Day 23, 27 July 2012, Karatu to Serengeti N.P. via Ngorongoro Conservation Area ("NCA") - Africa is amazing. Africa is frustrating. Africa can be and often is amazingly frustrating. In a state of high excitement we left Kudu Lodge with our driver in our very own game truck and headed to the gate of the NCA. There is a fee for entering, quite rightly. There are at any time 50 or more drivers semi-queueing in a small room trying to pay the fee. And that's wher...

Day 22, 26 July 2012, Lushoto to Karatu, via Arusha - We are nestled in the lap of luxury at Kudu Lodge in Karatu - the town closest to the game parks of Northern Tanzania. Today's photo is of "the big elephant" which spouts water into the swimming pool. It's probably a "you had to be there" thing - but the list of thou shalt nots at the swimming pool entrance was so long, they almost needed two boards to display it. Our room, or shall I say suite, was the best...

Day 21, 25 July 2012, Zanzibar to Lushoto, the main centre of the Usambara Mountains - half way between the coast and the parks - In the immortal words of John Denver - "Some days are diamonds, some days are stone..." Well today was one whole truckload of stones. We left Stone Town at 6.30 to catch the 7 am ferry back to Dar es Salaam. That's the point we should have gone back to bed. The disastrous illness on the dive boat was caused in great part by our ot...

Day 20, 24 July 2012, Nungwi Beach to Stone Town - The luxury of staying 2 nights in one place can never be underestimated. Not to mention a spot of wee-fee (as it is known around here - wi-fi everywhere else). Back on the minibus at 10 am for the hour and a half south to Stone Town. It proved to be a huge day. We left the Shangani Hotel (just down the road from Freddie Mercury's house don't you know) and took a sharp right down Gizenga Street and were immedi...

Day 19, 23 July 2012, Diving from Nunghwi Beach, Zanzibar - The day dawned with a strong onshore breeze - Hardie diving weather indeed. The trip out in the boat was very rough and the first dive was average at best - lots of surge due to the roughness, bad visibility - fish, coral yada yada yada.... Saw a couple of turtles - very cute. Boat was jumping around and eventually prior to the second dive nature took its course and I was violently ill. Now scuba divi...