These are some of the unforgettable African experiences that the author wants to share: looking into the eyes of a gazelle just a few metres away; gazing at a hippopotamus looking at him; watching giraffes frolicking in the wild; seeing a lion walking towards him while deciding whether to sit under an adjacent shady tree or keep walking towards him; and a cheetah flicking its tail in annoyance when humans are too close.

Apart from the unique wildlife of Africa, the physical environment is wondrous: the waterfalls that carry the Zambezi River into a crack in the earth that Dr Livingstone named the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe; the roads of Botswana with potholes big enough to swallow a small car; and of course, the mesmerising and beautiful sand dunes - burnt orange, blood orange, terracotta, all mixed into one - in Namibia.

This book will transport readers to Africa, following in the author's footsteps to experience dusty roads and flooded river crossings on foot or by bus, boat or helicopter. Added to the mix are the comical and sometimes frustrating antics that take place when thirteen people from different countries learn to live together for four weeks on an off-road bus in a country that is new to all of them.