Deciding to stay at Arusha Backpackers was an easy choice. I had heard good reviews and knew some people who had stayed there from the safari. I decided that I would stay there for a night or two, preferably two, to relax after the safari and prepare for the next leg of the journey to Mwanza, 10hours west of Arusha by Lake Victoria. When I arrived they were very welcoming and my dorm room was very clean and the beds were also very clean and comfortable. The dorm was only 4 bed which was great and was $8 including breakfast and free wifi, which occasionally worked but was better than Haria Hotel in Moshi for sure. It was by chance that while at the rooftop bar/restaurant that evening, that I bumped into two Canadian guys, John and Dave, who were alps on the safari the same time as us and who we had seen at most of the stops along the way.

We spent the evening chatting and drinking Kilimanjaro beers one after another. The evening proved to be great and I was super glad that they were here. We had such a laugh that evening and planned to wake up for breakfast and explore Arusha the next day. The next morning with heavy heads, we presented for breakfast which was actually all eaten by people who had just left, so it proved to be a waste of time getting up early. Nevertheless we got our stuff together and headed out to book our bus tickets.

After we successfully found the Kilimanjaro express office and got the guys tickets sorted, we happened to come across the central station where buses to mwanza leave from where I got my ticket for the next morning. After that, we made the mistake of asking local on the street where we could find an Indian restaurant to which he guided us to without us asking (which always happens) and then after we ate he approached us again and became verbally aggressive when we wouldn't tip him.

We are in Big Bites restaurant which was one of the best places I've ever eaten purely because of the vibe there, the workers welcoming kindness and of course the food was totally made with love. We admired the shirt shaped napkins on the tables, all the funny memes around the place and noticed it had been recommended on trip advisor and rough guides too. The manager there Rahul, who returned from London to help his mother fun the place explained how this is the only place doing home delivery and that he plans to eventually have drone delivery to even reach the top of Kilimanjaro. He explained all the details about the goal and that the restaurant is all about personal experiences and being very unique in the way they run things. It was really refreshing to see someone care a lot about a business like this and I was sure I would write a review on my blog about it which in return, Rahul would display my WorldTravellerz business card.

We all couldn't believe that this place existed and was so hidden that if we didn't meet the guy on the street we would probably have walked right by it. We ordered three differ met curries with naan, rice and drinks and the price was reasonable and worth every shilling. After we ate, Rahul gave us a small gift each which he said he gives to all the customers which was a lovely touch. Afterwards we ignored the verbally abusive tout on the street following us and headed first to a beautiful sunny garden ('mistaking it for the museum we were looking for) and then finally to the Natural History Museum. The museum was such a highlight and with an entrance of 8000tsh/$4 it was worth it. The multiple buildings were full of information of evolution, ecology, geology and even had stuffed animals showcased. There was an art studio at the back where local artists painted and sold their paintings.

We strolled through this side of town which was very cool and collected and seemed to be the high end part of town with expensive western cafés and boutique hotels. We stopped in the recommended 'Africafe' where we had a relatively expensive smoothy which was really delicious and then headed back to our hostel to chill out. We had some food later on the rooftop and chilled out before hitting the sack early to prepare for our 5am start. It was a real pleasure to have had the guys here to hang out with and it was a pity we were going in different directions, but I was sure they'd have as great of a time in Zanzibar as I had.

Thank you Arusha for letting me experience it all.

Asante Sana

This morning we woke up at 5:30am and aimed to be ready for 6am to have some tea and biscuits (yes, I know random eh). Today was our second day in the Serengeti and we were due to have a half day game drive before lunch. We took the roof down and drove back into the park where we spent a good few hours driving around and spotting some incredible animals including more giraffes, zebras, a pride of lions hunting tonnes of wildebeest, a family of baboons, a family of leopards hiding up on some boulders, hippos chilling in the water hyaena and buffalo. It would probably be easier to name what we didn't see, because we spotted so many amazing animals at every turn. It also turns out that we have seen 4/5 of the Big 5- which are the rare animals to spot on African safaris including the lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, elephant so all we need to spot is the rhino next which apparently we will spot in Ngorogoro tomorrow.

Driving around the Serengeti today really was an unbelievable experience and it proved to me that adding the extra park to the itinerary was so worth it. Later on, on the drive back to camp I even realised that this was one of the most remarkable experiences I've ever had in my travelling life so far. I found myself sometimes comparing the ever changing landscapes to different parts of the world id been to before but at the end of the day, Africa was Africa and there really is no comparison. The Serengeti proved magical as we drove through areas of oasis, and then savannah and then back out into green hillsides. We were constantly snapping our cameras out of the driving car in a 'blink or you'll miss it' kind of way because literally, you would. It was some of the most diverse landscapes I've ever seen in my life and I felt like I was truly in the heart of Africa.

