French toast all served on the long table.

It was a nice social event after the balloon. When we were finished, everything was packed up and our spot of utopia under the acacia tree was left pristine.

It was really dusty on safari. When we’d come back to a hotel for the evening, we would be given a warm towel to wipe our faces, which quickly turned orange! I did feel dirty after a day in the vehicle, but fortunately a nice long, warm shower was always waiting for me when we got back. 

We usually had time to chill out in our rooms before dinner, which we ate with Julius. My favourite pick for dinner was always some sort of curry and plantain became a new favorite of mine. After dinner we would often have a couple of rounds of drinks, play some cards, and chat a lot about the day. I didn’t get bored at all, except during the endless waits at airports!

It was lovely to have a few days on the beach in Zanzibar to end our trip. We flew to Stone Town on the smallest plane I’ve ever been on, only 40 seats and propellers on the wings. It added to the excitement, being on such a little plane, and I just sat and gazed out the window.

It was fun to explore Stone Town’s windy streets, although there was lots of potential for getting lost! The next morning after we flew, we had a tour guide who gave us a better understanding of how to navigate the long, narrow streets. It was somewhat dirty, but it felt very real, especially when visiting the local markets in the old town.

The one thing I didn’t like was looking up at the trees on the seafront and seeing vast webs with huge spiders sitting ominously in them!

I did feel very sad saying goodbye to Julius at the airport. He has been with us for 10 days and we had spent so much time with him, sharing so many brilliant experiences. When we got to the airport he waited until we were safely through passport control and waved until we were out of sight. It made me feel like we were truly looked after throughout the duration of the trip.

Landing back in the UK, I relived the trip in my head, watching all the wonderful moments play out in my mind. Despite being exhausted from the long travel day, including two flights with a long layover in between, I thought if someone offered me a flight straight back, I would have taken it in a heartbeat and relived the whole experience again.

If you feel a safari would be right for you, do get in touch, and our team of Africa specialists will take the time to understand what your family loves most and tailor your ideal holiday. We arrange every detail and take care of you throughout the trip.

Call the Stubborn Mule Travel team on 01728 752751 or send us a message via our online enquiry form to start planning.