Best time to Visit: June to October

Budget: Safaris can be expensive although there are group options catering for solo travellers and backpackers. It depends on what type of holiday you want but generally an itinerary can be made suited for your budget.

Safety: Generally Tanzania is safe, especially when you are on a Safari on in a resort. The biggest thing to watch out for is pickpocketing and to avoid travelling alone at night.

If you want a once in a lifetime experience, this is the place to go…

Tanzania has been on the top of my list ever since I can remember as it is my mum’s birth place. After months of planning (I planned the entire trip and had a very detailed itinerary), we finally jetted off on a 3 week holiday to Tanzania in September 2019.

Me and my sister went out a week earlier than my parents to climb Mt Kilimanjaro together. Honestly, it was one of the hardest treks I have ever done and once the altitude sickness starts hitting you, all you want to do is give up and turn back. But 6 days later, with a final 8 hours of intense climbing at 12am in -7 degrees, we made it to the summit and it was completely worth it! If you have an adventurous soul and are up for a serious challenge, I would highly recommend starting a trip to Tanzania with climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without our incredible team from Adventure Alternative, who really looked after us for the entire trek.

Once we got back down to Moshi, we were welcomed by our parents and went back to one of the best boutique B&Bs (the Pink Flamingo) I have ever stayed in. Teresa was an incredible host and decided to upgrade us to the suite which had its own infinity pool! Safe to say the first thing we did was take a very long shower which was then followed by celebratory champagne and pizza provided by Teresa. In the morning we said our goodbyes and embarked upon the second leg of our journey… the Safari!

If you have been lucky enough to experience a Safari you will understand that there is nothing quite like it! It is a once in a lifetime experience, and if you are extremely lucky, like we were, you get to experience wildlife at its finest. On our very first day at Ngorongoro crater and Lake Manyara we came across one lion sleeping in a tree and another sitting by the animal it just killed for its dinner, and whilst nature can be cruel it was a fascinating sight! We then spent 3 days at the 4* Chaka Mobile Camp in Serengeti National Park, which was one of the most luxurious tents I have ever slept it (and the food was absolutely delicious). If you are going for the migration season you will need to stay in one of the mobile camps to increase your chances of seeing the migration, but trust me these are extremely luxurious and not what you would expect at all (see pictures below).

When I imagined going on a safari I had very specific expectations. For example, I expected to see the great migration, the Big 5 and a kill. I felt that we were somewhat being rewarded for our gruelling climb up Mt Kilimanjaro because not only did we see the great migration three times and a leopard go in for the kill, we also saw a pack of lions awake (at one point they surrounded our jeep which was pretty scary but thrilling) which is a rare sight as they sleep for almost 18 hours a day! This went above and beyond my expectations and was definitely an experience I will never forget.

Finally it was time to move on to our final leg of the trip and unwind in Zanzibar before spending a couple of days in Dar Es Salaam to visit where my mum used to live. We unfortunately had quite a bit of rain in Zanzibar but still managed to enjoy ourselves and eat a lot of delicious seafood. Our hotel (Essque Zalu) was remotely located and had a beautiful pool and pier, which is where we spent most of the time. On the couple of days that we did venture out we went snorkelling and had lunch at the infamous restaurant “The Rock Restaurant” which definitely did not disappoint. Most of the resorts in Zanzibar are half or full board, but I would personally choose half board so you can try other restaurants around the island.

Overall the trip to Tanzania was definitely one for the books and I look forward to visiting again, particularly trying my luck again with Zanzibar. I would highly recommend visiting this beautiful country and all that it has to offer. The people are friendly, the culture is vibrant, and there are activities suited to everyone.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or want to plan a trip to Tanzania. I planned this entire trip myself and had a very detailed itinerary which I am happy to share.

Best time to visit: The dry season from May- October

Budget: Bali suits everyone’s budgets from backpackers to those wanting extreme luxury

Safety: Bali is extremely safe, especially for solo female travellers. Road safety is the biggest thing to watch out for, especially if you intend on driving a motorbike.

If you are looking for somewhere to escape to from the busy city life then look no further…

You cannot go wrong with a trip to Bali. Whether you are looking to find your inner zen, want some downtime on a beautiful beach, or want an active holiday with a few days reserved for relaxing, Bali has it all.

I travelled to Bali with a friend in September 2018 for 10 days but I wish I had spent longer there and already am itching to go back. We started off in Seminyak, which is known for its beautiful sandy beaches that are particularly suited for surfing, and stayed at the Marriot Hotel in Kuta near to the beach front. We gave up on the idea of surfing after one lesson and spent most of our days at the beach clubs (namely Potato Head Beach Club and Finn’s Beach Club) or pigging out at one of the many delicious restaurants. They have a variety of options to cater to anyone’s palette, from Aussie style brunch cafes (try Sisterfields) to local Indonesian food (try Mades Warung) to fine dining (try Sarong restaurant).

After having our fair share of beach time we moved on to Ubud to experience the tranquil environment Bali is best known for. Our hotel, Padma Resort, was beautiful and had the longest infinity pool in Bali which was set deep within the jungle. This setting, coupled with daily yoga classes, massages and delicious food (my favourite restaurants in Ubud were Hujuan and Locavore), had me feeling completely relaxed and switched off from the real world, which as a corporate lawyer is almost impossible to do. To top it off I would always end my day with charcoal flavoured ice cream from Gelato Secrets, an interesting flavour that had me going back for more.

Now if you are anything like me, I cannot relax for 10 days straight without doing some sort of activity, and so I decided it made complete sense to wake up at 5am and hike to the top of Mount Batur in the dark to watch sunrise…and I do not regret it all! This was another side of Bali that I am glad I had experienced, and standing at the top of Mount Batur whilst watching the sun rise over the rice paddies made me feel deeply satisfied and content…Bali has this effect on you. If hiking is not your thing there are plenty of other activities to fill your days in Bali, from surfing to zip lining for the adventurous to visiting the rice paddies and the monkey forest for those who are more laid back.

Finally, no trip to Bali is complete without taking in the culture and being a part of it. The Balinese are spiritual people and you can find a temple almost on every corner. We only managed to visit some temples in Ubud but there are some striking temples all around Bali that are worth a visit, such as Pura Tanah Lot, Pura Luhur Lempuyang and Uluwatu Temple.

Bali has a special place in my heart and I will definitely be back soon. If you are planning a trip to Bali please do get in touch for any information, I will happily provide my list of recommendations for food and sight-seeing.