When we drove back to camp, we had a lovely vegetarian quiche, chips and salad along with some meat for the carnivores here, which was super delicious. Our young cook Godfrey was very efficient and such a nice guy who looked after us very well at each meal and especially catering my vegetarian meals. After lunch we get back in the car headed to out the entrance gate and after a bit of a delay with paperwork, we finally departed and started our journey through the rolling green hills and Masai villages. The view from the Serengeti national park back into Ngorogoro Conservation area provided a vast landscape and a sweet variety of scenes to suit every taste, but I'm pretty sure it would all be likeable to most people.

When we finally arrived at the Simba camp site, we set up our tents near the huge beautiful tree. After a shower, I grabbed my yoga mat and headed to a quiet grassy area overlooking the hills with a the sun setting right behind me. I practiced pranayama, asana and meditation over an hour and a half which was probably one f the best self practices I ever had. I felt truly happy afterwards and thanked my lucky stars for the gift of the view this evening. As the sun set, I headed back and had some dinner before heading to bed to prepare for a newly start to the Ngorogoro crater the next morning. In the beginning got was hard to see how the first day could be beaten, and then the second day and then the third day, but it somehow just happened. Each day we experienced a totally different environment with familiar and new wild animals around us. It was one if the best experiences I've ever had, and we still had one more day to go. My my my, Africa you know how to impress.

http://www.mjsafarisandadventure.com

It was 6:30am when I awoke with the sun at Tiga Safari Lodge. I decided to take my yoga mat outside of my tent and do some self practice in this beautiful quiet surrounding before the rest of the world woke up. An hour passed by and before I knew it, it was time for breakfast. Breakfast was served just after 8:30 when we were all ready. We had some lovely fresh fruit, chapati, eggs and toast while we waited for the others from our new group to arrive to join us. Not long after, the others arrived, the others being Philip from Australia and Lieve from Belgium who would replace the other guys who were off on a different itinerary. We said our goodbyes, packed up our stuff into the car, acquired our 7th member Godfried the cook and headed off towards the Serengeti national park through the Ngorogoro Crater Conservation Area (which we would eventually stop in on our last day coming back to Arusha).

The drive through the Ngorogoro Crater Conservation area was unbelievable and it marked the beginning of a day that we all agreed seemed almost movie like, too good to be true, if you will. We stopped along the way to spot some wild game such as zebras, giraffes, gazelles etc and admire the ever changing landscape of this unique place. We even got a chance to get a sneaky peek at the Ngorogoro crater itself which we would drive down into on our last day.

We continued driving until we got to the Serengeti National Park where we would spend the next few hours after lunch doing a game drive. After lunch we took a walk up to a lookout point over the Serengeti plains which sprawled out in the distance displaying a wide array of colours and shades of nature. It spoiled us at first sight. We hopped in our jeep once again and our driver Kent drove us further into the National Park. We popped the roof off and stood up on our seats, cameras in hand, to spot any wildlife around. The landscape was a true African savannah, the kind you picture Africa to look like but somehow think it couldn't exist like this in real life. The scene changed every mile we drove and we saw tonnes of different animals including zebras, elephants, lions & lion cubs, a family of sleeping cheetahs, herds of elephants at the river, gazelles, ostrich, wildebeest, warthog, giraffes and many more types of bird etc. we were spoiled for choice and I couldn't help but thank my lucky stars for being provided with this experience with nature the way it should be. We all had an amazing day and even the trickles of rain, crazy winds and sounds of thunder made it what it was. Later on we headed to our camp site where we set up our tents, showered and waited for dinner to be served. We chatted in the common area at the table provided for us and enjoyed a really great meal of zucchini soup and spaghetti bolognaise (veggie for me). It was delicious. It wasn't long before we took ourselves and our full bellies to bed for an early night to prepare for a very early start the next day at 6am for a round 2 of this incredible place on earth and we kept in mind that at any point during the night we could be faced with lions or any wild animals so best stay in our tents.

David Attenborough eat your heart out.

Thank you MJ Safaris!

http://www.mjsafarisandadventure.com

It was 6:30am on the dot when our driver/guide Kent showed up at or hotel just as planned. He was a very likeable guy and made us feel comfortable straight away. We set off , as soon as we had the Land Rover packed up with our stuff and I had brought my large backpack too as they had said they could drop me to Arusha on the way back, which was very convenient for me. We stopped off in Arusha along the way to have some breakfast and pick up two other safari goers- one man from Japan and one guy from the USA. We all had a chat and got to know each other on the trip before each slowly fell head first back into a car nap.

