The camp 3 trail while steep in the beginning as it winds up the mountainside deeper into the rain forest eventually levels off at about 1800 meters. It´s there that you have your most enjoyable time crossing over a number of streams and small rivers. The stillness of a jungle pool shrouded in mist and surrounded by green ferns and other flora is beautiful to say the least.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park in central Tanzania was the last major stop on my two-month journey. Rising up from the surrounding plains it is one of a special group of natural areas worldwide that is especially recognized by UNESCO for its biodiversity. There are many endemic species unique to this place among which is the red colobos monkey.

A sunrise view from the window of my little hotel room. It was called the Sunrise Hotel so this is quite appropriate living up to its name. This is on my last day in Jambiani. Swimming and sunbathing by day, a delicious meal at night. A candlelit supper on the terrace of the Garden Restaurant looking up into the heavens dotted by a million stars and feeling a warm breeze off the Indian Ocean. Simply perfect.

The next day we used one of the boats to go out to the reef for a bit of snorkelling. Here our dhow captain is pulling us across the shallows. The water as you can see is crystal clear and at low tide the fish are restricted in their movements to the deeper areas. It´s a brilliant underwater world with the variety of corals and numerous fish. Clownfish, scorpion fish, angel fish-- I could go on and on. Everything´s hotter under the water take it from me. Under the sea.

The first day there I walked for miles along the beach soaking up the sun and looking for shells. I found a few good ones that became some of the souvenirs that I brought back with me. Whenever it got too hot I could take refuge in the shade of the trees higher up on the beach. You can see a row of the local boats anchored just off shore.

A trip across the island to the eastern side and the beachtown of Jambiani. The most relaxing part of the holiday just sitting beneath coconut palms on the chalk white beach listening to the waves crash on the beach while reading a fine book. Talk about lazy summer days!

A must see in Stonetown is the main market. Colorful piles of vegetables and fruit, loads of spices, a butcher´s hall, and a seafood auction make it the center of the action. It´s a great place to people watch and soak up some culture. Another thing you can´t miss is the blaring loud speakers situated in the turrets of the 5 mosques, which issue the call to prayer at 5 in the morning. About 70 percent of the population on Zanzibar is Muslim.

Every night in the little park between the beach and the harbor the local fishermen host this sort of seafood gala. They spread the days catch on the table in front of them and as you walk by you can look at what they´re offering and if anything looks scrumptious they´ll cook it up right there on their charcoal grill. While you wait you can order a freshly squeezed glass of sugar cane juice with a hint of lemon. I had some spiced lobster and shark meat with cole slaw and fries. Not bad.

Boys playing football on the beach, people cooling down by wading in the gentle surf, and the uploading of cars into the ferry are some of the activities you see as the sun dips towards the western horizon. It´s interesting to just sit and watch the evening as it unfolds and if it happens, to snap a few photos of things that strike you.

The sunsets viewed from the beach in Stonetown are amazing and must happen on an almost daily basis. The three days I was there each one was better than the last. I went scuba diving on the reef near the island you can see in the distance on the left. 18 meters of water overhead was for me as a novice a very uncomfortable feeling especially after only an hour´s practice in the pool. The underwater life was outstanding and I even saw a big octopus, but I´m not sure I´ll be strapping on the oxygen tanks in the future.

Much of what you see in Stonetown is but a shadow of the faded glory of the past when the slave and spice trade was king. However, the city still has its charms and a vibrant atmosphere. To spend a day wandering the streets and small alley ways of the old part of Stonetown is, it seems, one way to transport yourself back in time. You never know what you might find in one of the many bazaars, crafts shops or antique shops. When the sun is beating down in the afternoon you can retreat to the cool of the sidestreets and enjoy a refreshing drink or some traditional meal in a café or restaurant. A mystery awaits, for you never know what you´ll find around the next corner. And don´t worry about getting lost, because you will. Everbody does. Just keep exploring and eventually you´ll emerge into the bright sunshine.

An early morning bus trip from Arusha got me to Dar es Salaam by 4p.m. where I caught the ferry to Stonetown, Zanzibar. This is not the ferry, but the typical sailing vessel of the region called the dhow. It is possible to make the trip using this kind of boat. You just have to find a captain who is willing to take you aboard and haggle over the price. However the trip would take the better part of the day given favourable winds, whereas the ferry powers to the island in about 2 hours. During the day, this is a common sight with the shimmering waters of the sea scattering the brilliant sunlight.

I was disappointed in having missed the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti, so this was a real treat for me. This line of gnus loped single file across the road in front of our jeep and they just kept coming. We were watching for a good five minutes but the animals were endless. Finally our driver took advantage of a small gap and we drove past out of the park and back to Arusha. Our safari had come to an end. :(

This group of mongooses was a flury of activity as they busily searched for grubs, insects or small reptiles to devour. They disturbed a sleeping monitor lizard and drew more than a few curious glances from the local waterfowl. They even startled a bull elephant as they dashed passed. They are little dynamos.

The blue-balled dominant male is one cheeky bastard trying to steal my lunch like he did. He wanted to intimidate me by hissing and baring his teeth, but I gave him the evil eye (No, NOT the red eye) and he scampered away. This big ape, yours truly, was the victor at the battle of the picnic table. With peace settling over the area once more the youngsters got down to some gentle grooming and the Mother Vervet had time to eat a bit of apple while nursing the next generation.

The river is the park´s lifeblood during the summer months. Most animals don´t stray too far from it´s edges or if they do they always travel back here to get a drink. If you´re lucky you can see the big cats hunting along its banks from time to time.

