This was truly a rare experience for me. I had the opportunity to take a trip to Tanzania with eight of my closest friends for my thirty-second birthday. The first thing I learned as soon as we touched down was that its name is pronounced "Tan-zaan-nia," not "Tan-za-nia." Secondly, it is a massive country with amazing food, deep-rooted culture, welcoming people, and animals I didn’t even know existed. From the bustling city of Dar es Salaam to the endless plains of the Serengeti—and from Arusha to Zanzibar—we ventured across the country, relishing every moment and meeting new people along the way.
After a five-day safari excursion, we landed in Zanzibar, where my friend Lydia and I tried skydiving for the first time (we had to cross it off the bucket list). Tanzania now sits at the top of my list. Perfection may not exist, but this trip came as close as possible, and sharing it with my friends made it that much more impactful.
With all that buildup, I hope you enjoy my favorite shots from this birthday trip to Tanzania. The photos were taken on my X-T30 and my S20.
Okay, this is where I get my David Attenborough on. After five days of roaming the Serengeti in the sweltering heat, we saw so many different species—some familiar, others completely new to us. As you browse through these safari shots, you’ll find bits of animal info and my personal commentary at the moment I captured each photo.
One of the largest monkeys in Tanzania, he was my first sighting during our Safari.
African bush elephants are the largest land mammals in the world; and apparently the largest of the three elephant species. We had the chance to watch an entire herd walk by, with all the babies playing in the middle of the group. I noticed the adults positioned themselves at the front and back, making sure the young ones stayed safe and protected in the center.
Also known as one of the “5 Big Uglies” at least by our tour guide’s standards. We saw tons of these roaming around, not the smartest in the Serengeti, but their migration is definitely something to see.
Don’t let the cute faces fool you—I call them the Little Thieves. They made sure to swipe food from anyone who looked away from their plate while we were at the resting site. They’re incredibly fast and love to play. One fun fact about vervet monkeys: they have strong family bonds, which is just one of the many ways they’re similar to humans.
This was a surreal experience, because this wasn’t shot with my zoom lens, we were very close to this lion. Thankfully he was vibing to the sunset and probably already had dinner.
We found this little one perched solo at the treetop. With its many vibrant colors, I had to snap a shot.
This one felt like a legendary Pokémon sighting. From the wingspan to the regal colors, the Crowned Crane stopped me in my tracks.
The name makes perfect sense once you see this little guy jump from rock to rock.
A very intimidating bird, not much else needs to be said.
Leopards are notoriously elusive, so when this cub finally came out for a walk, I had to take the photo. Both the cub and the mom were so far away, this is the best I could get—but regardless, I’m glad I got to see them.
This is the largest flying bird that is native to Africa.