When we finally got to our first stop Tarangire National Park, we stopped briefly to check in and use the washrooms before we headed on into the park itself. We spent a few hours driving at our own pace around the park and stopping for good amounts of time to watch the zebras, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, baboons and impala. The amount of animals we were constantly surrounded by was surreal and especially when we got to the river and saw the groups of elephants including tiny babies digging for water (they drink 100L a day, imagine). We had the top of the jeep down as we drove around the park and the sun beamed on us as we in turn beamed with excitement of what we were experiencing. In between the drive, we stopped at a picnic area where we ate our packed lunch boxes provided to us, looking out over the beautiful view of the landscape in the distance. From here we had caught the first glimpse of the elephants down by the river.

We had some super close encounters with the animals especially the elephants and the baboons- one of the elephants walked so close to us that we slightly panicked and Kent started the car immediately, but it was totally fine, I guess the elephant was playing our edges. We watched the baboons in the trees playing around and looked in awe as the giraffes gracefully strolled through the dry African grasslands.

The day was full of adventure and a lot of surrealism which was incredible for us all and even included a bit of Karma yoga as we stopped to help some locals reload a truck that had accidentally unloaded their timber all over the road. There we were amongst a dozen other safari goers teaming up to transport this wood in the blistering heat. It was something epic!

The day ended at the Twiga Safari lodge where our tents were set up for us and we had a pool to take advantage of. We all freshened up and had a beautifully cooked dinner later on before we headed off to our respective tents for a good nights sleep after a day of adventure. The only bad thing about the day and night were the Mosquitos but that's life. Tomorrow would be our first sights of the Serengeti- the chance of a lifetime for a lot of people including me.

http://www.mjsafarisandadventure.com

It was the day after I arrived in Moshi that Melissa, Dario and I decided to wander through the streets on search of tour companies and in turn, a good budget safari for us to join. Africa is renowned for being very expensive for travellers and it is only getting higher and higher, with an average Kilimanjaro climb of 6/7 days to cost a minimum of $1000- and that would be a good deal.

My initial reason for coming to Tanzania was to climb the infamous mountain that is 'Kili' but upon researching (I do things backwards sometimes) I realised I definitely couldn't afford it. It was a let down but at the same time there are tonnes more mountains to climb in Africa and it's just because of the name that it is rising in cost. I did decide however to take part in a safari because even though that would also be expensive, it would be a bit more affordable for me and would provide amazing memories for me and a tick off the bucket list.

On that day, we took pens and papers and decided to go in search of a tour company with the best deal to offer. We decided that we would pitch the idea of getting the best deal and then blogging about our adventure to entice other 'worldtravellerz' to go with that company. We spent a long day in meetings with many companies around town offering us safaris in for 3/4 days at steep prices which was way over budget and that in turn, wouldn't appeal to the people I write for on this website.

We kept going and met a guy on the street who took us to his 'office' and provided us with a good deal which seemed too good to be true and slightly sketchy. After that, we found a company named MJ Safaris who were located in the YMCA hostel building and seemed very professional. We couldn't help but think, if we have to pay a bit more at least we can trust these guys and we had met a lady who had been on one of their safaris so that was a good start. It's typical in and around Tanzania to be scammed and ripped off at times and so it is important to go with your gut feeling if you think something is a bit off, even if the ofer seems appealing.

The guys at MJ Safaris were not pushy at all, but instead, had a very chilled out vibe while at the same time being very professional and informative. We felt comfortable with them and we built a great rapport during our meeting. Later that evening we decided as a group that we would go back to MJ Safaris the next day to get some more information and finally book the safari once we were happy with the budget price. They were very easy to work with and they provided us with answers to all our questions and detailed itinerary of the safari in question. It was sorted, we booked a 3 night 4 day safari that would take us to Tangarire National Park, Ngorogoro National Park and finally the Serengeti National Park (which is always the most expensive park, but worth it). We were excited to finally get going and the fact that our budget safari included everything for the next few days meant we could sit back, relax and look forward to the adventure. MJ Safaris are highly recommended and the safari we will be going on, will be documented day by day for all of you to get a good insight into the service provided.

Contact info for booking your safari-

http://www.mjsafarisandadventure.com

https://m.facebook.com/mjsafaris

Zanzibar lived up to it's reputation for me. I did get pristine beaches, I did meet other travellers and I did find myself enjoying the bliss of doing nothing here. Arriving here was still chaotic, the customs searched us, but luckily chose not to open and root through my jam packed backpack. They let us through and everybody went their separate ways. I asked about a taxi which I was told would cost $50 for the hour drive to Paje. There was no way I would pay this so I asked if there was local buses which I imagined would be a nightmare to take but still cheaper. After some haggling the guy agreed to take me for $20 which at this point I was willing to pay because if was so hot and I couldn't bring myself to spend time trying to find buses.

