Epic Air Safari: Zanzibar to Campi ya Kanzi

4th June

Today we fly from Tanzania to Kenya, the last 261 miles out of 6,800 over 34 days.  We take a boat to Matemwe Beach and then drive to the airport.  Time to fly home.  It feels a bit strange… these 34 days have really flown by.  The flight from Zanzibar to Mombasa is lovely, but even  more scenic is the one from Mombasa to Campi ya Kanzi.  Tsavo is unusually green thanks to unexpected late rains.  The waterholes are full, and we see some elephants bathing in them.  The Green Hills of Africa are home, and today they emerald green.

We land to find Stefano and Samson welcoming us home.  Jacopo, with his broken arm, and Lorenzo are with our Maasai team, all lined up to greet us outside Tembo House.  It is nice to be home but also a bit bitter, as it means we will soon say goodbye to our friends who have been on safari with us.

The short game drive to Olkiri gives all of us a sense of peace and tranquility.  The vast green plains, the glimpse of Kilimanjaro, and the zebras, impalas, and hartebeest all welcome us home.  Barbara makes the night even more special when she plays the Out of Africa theme on her violin before dinner at Tembo House.

 5th June

Today is the last day of our air safari.  Some of us go for a walk, while others opt for a restful morning watching impalas, hartebeest, baboons, and warthogs at the waterhole.

My highlight of the day?  When I ask our guests to name three highlights of the air safari at lunch and Pierre, always very sharp with his honest and raw comments, says “Campi ya Kanzi, Campi ya Kanzi, Campi ya Kanzi.”  It is a nice feeling to know that our friends feel as much at home as we do and that they leave with the desire to come back soon, feeling that this 34-day safari was too short!  All went smoothly, and everything worked out as planned.

It is with a bit of sadness that we have dinner outside the Tembo House, watching the moon rise over the cloud forest.  Tomorrow will be farewell time.  We have a lot of memories to treasure from a fantastic month spent together discovering the beauty of Africa.  We toss to the next air adventure.

Thank you for reading my diary over the last month.  I hope I have transmitted some of the amazing emotions that this air safari has ignited for us.