When you grow up watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, and your husband asks you where you’d like to go for a milestone birthday, you say, “On safari!” At least I did, and our experience was incredible!

When we landed at Kilimanjaro Airport dazed and jetlagged, we were so grateful for the ADS greeting staff who met us on the tarmac, took our luggage and guided us to the VIP Lounge that had comfy couches, water, snacks and a dedicated immigration officer.

Once through immigration, Joseph, our Arusha guide, picked us up and gave us an overview of both Tanzania and Arusha as we drove to the Arusha Coffee Lodge. The next morning, Joseph led us on a tour of Arusha, stopping at its immense food market, the Cultural Center and Shanga. The next day we boarded our small plane into the Serengeti. It was fascinating to watch the varied landscape as we cruised towards the endless plain.

Dr. Alex, our guide for the week, met us at the Seronera Airstrip, where our safari adventure quickly began. Within minutes of leaving the airstrip, we saw hyena and baboons crossing the road. And within half an hour, we had added giraffe, elephants enjoying a mud bath 10 feet off the road, hippos and a leopard resting in a tree!

By end of the day, as we made our way west to the Kirawira Tented Lodge, we had seen 17 different species of animals, not including a wide variety of birds, and a huge cobra who was not so happy to share the road with us!

With our necks on swivel and our eyes popping, we knew that we truly had landed in the midst of the Wild Kingdom! But the question in the back of our heads was, had we seen it all on the very first day? The answer would be a resounding “NO!”

With Kirawira as our base for two nights, we explored the western area of the Serengeti. As we drove through herds of zebra and gazelle grazing in the grasses, we spotted three lumps in the grass through the binoculars. Dr. Alex angled the Land Cruiser through the game tracks where we came upon three lions resting in the grassland.

The lions were completely unperturbed by our vehicle and we were able to enjoy their majesty with quiet respect. We continued on and spied a cheetah and her juvenile in search of a quick snack or a shady tree to rest under. The gazelles weren’t cooperating for them, so a siesta it was under the acacia tree.

After our picnic lunch and herds of topi, gazelles and water buffalo close by, we noticed a large bush with an odd brown color atop it. Dr. Alex navigated for a closer look, and even he was surprised to see not one, but two lions resting in its leaves, away from the flies and the heat of the sun.

After we arrived back at camp and cleaned up after our long day’s adventure, Dr. Alex joined us for a spectacular dinner surprise, courtesy of ADS. The staff at Kirawira pulled out all the stops and the chef created a feast for us to enjoy under the stars, with a roaring bonfire and flambéed bananas Foster for dessert! Kirawira was my favorite lodge, with its private, luxurious stilted tents overlooking the valley. Gorgeous!

Leaving Kirawira in the morning, we made our way back to the central Serengeti, on our way to the remote Mbuzi Mawe Tented Lodge, which is tucked in the Kimasi Kopjes. As we drove through the central part of the park, Mike asked Dr. Alex when the wildebeest migration was expected to arrive. “Look on the horizon. See those dots? Here they come,” was his response.

Within minutes, the plains began to flood with wildebeest as the first 400,000, out of the expected 1.8 million animals, arrived. Grunting loudly, their dusty chaos filled the area as they swept across the roadways in search of greener grasses.

Males jousted for position in the herd or mated; females nursed their babies while they moved around our vehicular rock in a migratory stream. Cattle egrets, vultures and eagles made their way to take advantage of the bounty the herd would provide. Over the next few days, the herd would settle into a calmer pattern of feeding and resting, but the initial influx was overwhelming in its frenetic energy.

Continuing on to the Lodge, we stopped to observe herds of elephants uprooting plants, towers of giraffes enjoying tender leaves amongst the spines of the whistling acacia and a bloat of hippos lolling at the river crossing. When we arrived at camp, we were treated to a game hike amongst the kopjes with the armed camp ranger, Victoria, and the camp naturalist as our guide. Another surprise set up by ADS!

For the next two days we explored throughout the central Serengeti. Dr. Alex knows just where to go to get uninterrupted animal viewing, since he created some of the game tracks during his years as Head Ecologist. We were often the only vehicle within sight as we watched the animals of the Serengeti in their daily activities.

My favorite moment was when we saw a lion on a small outcropping of rocks. As we got closer, we noticed a mother and two-month old cub resting in the grass at the foot of the rocks. While the cub was a little wary of our vehicle, it was reassured by mom’s complete indifference to us. I was overcome by the beauty of the moment.

After our third night at Mbuzi Mawe it was time to continue on towards the Ngorongoro Crater. It was then that the inevitable happened, a flat tire. Luckily, we were on the main road, in an arid area, with no long grass to hide potential predators.

Just as Dr. Alex was preparing the Land Cruiser to change the tire, another group of guides stopped to help us. With his years of experience, Dr. Alex has made connections throughout the community. These connections helped make fast work of an unpleasant job, and we were back on the road within 20 minutes.

We stopped at Olduvai (“Oldupai” in Maasai) Gorge for lunch and an informative talk about the significance of the gorge in the evolution of early mankind. We had time for a game drive within the Ngorongoro Crater before we headed back up the rim to the Lion’s Paw Camp for our final two nights.

Lion’s Paw has a spectacular view overlooking the Crater, especially at sunset. It was Mike’s favorite lodge due to its location within the Ngorongoro Crater Park and the friendly staff.

The Ngorongoro Crater provided more amazing wildlife opportunities, including lionesses and their cubs feeding on a fresh wildebeest kill. Although there was more vehicle traffic in the crater due to its size, Dr. Alex was able to navigate away from the main track on the crater floor.

We went up into the woodlands where we observed more elephants and even a black rhino with her calf. Back in the crater, we saw lions cooling off on the mudpan, as well as a male lion who spent his day in the grasses next to the road. In the morning, we watched the fog roll over the top of the crater and spill down the sides.

On our last full day, we enjoyed a special tiffin lunch, which Dr. Alex had awoken the chef at 4:30 a.m. to prepare! At dinner, we were honored by a special presentation of a cake, with the entire staff singing and dancing as they processed into the dining room. Yet another special touch by ADS to make our time in Tanzania even more memorable.

Our trip came to an end with a drive from the crater, back through the countryside and into Arusha. We refreshed ourselves in our room and had an early dinner before Dr. Alex and Joseph drove us to the airport for our flight home. We were able to get a glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro as a final gift before departing Tanzania with wonderful memories of an unforgettable trip of a lifetime!

Dr. Alex was a tremendous asset to our trip. With his background in the bush, PhD in Ecology, international research, tenure as the Head Ecologist of the Serengeti National Park and his years in the Hospitality industry, I challenge you to find a guide with more experience, personal connections and in-depth knowledge of the Serengeti.

Thank you to Africa Dream Safaris for your attention to all the details, both big and small, which made our trip go seamlessly. It surpassed even my childhood dreams!

Margaret and Mike D.
Safari Dates: May 27, 2024 to June 5, 2024
Annapolis, Maryland