Our journey began in Arusha, at the newly opened Laba Laba Mama Simba – a beautiful property set within landscaped grounds where impala graze freely and, perhaps most unexpectedly, two orphaned giraffes roam the gardens.

On our first morning, we had the rare opportunity to hand bottle feed them their daily milk. Having this experience was a reminder that Tanzania can begin long before you reach the Serengeti.

The scale of the Ngorongoro Crater always impresses me. Standing on the rim and looking down into the caldera, the animals visible as small moving shapes on the crater floor far below and then descending down to see the abundant wildlife close up is an experience I believe all first time travellers to Tanzania should have.

Another highlight from our time at the Crater was an afternoon spent in a local Maasai village. We were welcomed warmly, invited to wear the vibrant traditional shukas, and taken to the village school, where the children performed a song for us. We then browsed handcrafted beaded jewellery and sat with community members who were generous with their time and their stories.

These are the experiences that shift how a traveller understands a destination. Tanzania is not only its wildlife. It is its people, and the way those encounters stay with you.

The classic image of a Tanzania safari is the game drive: open vehicle, vast plains, animals in golden light. But some of the most memorable moments from our journey happened after dark.

At Sayari Camp in the Northern Serengeti, we had finished dinner and were sitting around camp with drinks when we were quietly informed that two lions had just walked through camp.

Later that night, lying in bed, we heard the deep, resonant call of lions in the darkness. It’s a reminder, a very clear one, that you are a guest here. The animals do not pause their lives for us. We are simply fortunate enough, for a little while, to be close to theirs.

At Serengeti Bushtops, after an afternoon game drive on the plains, our guide took us to the top of a kopje (a rocky outcrop rising above the surrounding landscape), where a surprise private sundowner had been arranged. Drinks in hand, canapés, the sun dropping towards the horizon and the Serengeti stretching out in every direction below us creates a memory that is difficult to communicate until you have experienced it.

The dramatic moments are real and unforgettable – the cheetah on the roof, the lions in camp… But it’s the accumulation of everything else that makes people come back.

Forth & Wonder travels to Africa because the detail matters. The kind that only reveals itself in person – the researcher at Namiri Plains who shares his work over drinks after dinner, the kopje sundowner that feels completely unplanned even when it isn’t. These are the things that shape how we design each journey, and they are only knowable one way.

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If you’d like to learn more about safaris in Tanzania, one of our Travel Designers can help. Get in contact today.
e: curious@forthandwonder.com.au
p: +61 3 9045 9819