An awe-inspiring wildebeest stampede, a magical gorilla encounter, sweeping views of miles of golden grass dotted with thorny bushes and ringed by blue hills, snow-capped mountains on the equator, romantic nights under swaying palms with the sound of the Indian Ocean, lunch on the banks of a muddy river as a family of hippos grunt in contentment, a roaring fire in the open where over drinks stories of the adventures so far are swapped with other guests, a candlelit dinner in the privacy of your veranda as a full moon lends a soft glow to the ‘cough cough’ of a leopard barely 10 feet away – nothing prepares you for Africa – not the books you might have read, nor the films you have seen, nor tall tales told by friends. Travelling around Africa is reality beyond expectation and there is probably no other part of the world where visitors get “hooked” as much as here and turn into repeat guests.

With its vast plains teeming with wildlife, vibrant array of cultures, spectacular palm-fringed beaches and the majestic summits of Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya, few parts of the world capture the imagination as does East Africa. Here you find the highest concentration and diversity of wildlife on earth, exotic island paradises, thundering waterfalls, seething white waters at the source of the Nile, misty inland peaks and some of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas and chimpanzees.

You will also encounter the everyday beauty of African life – the swerving Kenyan matatu careening through the streets of Nairobi, hawkers announcing their wares on the street corner, children sitting in rows reciting verses from the Quran, or a dhow sailing gracefully in the early morning light. Travelling through Africa, you will be struck by its many contrasts – humble thatched huts and luxurious safari lodges, traditionally dressed Maasai warriors and office workers in suits, cosmopolitan cities and remote villages where infants run away from you as you are the first white person they have ever seen.

It is here in Africa were many guests feel truly humbled. Man may have leapt into the 21st century with amazing technological advances but with the enchanting show of nature in all her glory and awesome power you realize how puny we are in the grand design of life. Africa will make you feel blessed to be allowed to share this planet with such incredible living things.