My neighbour from Aleppo, Syria and mate for 35 years, Scott Christiansen, and I were in Tanzania last month for a consultancy. It was a Sunday, and we had Bambara groundnut and sweetpotato leaves growing out of our ears. So we decided to get out of Dodge.

When in Tanzania the thing to do is to go on a safari. But the Swahili word ‘safari’ simply means going on a journey. Scott and I decided to take a safari in Tanzania … but just not the type you’re thinking of.

I’m more of a plant guy than a big animal fan. A botanical safari is a bit more appealing to me so I can quietly enjoy the magnificence of a flower by myself. And after sitting in a car for a long drive to Singida, Scott and I needed to get some exercise. So, we decided to venture to a reserve on the slopes of Mt Meru and hike to the Napuru waterfall.

Our waiter at our hotel, Brayton, lined us up with his mate, Alex, who took tourists around in his minivan. We drove about 40 minutes up the slopes of Mt Meru. The hike involved wading through the river so the folks at the trailhead loaned us some clogs. We hiked down about 360 steps and arrived at the river floor and after a short stroll through the river we came to the base of the waterfall.

For a while on that Sunday morning, we had the waterfall all for ourselves.

While climbing up those stairs on the return, I used my photo stops as a good excuse to catch my breath in the moderately thin air at our mile high location.

It was indeed a journey worthy of a ‘safari’ label and Scott and I felt purified by our warm embrace of Tanzanian nature.