Second only to the Welwitschia on Chris’s scale of coolest plants ever is the mighty Baobab Tree.

I’d seen a few in Australia and a scattering across southern Africa, but it wasn’t until Tanzania that we found an actual forest of these spectacular trees. Appropriately named, the valley of Baobab, here you can find thousands of them. You can eat its fruit, enjoy its shade or, if you’re like me, stare dumbfounded at it for hours. In times of extreme drought, they can also be tapped for water as some species hold hundreds of liters. Long-lived would be an understatement. Wiki claims that some Baobab individuals may exceed a lifespan of thousands of years. Also of note, there’s a full bar inside a Baobab tree in South Africa (hats off to the Afrikaners). Unfortunately, our one photo does not do this species justice. Its hard to make photography a priority when the perfect road is luring you on at full throttle with smooth twisties and gorgeous vistas beyond every corner.

Our helmet cams did catch a few critters here and there!

We did ride through some lion country and we were advised to ride at full speed down the middle of the road to avoid tempting large cats. The locals explained that the lions were getting “a bit cheeky” with motorists. We didn’t have any issues, but rather enjoyed all the springbok, giraffes, baboons and occasional warthog. We did have one run in with a cat in camp, which we survived.

In the old slave port of Bagamoyo the road transitioned into cobblestone, winding its way through the remnants of a town still emerging from the 18th century.

The narrow alleyways opened onto palm lined beaches of the Indian ocean, offering a panorama of sailing Dhows slipping over the horizon. Somewhere over that horizon was the spice island of Zanzibar!