Far north of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Eight grand burnished-apricot coloured mobile tents in a line. The zip opens and the small iron beds are flawless, perfect for a couple of Moonrise Kingdom-style Scout lovers in the classic and wild safari land. That is how the most sporting of the most refined safaris of East Africa begins. A red trumpet on the nightstand lies there for proper camp emergencies only, which do not include hyenas howling at night, lions roaring, or rain pattering on the cloth roof. A thermos of strong coffee and someone calling “Hello, helloooo!” wake you at dawn, along with a few minutes of bucket shower (a bucket of perfect-temperature water) you booked before wishing each other goodnight. We wear the same colours of the bush, over breakfast we ask each other if we had sweet dreams, and bite juicy mangoes and watermelons, along with thick slices of toasted bread with intensely flavoured Tanzania honey, then get into our open 4WDs and leave in search of prey and predators. Every evening we pass each other the thin merino-wool blankets with red, blue and indigo checks while sitting around the bonfire, we meet our campmates in front of a delicious tomato soup and other delicacies, then slip between our snow-white sheets and seek the warmth of a hot-water bottle wrapped in wool braids. We are as happy and curious as children are on Christmas Eve, in our small extended family, during an exotic holiday where the principles of freedom, adventure and sharing are in force.

Words and pictures Meraviglia Paper. Thanks to Nomad Tanzania.