I could write 1,000 words about each of these images. My husband and I journeyed to Arusha, Tanzania in July and it was such an amazing experience. We are so privileged and we are so grateful. Tanzania is so unlike any place we have traveled before. We spent most of our time with family, with my sister’s wedding, and going on safaris. The safaris… seeing animals in nature, interacting and living in harmony…it’s indescribable.  We saw basically every African animal imaginable; hippos, lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, gazelles, hyenas, wild boars (Pumbaa!!!); I could go on.  Everyone always asks me, “How was the trip?,” but it’s impossible to succinctly describe this sort of thing. I can’t wait to go back (my lil’ sis and brother-in-law live there now!) and experience even more. I’d love to see more of Arusha (our base city) and I really, really want to climb Mount Kilamanjaro! So many great adventures to come. Although it’s difficult to have family who lives so far away, it’s also awesome. We have family on three continents now.

Speaking of family, thanks must be paid to my new brother-in-law’s family who graciously hosted us for the duration of our trip.  We were basically waited on hand and foot and we couldn’t imagine a more hospitable family.  Lucky for us, our new family also owns a safari company (Simba Safaris) so they took us on many amazing trips near Arusha.    Thank you just isn’t enough!

PS- Did you know “simba” means “lion” in Swahili?

On the left:  We went on a walking safari; one of the only ones available in the entire country.
Our guide carried a rifle and in case you are wondering, yes, he has had to use it.
The walking safari initially seemed like an excellent idea, and it’s quite exhilarating (ie frightening).
Buffalo are especially scary and aggressive.

On the right: Hippos!

On the right:  This is a random giraffe we spotted on the side of a highway.  Just an ordinary day in Arusha.

I was literally 2 feet from this lioness.

I had never heard of this animal before our trip to Tanzania, but it’s a Dik Dik.
Do yourself a favor and click this link to enjoy endless images of this incredibly adorable, small-dog-sized-mini-deer.

Random photography note, but all of these images (except for a handful of Holga or Golden Half images) were shot with a 24, 50 or 100mm lens. (The majority on a 50.) I didn’t bring my huge 70-200 telephoto lens with on this trip. I had wanted to travel as light as possible, but I regretted this decision immediately. But, this fact also illustrates how close we were to the animals in nature. I also have a new appreciation for wildlife photography. It is extremely difficult!