Pictured: Heading into Mount Karisimbi to meet the Isimbi gorilla family with our guide, Eugene, in Volcanos National Park, Rwanda.

We were so impressed with Rwanda, the people, the landscape, the history, the wildlife and the way of life. We found ourselves in awe at the peacefulness of the countryside and the genuine happiness of the people who spend their days transporting things up and down the busy streets. The experience of trekking to find gorillas and spend time with their ‘family’ impossible to capture with mere words.

Pictured: Hot air balloon ride over the Mara River in Maasai Mara, Kenya

Our first safari began in the Maasai Mara where we stayed a few nights at the mountain top lodge of Angama Mara. We were blown away at the beauty of the land, the plethora and variety of animals, the connection to local cultures, and the full scale operation of the safari teams. Seeing a kill on our first day of certainly set the bar high, and every day while out on safari is sure to be full of excitement, anticipation, primitive thrills, and a sense of perspective.

Pictured: Aboard a dhow boat near Mnemba Island in North Zanzibar Island

We started our African journey off at the relaxing and private beach resort on Mnemba Island, Zanzibar. We rode a traditional dhow boat, saw sea turtles laying eggs, watched a turtle nest hatch and run to the ocean for their first time, became dive certified, snorkeled, had beach dinners, forest dinners, massages, and yoga galore.

Pictured: 9 Pyramids Lounge in Cairo

We spent a total of 8 days in Egypt and each day was filled with incredible stories of ancient civilizations and discovery. Cairo is a chaotic and busy city, but is imperative to visit to see the pyramids, sphinx, and the Egyptian museum. The most redeeming part of our trip through Egypt was taking a cruise boat down the Nile River from Luxor to Aswan. It’s hard to imagine the calmness, beauty and serenity on the Nile after spending time in Cairo, but in order to get the full picture of what Egypt is about, you have to spend time outside of Cairo, and we found the best way to do it was via cruise.

Pictured: Inara Camp in the Afgay Desert

We started our journey in Africa off in Morocco, with the first stop in Marrakech. Staying at the Royal Mansour was an absolute dream, and walking through the streets of the medinas was a creative and colorful playground. We spent time in the medinas, took a full day excursion out into the desert to ride ATVs in the sand dunes, visited the YSL museum, and checked out the beautiful architecture and mosques around town.