The drive to Paje was through the beautiful forests and my driver drove so fast that I thought we were gonna take off. We stopped along the way and he bought me a coconut which was very nice of him and tasted incredible. When we got to Paje I had a sense of déjà vu when the driver nor the locals could find this 'beach bungalow'. After driving around it turned out that this place was unknown to the locals and so I decided to look at a different place that the taxi driver knew. Luckily I did because I got my own room steps from the white sandy beach including breakfast (delicious) and free wifi (even if it was stolen from next door) for $75 for the whole week! I was delighted.

Everything seemed much calmer here and I loved Island life so far. My plan was to chill out, eat good food, swim, do yoga and get a tan. No water sports or tours for me, this was a week of pure relaxation. On my first day I met Bruce the owner of the kite centre nearby who later on introduced me to Dave another business owner nearby and some girls who were staying with him. I ended up having such a great time with them going to 'The Rock' restaurant one day, doing sunrise yoga sessions another day and meeting in stone town on their last day. Mel and Sandra where so helpful with advice and tips on travelling Africa and I finally felt a sense of relief that I'm not the only one doing this. I met other travellers through them, who were all lovely and we had such a great time hanging out! I spent my days lying on the beach, walking the stretches of coastline, eating fresh seafood, doing yoga, chilling out, reading and chatting to locals- exactly what I came here for. I spent one full day in stonetown- the main town of Zanzibar and hour away, where I spent the whole day in different peoples company being shown around and not asking anything in return. It was refreshing but I knew to still keep my guard up, it is Africa after all and notorious for things happening.

From meeting other travellers, I finally had a vague travel plan and I decided that I would head up north to Moshi next to see Mt Kilimanjaro (can't afford to climb it), Serengeti national park etc and travel down through the countries of Southern Africa to finally reach Capetown to fly home. Life is great right now and I'm hoping that it goes smoothly for the rest of the trip. I would totally recommend Zanzibarto anyone who likes tropical paradise relaxation.!

Arriving in Tanzania was something I had in the back of my mind. I knew I was going there but my mind was still in India and then I was distracted by Middle Eastern culture in Qatar on the way here, that my arrival was a tad overwhelming. I arrived to a hot, chaotic airport where I quickly got through immigration and paid my $50 visa on arrival, before heading outside to find a taxi. There was free wifi so I sat down to send a message of safety to friends and family before looking for a lift to the city. I was approached by a few taxi drivers asking why I'm travelling alone, did I know that it's cheaper to travel with others (no shit), what do I plan to do in Tanzania and why didn't I go straight to Zanzibar etc. All these questions added to the sense of being overwhelmed and I couldn't answer the questions because I didn't know myself. And why should I? I have every right to travel by myself and have no plan and Africa is just like anywhere else on the planet so here I am. I was given weird looks of confusion, so I just pretended I had friends in Dar who I was meeting, to shut them up. I urged then to give me 10 mins of time to send a message back home, because It seemed I was being hurried along.

The taxi took me towards the area of my 'hotel' but when we got there, the dusty, sand roads had no street names and looked very remote, so we couldn't find my hotel. The driver asked locals who had no idea and I got a sense of worry as there seemed to be no sign and even if there was, did I wanna stay all the way out here. Eventually after a phone call to 'Mama Siwa' the taxi driver had directions and dropped me outside. The 'hotel' had no name but had huge gates which seemed secure and the ladies seemed nice.

I spent two nights here. After I arrived I slept and then took a taxi to a money exchange to get Tanzanian Shillings. The drive 'downtown' frightened me and I could see no other travellers around. The driver took me back to my hotel and I went for a walk to look for some food but with nothing meatless around, I ended up in bed with a packet of biscuits and crisps, starving. The next day had to be better!

The next day I woke early to plan a day expiring Dar. I decided to throw myself into it and walk from where I was based, into the city. I got a lot of stares and comments along the way and I was greeted with 'Jambo' (Hello) a million times there and back. I spent the day walking around in the sheer heat, eating breakfast in a normal but expensive restaurant before finding a tourist hub cafe where travellers sat and drank coffee while using the wifi. I stayed there for a bit to get some info online and calm down with a cold drink. I realised I was close to the national museum so I decided to go there for an hour or two. Luckily I did, because it was one of the most interesting places I've been. It deceives human evolution in detail, African culture, slavery amongst other aspects of life. I spent a while in there before going back to the traveller hub for lunch.

I had booked my ferry ticket (through a man who charged more and ripped me off, when I should have known and just gone into the ferry office itself) and was due to leave the next morning to the Island of Zanzibar. I was so excited. I imagined pristine beaches, other travellers, cafés and restaurants and so sense of normality for a week. I booked a room at 'beach bungalow' in Paje on the eastern beaches and I couldn't wait to get there. This would give me a week to settle in and be away from the crazy of Dar city.