50th Birthday

For my 50th birthday I decided to check off the one item on my bucket list, an African Safari. After much research I decided on Africa Dream Safaris. The best decision I could have made. From my initial contact with Dawn to the final farewell with Mateas we were always safe and very well taken care of. Dawn’s professionalism is second to none. Even when we decided to add two more people at the last minute it was not a problem, at least on our end.

Upon arrival in Kilimanjaro we were greeted and through customs in record time. Looking at the line that formed behind us we were happy to be traveling with ADS.

The staff at every camp was friendly, courteous and full of knowledge. We were always greeted with smiles, warm wash cloths and fresh juice. Quite the treat after a 12-13 hour game drive. The food, FANTASTIC! And the soups, my sister actually got the recipe for two of them. Can’t wait to try those when we get together to view the photos. The first night after dinner the staff all came out singing with a birthday cake. Very nice touch. After cake our guide Russell presented me with a Maasai Warrior club with custom beading. Thank you.

The animals were more than we would have ever imagined. The quantity of what we saw every day was matched by the quality. Standing in our Land Cruiser with thousands of Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala, and Gazelle surrounding us is hard to explain. Wild animals as far as you could see, 360 degrees. Of course the daytime viewing is only half of the story, listening to the Lions at night is a special treat.

Our guide, Russell has to be the best of the best. This man knew everything about everything and was as humble as you could get. Not only could he name a small bird from 300 yards but he knew the history of his country inside and out. He was a pleasure to travel with and most days were spent laughing, usually and something dumb I said. His patients and his ability to read what the animals were going to do before they did it always put me in the perfect spot for photos. Not only the animal but the light. His ability to spot animals and drive those roads and miss all the big bumps was impressive. I can’t help but feel I left a good friend behind in Russell and wish him the best in everything he does.

Since I’ve been back I’ve been asked to rate the trip on a scale from 1-10, the answer is easy. It was a 50. Thank you to all at ADS who put this trip together, well planned and amazingly executed.

Eric P.
Sacramento, California
Safari Dates: September 8, 2016 to September 18, 2016

  1. Great pictures! What lense did you use? I will be going next August and want to be sure I have a sufficient lense for photographing the animals.

    1. Thank you for your kind comment and I’m glad you enjoyed them. I use all Nikon equipment, D7100 body for these and the 80-400 lense. Keep in mind the D7100 is a crop sensor body so in effect it is actually a 600 mm lense. Hope that helps and enjoy your safari.

  2. Wonderful photos! That Leopard is spectacular!! Have just started going through ours. We so agree about the soups – so delicious! Kicking myself for not asking for recipes! Would you mind sharing?