I had been in Kenya for just over a day when I was given the opportunity to visit an animal conservation park – on foot.

I pictured the mauled tourists that get a bit too close and personal with the locals made news headlines and wondered if I should give someone the password fro my blog to ensure I get credit for the first ‘How to Gracefully get Mauled by a Lion’ post.

I also pictured my mother going to group therapy sessions as ‘the lady who’s daughter got mauled by a lion’.

Sorry Mum. I promise if I am going to die from a wild beast it will be in the arctic. Because the lady who’s daughter got mauled by a polar bear’ sounds so much cooler.

I was assured that everyone who had gone on this particular trip had come back in one piece. I wasn’t told how damaged any of those pieces were though…

We signed a waiver to accept that the tour company did not take any responsibility for our pieces on the trip and we loaded into the van. We were six brave African explorers tourists were ready to pat some lions spot some wildlife.

Just like every other time I had entered a vehicle in Kenya, the drive was scary. Actually the sacriest part of the day was the car ride. Walking around wild animals felt like a walk in a park after that drive.

We sped over speed-bumps, we bounced through potholes and the driver seedily adjusted his mirror to the view behind him (of some passengers chests).

We drove past multiple entries to the Conservation park and pulled up in what looked to be someones  backyard… We entered the fence and started our search.

Our guide seemed to be particularly focused on the flora and fauna of the park and we frequently stopped to learn about how sage can be used as deodorant and a certain native fruit can blind you.

As interesting as the plant-life was, our ‘Africa-Faces’ only really approved when we started seeing the cast of the Lion King…

They weren’t quite as vocally gifted as the original actors, but the little Pumba’s and friends were absolutely enchanting. We managed to get about 15 metres from some of the local performers and each was charming in their own right.

The gazelles caught our hearts in each graceful leap, the Colobus monkeys made us giggle as they swung above us and there is no other word except ‘aaaaaaawwwwww’ that describes the awkwardness of running giraffes.

My Africa face was on and I finally understood the stupid look that tourists in Australia have on their faces when they first spot Kangaroos and Koalas.

The African wildlife are the churches of Europe, they are the temples of Asia, they are the northern lights of the arctic, they are the stars of this continent and there is no way a singing warthog can prepare you for the wonder that fills your heart when you admire these creatures for the first time.

But this is just the beginning…