Posts From July 2009

Quote of the Week: Sal & Thomas LaForgia

An African safari had been a dream of mine for many years and the ADS adventure far exceeded my wildest expectations… a private custom safari is the only way to go… it definitely proves the paradigm less is more…

Thank you! The picturesque/vastness of the surroundings and its countless inhabitants was unimaginable … the experience to go off road and view from the open top vehicle on the move will never be forgotten. The countless lions and lionesses, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, wildebeests, zebras, giraffes… I could go on and on. There was no shortage of animals from the moment we touched down in our small aircraft in the Serengeti… ’til the moment we departed. I thought you might like a couple of the pictures/attachments (we took 1254… can you believe) … I.e. Mother good morning kiss to young son… and the youngsters wetting down playfully in the mud… there were too many so I kept it simple hadn’t seen anything like these so here they are…

I’ve been on your ADS Safari distribution mailings and pictures for almost a year… after reading the many great messages, I must say I attribute the complete success of our safari to [our guide]… You matched us perfectly with him… He made my grandson, Thomas a 15 yr old, feel completely relaxed as if he were a long lost friend from the moment we met him at the air strip. [Our guide] never failed to meet any of my grandson’s expectations… they became close buds and often would go off just talking of the animals and the country… He made it a point to ensure his curiosities’ were always satisfied. He was enjoyable to have about us and contributed to much laughter. His knowledge of the animals, their habits and social behavior, the terrain, and skills as a guide never ceased to amaze me. He was uncanny at spotting game we had not even seen with our binoculars… then he would go off road and position us perfectly to observe and photograph them. His extensive and detailed knowledge of the animals and the countryside was amazing. He was great at explaining their behaviors and bringing us into their world. His patience, expertise and gentle humor made him the perfect guide! It was clear that he listened to our special animal interests and never failed to find what we were hoping for… Please say “Hello” to him for us and wish him the happiest of Holidays and a healthy and “Happy New Year”. Thank you…

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the ADS staff and your planning of our entire adventure… from the schedule to the selection of our lodging… it was just superb as were the staffs and service at each facility. The food and wine likewise surprised me and far exceeded my expectations… we were always treated like royalty. Thank you.

So many people have asked me, since I’ve returned, about my trip to Africa. I encourage them not to wait too long to take a safari and especially an ADS safari. Thank you again for facilitating my grandson’s and my ADS…

Sal & Thomas LaForgia
July 2009

No Comments
Read Full Post

Quote of the Week: Thomas and Sal LaForgia

An African safari had been a dream of mine for many years and the ADS adventure far exceeded my wildest expectations… a private custom safari is the only way to go… it definitely proves the paradigm less is more. Thank you! The picturesque/vastness of the surroundings and its countless inhabitants was unimaginable … the experience to view from the open top vehicle on the move will never be forgotten. The countless lions and lionesses, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, wildebeests, zebras, giraffes… I could go on and on. […] I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the ADS staff and your planning of our entire adventure… from the schedule to the selection of our lodging… it was just superb as were the staffs and service at each facility. The food and wine likewise surprised me and far exceeded my expectations… we were always treated like royalty. Thank you.

Thomas and Sal LaForgia
July 2009

No Comments
Read Full Post

July 23, 2009

We have some exciting news from the bush today! The first sizeable herds of wildebeest were seen crossing the Mara River yesterday in the North Serengeti a few miles from the Kogatende ranger post. A few of our lucky clients out on african safari tours were absolutely delighted and we hear the crocodiles were equally thrilled. It’s always a magical moment every year when the first big herd of wildebeest launch themselves into the Mara River. There is no doubt now that we are in for an exciting and extended period of river crossings over the next several months as the bulk of the migration is still 60 miles to the southwest in the Western Serengeti and Grumeti Game Reserve as described in our postings below on July 20th and July 13th.

