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I was last in Tanzania and Zanzibar some fourteen years ago and it is where I first fell under Africa's powerful spell - I simply could not get over the vast open plains of the Serengeti with the odd acacia tree on the landscape and the mountains in the distance, sporadically dotted with the red shukkas of the Masai and their cattle. Literally breathtaking and "classic Africa". I was looking forward to revisiting and seeing what had changed in that time and also to seeing some new areas such as the Selous Game Reserve, Pemba Island off Zanzibar and also Tarangire National Park and Loliondo in north. As I covered a lot of ground in this trip, I will just mention some of the highlights.

The Selous Game Reserve is my new favourite safari destination! It is one of the largest game reserves in Africa with relatively few camps in it so there is that wonderful feeling of remoteness. To arrive and go straight to Kiba Point, was a very spoiling start to the trip. It is part of the Sand Rivers set-up, but it is a private camp that is taken exclusively by groups of up to 8 people - it has four extremely spacious and open-sided thatched rooms (more like houses!) looking down over the Rufiji River, the largest river in East Africa.

Complete luxury and brilliantly run, this camp has a great home away from home feeling and it offers a variety of activities.....my favourite being our boat trip upstream into Stiegler's Gorge where we stopped after an hour of game viewing (we saw buffalo, hippos, elephant, giraffe and plenty of birds from the water) to get out onto a beautiful white sandy beach surrounded by rocks and the steep sides of the gorge bursting with life and trees. Here we tried our hand at fly fishing and between us we caught three catfish! What a stunning spot to just stop and be surrounded by nature. Drives take you through beautiful scenery, lush from some recent and much needed rain, and some of us went for a lovely walk through the bush only to find ourselves at the top of a hill with a fantastic 360 degree view and a full bar set up for our sundowners. Fly camping for a night on the river is a must. Being a huge seafood lover, I was delighted to be served some great calamari and red snapper whilst staying at Kiba Point - they are only a short distance from the coast here, so it was a fantastic novelty to be having seafood in the bush!

On to Pemba Island and Fundu Lagoon - the only lodge on the island so you know you are going somewhere special! A short twenty minute flight from Zanzibar you are then met by the Fundu Lagoon car, driven 30 minutes across the island to catch your boat to Fundu itself. It was built by two twin brothers Alex and Marcus and it really is a great place with a very good feeling of space - you can be as social or private as you want and they seem to combine the two effortlessly. There is so much to do here as well if you are not one for lying around on a beach! You can go snorkelling and diving at Misali Island where the water is the most beautiful I think I have seen, crystal clear and visibility over the coral reef was just perfect. You can also go for a walk into the village where the lodge owners invest in community projects, or you can go fishing for your lunch, take a picnic out....you would certainly not get bored here and the friendly and professional staff always seem to be around for advice on what to do next or help you with deciding which cocktail to try for your sundowner! There are so many different places to eat here whether it's on the beach, at the jetty bar, or the pool bar up the hill - or simply in the cool and breezy thatched dining room.

So all in all, Tanzania now provides a huge mix of areas and camps to visit and there are still so many relatively untouched parks to explore. The Selous is definitely one of my new favourite places and Pemba is also a winner location for some great beach time. There is something for everyone here and still so much more to see.......you would not be disappointed with safari or beach here, but you need to remember that Tanzania is a huge country to cover and there is much travel involved! Its vastness and raw beauty is what makes it stick out in my mind as so special.