Too many favourite places inspired me to produce this series based on ABCs rather a singular, definitive place. T is a slam dunk: Tanzania. But if put to the sword, I would probably have to name the East African nation as my favourite amongst them all. There, I’ve said it.
Thanks to a Goway FAM a couple of years back, I had the great fortune to see the country on an Elewana SkySafari, a brilliant tour run by the Elewana Collection of lodges, camps and hotels, which links, via 11-seat Cessna transfer, four of its lodges in the East African country (there are Kenya itineraries too), each with its own unique attributes.
Moreover, the small plane excursion connects different areas of the country in only a few hours, saving precious time on long transfers, not to mention providing once-in-a-lifetime aerial views of the likes of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti Plain.
I could write for hours about the experience. But instead here is a short list of memorable experiences from the excursion (in no particular order):
• Hungry, hungry hippos munching and maneuvering for food and mates in a battery-draining live wildlife show, mere walking distance from camp.
• Watching lions huddle over a kill in the Serengeti
• Sitting transfixed in a safari vehicle in Tarangire park as elephants lumbered towards us, breaking course at the last moment to pass by
• A piping hot bath sprinkled with rose petals and chilled G&T post safari at the Dutch Cape-style Manor at Ngorongoro
• Kibbitzing with kids in a Masai village (my favourite ‘M’)
• Observing a hyena pack stealthily tracking a warthog from afar in the Ngorongoro Crater
• Sundowners in Tarangire, then climbing into a luxurious bed in an 800-year-old Baobob tree at the Treetops hotel
• Being welcomed by staff with a song at the Arusha Coffee Lodge
Alas, my visit didn’t even include Mt. Kilimanjaro or the Great Migration, two of Tanzania’s signature attractions (or, for that matter, lying on the beach in Zanzibar).
All of which is to say, been there, but definitely have not done that! And all the more reason, some day, to return.
Honourable mention: Thailand
Bucket list: Tibet, Timbuktu
Unlike the song, I have not been everywhere, so please don’t wonder why one of your favourites wasn’t one of mine. Instead, tell me at baginski@travelindustrytoday.com. I’m already thinking about my next list.
Stay tuned to future issues for the rest of the list. And for previous entries, click HERE.