Imagine a journey through the heart of Tanzania not unlike the romantic accounts of Ernest Hemingway. Gently rolling hills bathed in soft, gentle breezes and knotted trees blanketed in Spanish moss. Mottled mountainsides punctuated by misty mornings followed by blazing daytime heat and chilled evenings, all against some of the world's most spectacular backdrops, and under the Earth's largest sky.

This is the Crater Highlands trek.

Working for a safari company definitely has its perks, so when it was decided that I should embark on a familiarization trip for this journey, I was more than willing. I was even more thrilled when two very close friends could join me and my wonderful Maasai guide, Ole Supuk, in the adventure.

What ensued over the next five days was an expedition that we likened to that of Frodo and Sam in J.R.R Tolkien's beloved, Lord of the Rings (albeit without the threat of eminent demise, of course). And while one may chuckle at the zealous comparison, the trek's vast and ever changing terrain, mystical sweeping vistas of distant jagged peaks, and rather ethereal feel definitely convey the feeling that one is indeed somewhere magical. This is the tale that unraveled...

We begin on the lush forested rim of the Ngorongoro Crater where the trees are thick with birds, the air is damp and cool and stealth buffalos lurk unseen in the foliage. We continue up a steep escarpment swathed in moss covered trees to behold the view into Olmoti Crater where we see a bushbuck gently sipping water. She senses our presence