Crossing the border at Namanga into Tanzania was easy, after a quick Ebola screening and picking up our visas and a new safari guide. We hit up about 5 areas in Tanzania: Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park (sleeping under the stars in the rustic Kati Kati Tented Camp in the wilds of the Serengeti, the “endless plains”), Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, and the capital city of Arusha.

Time seemed to stand still while on safari; our brains slowed down and allowed us to notice things in the world around us that our eyes wouldn‘t ordinarily pick up in our busy lives. We thoroughly enjoyed all the game drives, seeing nature in all its glory. We saw all of the amazing African animals as in Kenya, adding the elusive and elegant leopard to the roster. Our glee and excitement from seeing majestic animals for the first time changed to eagle-eyed spotting and methodical observance of their behaviors—and awe-inspiring serendipity in stumbling upon incredible events, like a 19-lion feeding frenzy on a poor little zebra. Nature has a way of making you feel so small and fragile, yet a part of something so big and so magical.

Driving between the parks allowed us to see rural life for people in Tanzania. Tourism has clearly changed the way the Masai people live, with their “foreign“ ways being a new source of income from tourists. We chose not to partake in those fabricated interactions, but thoroughly enjoyed the locals we did interact with, finding the Tanzanians to be passionate about their natural resources and even more so about sharing them responsibly with others. We are so grateful to have experienced it.

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