"We went to the edge of the Empakai Crater, an hour past the Ngoro-Ngoro Crater. The plan is to go on a "walking safari". Ah nice, I remember thinking, I've done this before, they have those in the Beekseberg too. But this is literally a safari on foot. As in: a safari – but on foot. From the edge of the crater, we descend 300 metres on foot. We walk along the hiking trail, which is also used by wild animals. A guide and a ranger accompany us. As we set off, the ranger gives us a sermon. When we come across any animals: DON'T RUN. Lie on the ground and do what the ranger says. We could run into hyenas, pumas, buffalos and cheetahs. Uhhh... And what about our health and safety? I mean, where is the surgery room when you need it? As you can see: it’s pretty much the same as walking around in the Safari park Beeksebergen. But hey, our ranger is carrying an AK47, so I'm sure we’ll be fine. This is now my second armed hike. The first one was through Tigray, the border area between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Now we’re off through the wilderness. I walk behind the ranger. We stop at a 1100-year-old fig tree. When the tree's aerial roots touch the ground, they turn into tree trunks. Hmm ok... As we walk on, the ranger takes his rifle off his back and into his hand. Uh oh... is that my cue to have a panic attack?! Did he see something? In the end, we reach the bottom of the crater safely and take a few photos. On the way back, the ranger suddenly stops. He points to the ground and asks us what kind of droppings we think are on the path. I only know pigeon droppings and Flapper's dog poo. This looked different, it had a little dot on the end. The ranger pokes around in the poop with a stick and explains that it’s fresh lion droppings. Good to know! And the way he shared this info in such a casual and light-hearted manner too..."

"After our walking safari, we spent the night on top of the crater. They sat up a complete camp with all the frills for us. Everyone had their own tent, a dining table and a buffet with coffee and tea. At first, I was a bit embarrassed that we Europeans apparently needed all this nonsense. But when it was time for dinner and some crispy chips appeared on the table made in an oil pan, which somebody had dragged all this way, this feeling quickly dissolved into thin air. I could hardly believe my luck. But next time, please bring the mayonnaise too, guys!"

"After our hike, we stayed for two days at a camp near Lake Natron. There, we also took some beautiful photos. We also visited some footprints that are 18,000-year-old. The funny thing about these footprints is that the first steps are fairly close together but then grow further and further apart. This prehistoric man was probably enjoying his morning walk until it started to get hot under his feet. He was walking on soft lava. 'Ouch, ouch, ow, hot, hot, hot...' and then took bigger and bigger steps to get away. I'm no historian, but I can imagine that this man or woman walked across the plain 18,000 years ago and then had to put their feet up for three weeks or so. Interesting!"