Diary of a Safari - Day 1. Excellent Beginnings.

A clear equatorial moon shines a path from the restaurant to our suite at the Tarangire Sopa Lodge when a guard steps out of the shadows and announces that he will escort us. “There are lights...” we protest so he swings his torch to show that we are surrounded by wild zebra, water buck, dik-dik, monkeys and rock hyrax. “The animals come for the green grass and then the lions come for dinner,” he explains. We know there are lions here. We earlier saw this one hunting a herd of zebra so we eagerly accept his offer...

The grounds of Sopa Lodge can be pretty wild – even dangerous to some – but there's nothing rustic about the interior or the service...

We may be in the wilderness of East Africa where life hangs on a thread for multitudes of wild creatures, but for us there is nothing but haute cuisine, soft beds and swimming pools...

Our first day is ending and we have seen more wild animals than we dared hope to see during the entire nine day safari. However, the day did not start well. Torrential rain followed us from Arusha to the gates of Tarangire National Park. The rain eased as we ate a picnic lunch and a cheeky vervet monkey hid in the bushes and prepared to snatch a bite for himself...

Charles, our driver and guide, was quick to shoo him away so he leaped on another table and made off with an apple. This is Charles...

Yes – those are zebra in the background. Zebras are everywhere here. We have seen many hundreds. This is a zebra crossing...

Much is made of the worldwide depletion of wildlife due to climate change and poaching, but since Tarangire National Park was founded in 1970, and the poachers deterred, animal life has thrived. Here are a few of today's catch to whet your appetite, (not that any of these creatures are for eating)...


And now to sleep peacefully after our first amazing day – thankful that the lioness did not catch the zebra as we watched, but sad to think her cubs may have missed supper. C'est la vie!