Like many of us, Lorraine Kelly is dreaming about her holidays past, and in particular, an unbelievable safari trip she undertook in Botswana and Zambia in 2019. Read on for the presenter's exclusive HELLO! diary…
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I hope you are all having a lovely Easter. Of course, this time last year we were firmly in the grip of the pandemic and like everyone else we cancelled our holiday plans and I decided to work through, but I didn't think this year we would all still be in the same boat!
WATCH: Lorraine Kelly's magical safari trip
Today a picture appeared on my phone of exactly two years ago when we hired a big self-drive jeep with one of those roofs that pop up so you can sleep under it, and drove around the vast bush in Botswana and Zambia. It was such a brilliant experience.
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Lorraine Kelly enjoyed a magical trip to Botswana and Zambia
We were totally self-sufficient as we had a small stove and a tiny fridge in the back of the truck, and had stocked up with easy-to-cook stuff like rice and packet soup.
The weather was mostly gorgeous, but I do remember one night it rained like a Singapore monsoon while we were cooking our basic pasta dinner and we got thoroughly soaked, but it was all part of the adventure.
The presenter relaxing by a firepit
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I will never forget driving along a dirt track and seeing what looked like sandy-coloured rocks blocking our way. As we got closer, we saw it was a pride of lions just chilling out. We sat quietly in the jeep for hours watching the little cubs playing and a massive male lion snoozing under a bush.
She and husband Steve were totally self-sufficient
We were woken up one morning by a big male elephant and we even caught a glimpse my favourite of all animals, the elusive and badass honey badger.
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They watched a pride of lions near their truck
For an adventure like this, you obviously have to be extremely well prepared, very sensible and above all respectful of the animals you encounter, but there is nothing better than an early morning cup of bush tea listening to the birds and enjoying the scenery as you plan the day ahead.
I'm hoping everything will be very different next Easter and we can finally go back to this incredible part of the world.
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