Travel reviews by Mrs JJ from Wales

"I arrived in Ndutu the day before Valentine's day and was picked up by my guide at the air strip. I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to the right camp as all the guides approached people saying just the name of the camp they were from. I thought I had got it right, but I wasn't sure. I would have felt more relaxed if the guide had addressed me by name.

We set off straight away for a game drive which was brilliant after being cooped up inside small aircraft for about 4 hours. I was asked what animals I would like to see and my request to see a cheater was met. A nice surprise on the way to the camp was that we stopped in the middle of nowhere to celebrate a 60th birthday with champagne and cake and other camp guests. This was a great way to break the ice and meet fellow campers. The staff were very attentive, topping my glass and plate up as soon as it was empty and bringing me a blanket when they saw I was shivering a little. I enjoyed a pre dinner drink around the camp fire and then dinner under the stars. I was little anxious on retiring to my tent that I would be cold as the temperature had dropped and the wind was getting up and I had not brought pyjamas or any thing warm. So I was delighted when slipping in to bed to find a hot bottle which kept me as warm as toast.

The next morning I was awoken with coffee and heart shaped biscuits and a greeting of 'Happy Valentine's day'. It was 5am and the sky was star studded, it was mesmerising. We set off to the hot air balloon site, but as the sun began to rise so the fog descended. I was devastated when our pilot told us we would not be able to take off and he would have to cancel the flight. Then after 10 minutes or so hanging around despondently he shouted out 'all aboard' and we were off gliding higher and higher in to the sky, the fog of just minutes before a distant memory. The visibility was amazing. We saw some wild life, but just the feeling of floating in the sky over vast expanses of nothingness was incredible.We were in the air for an hour and a half and then landed to be offered cold champagne before moving on to our breakfast spot. A temporary kitchen had been set up in the middle of nowhere and our table laid under the shade of a tree. We were offered tea or coffee, fresh fruit juice, a selection of fruits, freshly baked bread and a full English breakfast plus more champagne nicely chilled.

Once breakfast was over I was transported to join the rest of my group and although a little disappointed that I had missed seeing the birthing of many baby wildebeast, was consoled when we stumbled upon the migration, thousands of wildebeest as far as the eye could see. think this was my best Valentine's day ever. I would say to those travelling alone that although many people think of safaris as being for honeymooners they are perfect for single travellers. You never feel alone, you are treated like royalty and in the intimacy of the jeep all barriers are broken down.

The next morning I had one last short game drive before catching my flight, I had no particular expectations, it was just nice to be out in the wild a few hours longer. Then an amazing thing happened, we came upon a lone baby wildebeest, only hours old with low life expectancy as easy prey for lions and cheaters. It attached itself to our jeep for protection and together with two other jeeps we tried to lead it to the safety of a herd of adult wildebeest. It followed behind us skipping and jumping, running fast until exhaustion took over and it all but gave up. We stopped to allow it to rest and got out of the jeep for a couple of minutes to stretch our legs. The little calf come up to me and began nuzzling my leg and butting me. At that point I knew if we didn't save it I would be heart-broken.

We set off again, and then, in the distance, like coming upon an oasis we saw a small herd of male adults with one female. What happened next I will remember for ever. The herd saw the calf and lifted their heads standing stock still and alert, then in unison they began to canter towards the baby, surrounding it with the protection of their bodies. It played with the male adults butting them and being pushed over and then suckled on the female. We had done it- the baby was safe.

I can without doubt say this has been the experience of a lifetime. If I were to give any advice at all to any one venturing on their first safari, it would be to have no expectations, don't go looking for anything in particular, just slowly meander through the bush, enjoy the wide open spaces and any animals you come upon and wait for the 'wild' to surprise you. I didn't see a 'birthing' but what I did see and experience was unique and unforgettable.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I think clients should be told about the possibility of cold mornings or evenings and encouraged to bring something warm.

I think, for the inexperienced, it would be helpful if the guides explained what animals were typical for the time of year or for the park and made suggestions. I was at one point with a group who just wanted to see elephants, so we set off at top speed looking, unsuccessfully, for them and went speeding past cheater that no on but I saw."