A family safari in Africa is extraordinary in every way. I’m not a fan of flying (in airplanes or otherwise), but the offer from Bateleur Camp to organize an early morning hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara with Skyship Company was too compelling to pass up.

These photos don’t lie, this adventure was absolutely phenomenal.

My first exposure to an article about the hotel Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya was followed by a flurry of emails to friends with an all caps WOW in the subject line. There are unique hotels all over the world, but the list narrows quickly when you identify truly one-of-a-kind experiences.

Unless you know of other hotels where giraffes can and do literally poke their head into open windows in the morning, Giraffe Manor qualifies.

Of all the animals we saw on our family safari in Africa … guess what interested our 8-year-old the most? Believe it or not, it wasn’t the lions — even when we were lucky enough to see a kill in action.

Birds!

Surprise, surprise. Birds are extraordinary in Africa and come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. This is part of what captured his interest, but the other factor was …

There was one piece of consistent advice when I was planning our family safari to Africa. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania is an absolute must-experience destination. We ended up adding it to our itinerary at the very last minute. Indeed, this is a very, very special place and I’m thrilled we were able to see it.

The star of the show in this area is the main Ngorongoro crater, a massive, unbroken volcanic caldera …

Although I opted to plan most of our safari in Africa through AndBeyond, I wanted to ensure that we got a taste of a different experience too.

Abercrombie and Kent (A&K) is one of the world’s leading luxury travel brands. Their awards are numerous and the company has been planning trips for decades. A&K’s roots are in Africa and this is an extra special destination for them with many fabulous itineraries.

People refer to a vacation in Africa as a trip of a lifetime. And it is. Traveling to this continent is a big trip in every way — the preparation, expense, travel time required to get there — are consequential.

What really makes it a trip of a lifetime, however, is the wondrous experience of being in a place where you are able to witness the very essence of our world in the most powerful and authentic way, i.e. one that is raw and unadulterated. What you experience life changing …

I took 1,300 photos on our recent family safari vacation in Kenya and Tanzania. Enough fodder for Photo Friday for the next few years!

I’ll be judicious, however, and just feature the photos of moments that really wowed us. I’m going to start with a biggie — photos of a kill from start to finish. Witnessing one of Africa’s great cats hunt is absolutely fascinating and elicits a range of emotions: excitement, joy, sadness …

My dream of taking a family safari in Africa was fulfilled last week; we just returned from a 9-day vacation in Kenya and Tanzania. We visited the Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara national parks. I learned so much during the planning and execution of this trip — my head is spinning with all the details and tips I want to share.

Our trip was absolutely phenomenal in every way — a true experience of a lifetime.

One of my favorite family travel writers, Mara Gorman, has weekly post on her website, The Mother of all Trips, called “Mondays are for dreaming” about those extraordinary travel experiences Mara (and all of us!) dream about.

Today, I’m dreaming of a family safari in Africa.

Over the New Year’s Eve holiday a few of the Ciao Bambino writers got together and brainstormed on a “must go back to” family travel list.

I’ve taken my girls all around the world. And my mother never blinked an eye until Morocco. She had a really tough time with Morocco. She couldn’t really tell me why. She was just worried. I think it was that whole dark, sultry Africa thing … better known as the unknown.

Morocco. more specifically Tangier, is the only traveling many people will ever do in Africa. It was never on the top of my list. We were headed to Spain, and when my husband realized it was only about an hour’s trip by ferry, the deal was done. Africa!