What to explore

Exploring East Africa’s cities was top priority on this trip. Bongoyo Island is a 45-minute ferry trip north of Dar es Salaam city centre and features a beachside restaurant and snorkelling equipment for hire. The rest of the island exists as the Bongoyo Island Marine Reserve, complete with lush tropical vegetation. A trip to Dar es Salaam should include a day on the island, sitting on the beach, watching the ferry to Zanzibar glide by,

punctuated only by freshly caught lobster grilled on an open fire and enjoyed with an Ndovo – a locally produced beer. In Nairobi, the Giraffe Centre is a must-do. About 45 minutes from the City Lodge Two Rivers, the centre was opened in 1979 and offers guests the chance to get up close to the endangered Rothschild giraffe. The centre has contributed to restoring numbers of this animal in the wild through a breeding

programme and research on the species. Guests are given a packet of pellets on arrival which they use to hand feed giraffes on the property. Top tip: if you put a pellet in between your teeth, the giraffe will take it straight out of your mouth – don’t worry, their saliva is antiseptic, and the photos afterwards are worth it. Khulisa Ndou, a Travel with Flair travel adviser put it simply: “East Africa is a wow! I am excited to tell my clients.”