Finally, we made the long journey back past Ngorongoro to our final camp high on the escarpment above Lake Manyara National Park. This compact park sits between the lake and the foot of the escarpment, with forests fed by the streams and springs that have formed at the bottom of the cliffs.

The escarpment is the western wall of the Rift Valley and rises about 500m with a precipitous slope. Our lodge was located high on the edge of the precipice with views over the lake and surrounding area. The park gates are situated at the bottom of the road that climbs the escarpment, winding slowly south for a couple of kilometres to lessen the slope.

The park itself is very different from the others on the northern circuit, being little more than a long drive through the forest over many small streams beneath massive fig and mahogany trees. After several kilometres, the road opens out into a small level area on the bank of the lake, although the shore can sometimes be a great distance away as the lake is very shallow and seasonal.

It was a bit busy for my liking, many people who come to climb Kilimanjaro include it in the short safari they enjoy after their exertions, because it can be reached from Arusha on a paved road quickly and easily. But, busy or not, we had great fun with the elephants here.

They’re full of character and very used to the traffic. We met them many times on the main road into the park, they loved to get in the way of the oncoming trucks and slow everything down to their pace. They were also quite keen to get very close to the vehicles, eliciting more than one startled cry from visitors less used to elephants than ourselves.

The woodland was also home to plenty of birds, Turaco were very difficult to see and almost impossible to photograph, but grey-headed kingfishers were occasionally much more obliging. Far out on the lake we could see flocks of flamingos, something I was also keen to see and photograph. I just couldn’t get close enough to do so and had to content myself with a few distant shots.

My first trip to Kenya had lacked a little something in the safari experience stakes. It had been a fantastic and unique trip, but somewhat disappointing from a wildlife point of view. Tanzania was different on every level. This had been a proper safari, loads of mammals and birds in varied locations with wonderful sightings and experiences.

The big cats – and the small ones – were of course the highlight for me, but the sight of the endless herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle will remain with me for ever. To neglect the delight at seeing elephants, rhino, hippo, buffalo and numerous antelopes would be unfair, as would the meeting with the honey badger, hyenas, jackals and the cute bat-eared foxes.

If I could have been said to have taken the lure on the first trip, then by the end of this second journey, I was well and truly hooked.