…as seen on Yogalife
It’s more than just a landscape, Africa has an incredible way of earthing you, from the moment you land on its clay red soil in a small inter-safari Cessna, to driving across the tundra in a Toyota jeep designed purely to encourage those 360* magic moments with its inhabitants. The landscape runs from horizon to horizon, punctuated only by the trees and rocks, whose shapes and shadows mimic the animals we avidly search for, roaming the terrain.
The wind drives the Serengeti’s scents and smells, wild basil perforated sporadically under the tyres of the jeep, whilst the aroma of baking earth under foot is tinged with an almost pleasant dusty note that serves to remind you you’re in real nature. The Serengeti safari drives are winding and uneven, but even the incessant bumps quickly move from spine jerking to a more melodic perpetual motion. As the warmth of the sun gleams through the windows of the jeep, you fall further into a state of total relaxation. It’s here at this moment that your daydreams are all too real.
Bringing you out of this somewhat meditative stare across the fields and fields of golden grass that rocket past are the indescribable viewings and encounters with the animals that inhabit this terrain. Hippo’s lounge around upstream, keeping a wary eye on the crocodiles basking on the shore, whilst trumpets pierce the silence from the largest of all the Earth’s beings as they warn of their arrival with their young, at the local watering hole. This isn’t about a bucket list of the ‘big 5’ but a really personalised discovery of why Africa is referred to as God’s land.
Time slows to allow every whisper through the blades of grass meet your ears, feigning a sense of urgency or looming presence with their dramatic soundtrack. The whistle of the wind loudly finds gaps in the natural surroundings of the hotel, complemented by the music of the cicadas as the sun goes down and their predator’s cries with beautiful feathers. The sun sets in vibrant pinks, fiery oranges and plum-like purples to remind you there’s a rotation, but under what feels like a never-ending full moon, you’d be forgiven for thinking that time here stood still. As the dawn breaks, there’s no risk of monotony with hours to be spent out under the Tanzanian skies, it’s the most soul-connected place to be.
WHERE TO STAY: Four Seasons Serengeti, for the ultimate up close and personal luxury experience with the Serengeti and its animals.