1 Comment
Read Full Post

July 20, 2009

The wildebeest migration continues to be dispersed in 3 main groups. The two smaller groups are located in the Northern Serengeti (specifically with one group just north of Bologonja Springs and the other in the Lamai Triangle). The third and largest group is still stagnated in the Western Serengeti (mainly north of the Grumeti River from the Ruwana Plains into the Grumeti Game Reserve). Our colleagues in the Masai Mara are reporting only a few widely scattered herds of wildebeest. Our guides reported in today that the Western Serengeti is beginning to dry out while the Northern Serengeti has received a few thundershowers and is relatively green. Accordingly, we anticipate this large and final herd that has stalled in the Western Corridor of the park to begin moving north again towards the Mara River and the Lamai Triangle. Meanwhile our guests out on african safaris so far in July have been enjoying river crossings of both the Grumeti River in the West Serengeti and the Mara River in the North Serengeti, which is a very unusual phenomenon.

No Comments
Read Full Post

July 13, 2009

Last week was an exciting week here in the Serengeti with the arrival of the President of Tanzania, Mr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete. It was even more exciting for one of our groups on tanzania safari who were able to meet the president as they happened to be at the Seronera airstrip when he first arrived. This group concluded their seven day safari in the Serengeti with spotting 5 leopards, 7 cheetahs, 62 lions, the wildebeest crossing the Grumeti River and meeting the President of Tanzania. Now that is going to be a tough safari to beat!

The President of Tanzania was in the Serengeti to celebrate the grand opening of Bilila Lodge, a new 5-star lodge just completed in the northern woodlands of the Central Serengeti. At the hotel’s inauguration, the president said “I have a deep seated love for the Serengeti and Bilila Lodge completes the ultimate Serengeti experience in terms of luxury and comfort…the opening of this lodge adds another dimension to the Serengeti, already the most famous national park in the world. As you may know, in 2006 the Serengeti National Park was voted one of the seven new wonders of the world.”

Now back to wildlife news…this year’s unusual northward migration pattern continues with the migratory wildebeest and zebra herds still fragmented in a dozen or more main herds throughout the Serengeti. The biggest and most reliable sightings so far this dry season have come from the western corridor of the park. The large herds in the Musabi Plains reported in our last positing on June 24th have continued their westward march, which culminated in several crossings of the Grumeti River last week. Tens of thousands of wildebeest are currently dispersed north of the Grumeti River in the western corridor with significant concentrations in the Ruwana plains.

Smaller herds of wildebeest have also recently been spotted throughout the Northern Serengeti with the biggest concentration just north of Bologonja Springs. The Mara River and Lamai Triangle area remain relatively quiet. By this time last year (as well as the 2007 northward migration), we had already witnessed several crossings of the Mara River into the Lamai Triangle. This year a significant portion of the migration is still 60 miles to the southwest crossing the Grumeti River in the Western Serengeti. All of us here at African Dream Safaris (along with the crocs of course) are eagerly awaiting the first significant crossing of the Mara River, which marks the culmination of the Northward Migration and the beginning of the main dry season period.

The typical dry season fires are now setting in throughout the Serengeti. The weather has been dry and warm though hopefully there will be a few scattered showers to generate new grass growth especially in the Northern Serengeti, which is the main dry season refuge for the wildebeest and zebra herds. The Central Serengeti remains better then usual for big cat (lion, cheetah and leopard) viewing. Though the wildebeest herds have long departed the Central Serengeti, there are still quite a few zebras around, which are keeping the large resident lion prides happily hunting along the water courses of Seronera. Two new lion cubs were spotted last week at Sametu Marsh. Our guide commented that he had never seen such young cubs before (estimated to be only a couple days old). Their eyes were still closed and both cubs were unable to walk more then a few feet without stumbling! The Sametu lion pride is well habituated to tourists. Also on the cat front, we are receiving consistent leopard sightings at Lobo Springs in the Northern Serengeti. Lastly, there have been several reports of unusually large groups of elephants near Wogakuria numbering over 200 individuals.

No Comments
Read Full Post