Zebras were the most common sight in Tarangire. Loads of them in small groups or larger herds sometimes mixed with gnus and the occassional elephant. As it was the height of the dry season many animals had already left the park searching for greener pastures elsewhere.

The last park on my safari was Tarangire, whose main feature is the mighty Baobab tree. With its massively thick trunk and root like branches it seems to be a tree growing upside down. According to our guide, it only has leaves two months out of the year. Elephants at times gouge the lower trunk stripping its bark and soft wood for food.

A look back on a somewhat hazy view of Ngorongoro crater from the road leading back to the rim. It´s steep and hard going, but the views are excellent and the tall trees that cover the slopes are superb. Hard to say goodbye.

Zebras crossing the pan, hippos grazing on the lakeshore vegetation, and wading flamingos sifting for sustenance in the lake waters. Ngorongoro, though small, has it all.

A laughing hyena? Well, maybe not that jolly, but definitely smiling. Far from the most beautiful animal on the Dark Continent, its long forelegs and shortened hindquarters make it look a little out of proportion. Its ratty fur doesn´t help in the looks department either. I suppose that doesn´t matter when you´re neck deep in a wildebeest. HEE-Hee-hee.

This, however, is a quite different story. Most of the wildebeest in the photo were lying down, resting peacefully before the appearance of the hyena. After seeing her they jumped to their feet and grunted nervously. Fight or flight. These animals chose the latter. Hyenas are some of the most efficient hunters in Africa despite their reputation as scavengers.

This game is too large for the lowly jackal to bring down. Perhaps the lions have left a few scraps with which to fill his belly. If not, there are always plenty of tiny rodents scurrying around. Cru-Cru-Crunchy!

Hey, What´s gnu? The crater plain teems with zebra and wildebeest. The annual wildebeest migration is still one of the biggest of its kind in nature, but some of these animals choose to become full-time residents. Surely, they have all that they need here.

Ah, the good life. A perfect image of what a lion couple should be, these two were part of the largest pride I saw in Africa. Three big powerful males and twice as many females (that we could count anyway). They were all taking a breather around this water hole.

The Ngorongoro crater is only 14 kilometers in diameter, but it is packed with wildlife. Lakes, marsh, pools, grassland and woodland---all can be found here making it an ideal habitat for a wide variety of animals. The clouds sweeping in over the crater rim look like some airborne avalanche or tsunami gone amok.

With the camp set on the Ngorongoro crater rim, I rose early hoping to see a beautiful sunrise and boy did I ever. Absolutely breathtaking. The red, the yellow, the orange, the pale blue, the wispy white and deep purple. A symphony of color. It brought to mind The Moody Blues song on the album Days of Future Passed. Sometimes it really pays to wake up early.

A most fitting end to our Serengeti experience. In the early afternoon on the road to Ngorongoro we came across these two lionesses on their way to one of the many rock islands (skopjes) in the parks. Perhaps that is where the rest of the pride awaits.

If we had continued to wait for the leopard in the morning, we might have missed this. Isn´t she a darling? A slight drizzle and a gusty wind made for a fairly chilly morning, so the Mama lion and two cubs were seeking a bit of added warmth from the sands on the dirt track. They were rolling around, showing their plump white-haired bellies as they tried to find a comfortable resting position. Purrrrrrr!

Seeing a leopard in a tree with its kill is truly amazing, but when you actually get to see one pass literally within feet of you it quickly sinks in that you´ve witnessed something very special. As we headed out in the dim light of dawn on our morning safari we noticed a Thompson´s gazelle that had been carried up and left in the uppermost branches of the dead tree you see in the photos. Unforunately, no sign of the leopard. We waited around for some time, but eventually decided to come back later hoping we´d have a chance to catch a glimpse of it . On the drive back to camp for a bite to eat we swung by to take a look. With the tree on the left we could see that there was no leopard and the Tommy was gone as well. Bummer! Suddenly our driver said, "Hey isn´t that him over there?" All heads turned in unison to the right and sure enough about 20 meters away in the grass was this leopard checking us out. Cautiously he crept towards the jeep, crossed the road in back of our vehicle and disappeared in the vegetation on the other side only to emerge again before leaping up the trunk of the old tree. Positioning himself on one of the highest limbs he proudly surveyed his domain. Wanting a different angle I suppose he jumped across to the high branches on the other side then dove back down the trunk and was gone. What a show! And, by the way he acted, what a showoff!

One of my favorite photos. A curious lion cub peers from the relative safety of the tall grass. Come here chitty-chitty. No need to worry. I don´t bite.

This big boy is definitely King of the Pond, but he was a tad cranky that day. The dry season had shrunk the hippos living space to only a large pool in the deeper part of a river bend. Needless to say it was a little crowded and-- Oh Lordy--the smell. Now and then some bubbles rose to the surface followed by large chunks of greenish turd. I suppose we can´t blame him for being upset. I would be too if my home had been turned into a cesspool.

Driving back to camp for lunch we noticed in the distance a gathering of jeeps along the track on the opposite side of the river so we decided to go and check it out before getting some grub. As we approached I thought to myself, "I hope it´s a leopard in a tree with its kill". To my great thrill it was! Perhaps the most rewarding single sighting on a safari is actually seeing a leopard because these solitary creatures are much more difficult to find than a pride of lions. Actually seeing one resting in the branches after hefting its meal into the tree to protect it from marauding predators is the proverbial cherry on top.