Flying south from Dar-es-salaam, we arrive at Africa’s largest game park, the Selous Game Reserve. This is Africa’s wildest. Elephants are numerous. Large predators stalk the banks of the Rufiji River and nights are punctuated with the roar of hunting lions. Crocodiles and hippos’ eye us lazily as our boat glides upstream. The trees are alive with birds, while the river provides endless fish for the huge goliath heron and Pel’s fishing owl.

The Ruaha National Park is vigilantly guarded by giant baobab forests. The park is a transition zone where southern species of flora meet with and overlap those of the east. Sitting quietly at the river, you can see elephant; hippos, kudu and other antelope, as well as lion, come to drink or to bathe. This is the southernmost protected area where you can find lesser kudu, striped hyena and Grant’s gazelle. Birds call out from every tree. Both von der Decken’s and red-billed hornbills have made a home here.

The famous Tanzam highway that connects Dar-es-Salaam with neighbouring Zambia takes us to the world-famous Mikumi National Park. Cradled in a horseshoe of mountains, Mikumi is home to a staggering variety of animals, while beautiful Miombo woodland and towering baobab trees dominate the flora. The rich golden light in the early mornings and late afternoons makes this a prized spot for wildlife photographers from around the world to capture lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant, eland and hartebeest as they roam the savannah. A day trip to the Udzungwa Mountains brings sightings of Colobus monkeys, the recently discovered sanje crested mangabeys and a host of rare and endemic plants and animals.

A short flight to Zanzibar, an exotic spice island bustling with a melting pot of African, Arabic and European cultures. At its heart, Stone Town; nestled amongst winding, whitewashed lanes. The spicy, clove-scented air is thick with the cries of traders: exquisite antiques and beautiful handicrafts line the streets.

At night, the narrow lanes are filled with music and laughter, and you’re living an Arabian night’s adventure. These are the sounds you will carry with you on your return flight home. These are the sounds that will haunt your dreams.