Hi from Dar es Salaam!

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On my way to Zanzibar for a 4 day chill out on the beach having spent the last 10 days travelling to and through Masai Mara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater. Travelling with a really great bunch of people (20 of us in total) and have seen some amazing and unforgettable sights! The highlight was the Serengeti - first night travelling through to our camp we came across a fairly rare sight of 2 lions chilling out having just killed and half eaten a Zebra. It was a bit gruesome to see the empty shell of the top half of it's body and head. They were guarding what was left but were so relaxed (and full) they didn't show any interest in a family of Guinea fowl who marched by right in front of them!

The next morning we came across what we think was the remains of the same Zebra - abandoned by the lions and in a slightly different place now being devoured by hyenas and vultures. While we were watching what was a pretty grizzly eating frenzy an injured, extremely thin female lion (we think she had a broken front leg) came limping out of the scrub from behind us heading for the Zebra. The hyenas and vultures quickly scattered when she got close to it. She was clearly desperately hungry and wanted to move the carcass to a slightly less open space so that she could eat the remains. After a bit of a struggle she managed to move it about 10 feet into some shorter grass. She was totally oblivious to us.Our driver told us that her pride would have abandoned her once she became injured and her only chance of survival would be for her to take the pickings from other kills like this one. She would need to eat at least 15kg a day and it was really sad to think she might not make it.

We were also really lucky to see not one, but two sets of lions mating - again, totally oblivious to anything around them!

I have now become a big fan of the Wildebeest having seen them up close and personal. They are known for being pretty stupid and tend to hang out with Zebras as they can't see very well and rely on the Zebras sight and sense of smell to alert them to any danger. They migrate this time of year in huge numbers to the Masai Mara (after the rains) and we saw them gathering together ready for the move. They move in one long line changing directions several times before deciding on the route they want to take - it looks like total chaos!

It's been an incredible but extremely tiring 10 days. ·All of it camping and I'm now an expert on and very quick at erecting and dismantling a tent. I'm now really looking forward to a few days in a proper bed, laying on the beach for a couple of days and taking a leisurely look around Zanzibar which looks a really exciting place.

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