The guide slams on his brakes and before I can close my mouth, I am chewing through another mouthful of thick dust.

My head swivels wildly as I squint through the grit in my eyes and search the vast and hazy horizon. I see his outstretched arm point to the right and jerk my camera to my face before I even know why we have stopped.

Then I see her. Piercing amber eyes, taut rippling muscles, and the black and white of her latest kill at her feet. She glances up from the baby zebra and stares right through me before she tosses her head and turns her attention back to her lunch.

My heart thuds in my chest as a communal gasp rises from the group. The silence that follows is only broken by the whir of 18 cameras and the odd whisper of disbelief that a female lion stands less than ten feet away from our vehicle. I watch through my camera lens as she clenches her teeth around the zebra’s neck, picks up its remains, and strides through the yellow grass in search of solitude.

This moment makes everything worth it. From cashing in my retirement savings to pay for this three week GAP Adventure trip; to huddling in my sleeping bag through the coldest night on record in Namibia (who thought camping in Africa would involve sub-zero temperatures?); to waking up at dawn and fumbling with numb fingers to pull on every layer of clothing I owned; to jostling up and down across the bumpy gravel roads as the frozen air whipped across my face and settled into my bones; and finally to staring at nothing on the horizon for hours on end. But to have the chance to lock eyes with a wild lion now ranks as one of the most amazing experiences in my life.

Every day in Africa makes me crash a little harder into love and my 48 hours in Etosha National Park proved no exception. Luck was on our side and the long game drives gave our group the chance to see some of Namibia’s most beautiful animals. I will never forget the silhouettes of six giraffes as they rhythmically plodded into the sunset, the lumbering steps of a bull elephant on his saunter down to the watering hole, or the dust kicked up by a herd of zebras in their attempt to escape from the jaws of a hungry lion.

But the adventure continues…it’s now on to visit the Bushmen in Botswana, camp for a night in the Okavango Delta, take a sunset cruise down the Chobe River and finally stand under the powerful spray of Victoria Falls. I am sure you can see why I never want to leave…