I hate goodbyes.

Some goodbyes are hard: saying goodbye to family and friends when one of you goes far away, saying goodbye to the last spoonful of peanut butter as you finish the jar, saying goodbye to that white shirt that got too friendly with  your red knickers in the wash, saying goodbye to the boy who would rather lose thousands of dollars than go to Africa with you…

But empty peanut butter jars and now-pink shirts do not compare to saying goodbye to beautiful places. Unfortunately there came a day when I had to say goodbye to the Serengeti.

The last bumpy drive through the Serengeti National Park was not all tears and blowing kisses through… In fact it featured more spotty families and adolescent gangs and than most goodbyes.

As we drove through this great Serengeti we witnessed the sights that only David Attenborough can accurately describe. These views were nothing short of Discovery Channel (and for once I am referring to the TV station – not the explicit song).

It is not every day you see a family of African elephants… Drinking water… Alongside a pride of male lions… Eating a buffalo.

And yes, the entire scene fitted in one frame of my camera. Let me know what National Geographic are hiring because I went from amateur point and click to extreme wildlife photographer in a matter of seconds.

I had been told that lions were scared of elephants, which was comforting when we had been visited by our big grey friend at the campsite, but apparently that was just a comfort-statement that held a minimal amount of truth. Because no one in this scene seemed too concerned about the presence of one another.

It was the perfect end to our 3-day Serengeti Safari and I knew that if I got eaten by a wild animal now I would die content (well, as content as anyone getting eaten by a wild animal can be)…

But that was not the end. The grand finally was much spottier.

Just as they had greeted us as we entered the Serengeti, we were farewelled by some spotty friends. Goodbye cheetahs, even though you don’t quite make the cut of the Big 5, I still think you’re pretty damn cute and dangerous looking.

Goodbye mating lions. Goodbye banana-stealing elephants. Goodbye cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, ostriches, buffalo, zebras. Goodbye giraffes. Goodbye weird little creatures that look like guinea pigs.

Goodbye Serengeti.