Another early start today, waking up at 05:30, as we are making the long drive back across the Serengeti to just beyond Ngorongoro conservation area to Ngorongoro Farmhouse, where we are staying for two nightst.

Before starting the main journey, we took a short drive in the Serengeti where we saw hippos basking in the mud and a small group of elephants.

The journey back to Ngorongoro took two hours along very bumpy roads, giving us what our guide Isaac called "the free massage option". We arrived at Ngorongoro Farmhouse in the early afternoon and what a beautiful place it is. There are 52 chalets which have been built on an old colonial coffee plantation. The gardens are beautifully kept and have a background view of the mountains. Undoubtedly, the most luxurious place we have stayed so far.

After lunch at the hotel, we had the rest of the afternoon as free time, something we had not yet experienced on this tour and greatly appreciated after all the early starts and long days. So there was time to have a swim, walk around the plantation gardens or just sit outside the chalet reading a book. Luxury !

Having worn shorts and flip-flops all week, Hulley decided to wear trousers and shoes for dinner this evening. Then we discovered that he had left them behind - almost certainly at the Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp on the second evening. Visions of travelling home to a cold England in a pair of flip-flops !!