Posts From July 2013

I Recommend ADS To Help Make That Dream A Reality.

My wife, my two teenage daughters and I are home from Africa, but find ourselves wishing we were still back in the Serengeti!

We recently returned from a 12-day safari organized through Africa Dream Safaris, and it was all that we hoped for and more. I wanted to make this trip to see the animals of the Serengeti and Tarangire in the wild before that chance is gone, and for my kids to have the opportunity to do the same and to be able to tell their children of all that they saw. If you share any similar dreams, I encourage you to pursue them. No documentary can compare to seeing first hand giraffes grazing amongst acacia, hearing the roar of lions nearby at night, or the sound of a multitude of wildebeests as they cross the open plains.

We were blessed with many great moments (thanks in large part to the abundant wildlife Tanzania affords and to the amazing spotting skills of our guide), but some of our favorites memories include the following:

– Seeing hippos in the Mara river from our small plane as we were landing in the northern Serengeti

– Immediately being amongst the wildlife and encountering crocodiles, hippos, elephants, giraffes, zebra, and wildebeests within 15 minutes of landing

– Game driving through the rolling hills and kopjes of the northern Serengeti and anxiously awaiting what we might find around each turn

– Seeing lionesses calmly looking for prey in the golden morning light

– Spotting a leopard, and then her cub, in a tree with a freshly killed impala

– Watching the same leopard cub inadvertently drop the kill from the tree branch to the ground, much to the annoyance of its mother

– The sight of a herd of elephants in the Lobo Valley crossing within yards of us and the sound as one turned and trumpeted at us

– Spotting a rhino and seeing how he dwarfed the wildebeests around him

– The call of hyenas at night immediately outside our tent at Seronera Sametu, and later the roar of lions as they passed through camp

– The incredible vistas and sunsets on the Serengeti

– Hearing the rush of the grass and seeing the speed of cheetahs as they took off after an impala

– Seeing the harshness of the wild as we came upon a badly wounded hyena in Ngorongoro Crater that had clearly lost a battle the night before and was limping up to take perhaps its last drink of water

– Getting another sense of the same upon seeing a pride of lions feast on a fresh water buffalo kill

– Experiencing the friendliness of the Tanzanian people as we stopped to shop for a Kanga in Mosquito Creek

– And, finally, trying to hang on to as many images as we could our last night on safari as impala, elephants, giraffe, and waterbucks all grazed within yards of our tent while dusk set in on the Tarangire. Some of our photos capturing these memories are set forth below.

As others have consistently spoken of, the help African Dream Safaris provides in planning a trip such as this is incredible. Our planning guide, Lynn, was fantastic. She was extremely responsive to our questions (which were endless), diligent in planning an itinerary and accommodations that matched our visions (which among the four of us were diverse), and invaluable with the additional ideas and suggestions she offered. We needed and wanted some guidance and direction on setting up our trip. If you are in a similar situation, I believe you will find those needs more than met by ADS.

If you are concerned about spending multiple days in the same vehicle with the same guide, don’t be. It’s clear that ADS invests in finding quality people to lead their safaris. Our guide, Claude, was perfect. As mentioned above, his game spotting skills and wildlife knowledge were impressive. But more importantly, by the end of our safari, we felt we had a true friend.

Claude’s warm greeting and easy going demeanor immediately set us at ease. He welcomed our questions (which, again, were endless), was interested in getting to know us and in hearing of our experiences, and shared some of his with us. In between game viewing and learning about all the wildlife we were seeing, we talked of things that ran the gamut from backpacking to books, from football to fracking.

While always willing to talk, Claude was sensitive to allowing some quiet time to just take in all that we were seeing. He wanted to be sure we saw as much game as possible and offered suggestions on plans for each day, but respected whatever schedule we wanted. As I say, by the end of our trip, we felt we were saying farewell to a good friend, and we sincerely miss him.

If you’re thinking of going on safari, I encourage you to do so. And based on our experience, we are very comfortable recommending ADS to help make that dream a reality.

Ed, Sandy, Shannon and Kelly T.
Santa Barbara, California
Safari dates July 14-July 26, 2013

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By Raphael Mollel – A Wonderful Safari in Tanzania

Jambo! My name is Raphael, a guide with ADS, and I have just finished my safari ending July 27, 2013 with 2 guests from California named Pamela and Vernon. It was a superb itinerary as we spent a total of 13 nights together out on safari including 3 nights in the North Serengeti at Lemala Camp, 2 nights in Northeastern Serengeti/Loliondo Game Reserve at Buffalo Camp, 3 nights in the Central Serengeti at the Four Seasons Bilila Lodge, 2 nights in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area at Lion’s Paw Camp, 1 night near Lake Manyara at the Manor Lodge and our final 2 nights at Swala Camp in Tarangire National Park.

The northern region of the Serengeti National Park was really amazing on this safari. We saw all the big five (rhino, elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard) in one day. It is very rare to see all these species of animals in a single day as their behavior and preferred habitats do not frequently overlap. Apart from the big five, we saw the wildebeest migration crossing the Sand River, three cheetahs together, antelopes, giraffes, eland, ostriches, hyrax etc.

While staying at Buffalo Camp in the Loliondo Game Reserve, we visited a Maasai Village and were lucky that it happened to be the day one warrior was getting married. We witnessed a Maasai wedding ceremony which was really beautiful. They sang several songs and the warriors were jumping very high as if they were competing, but it was Furaha tu.

The central part of the Serengeti was attractive because we saw a mother cheetah with two cubs hunting a baby Thomson Gazelle and she successful caught it. Amazingly, she didn’t kill the gazelle but brought it back to her cubs and then released it. We then realized that she was teaching her cubs hunting techniques. Also in the central Serengeti, we saw two male elephants fighting around Seronera Valley probably for females or rank. Retima hippo pool was amazing as well due to the many hippos we found there.

Our descent into the Ngorongoro crater early one morning at 6.00am paid off as we came across four lionesses killing a buffalo right in the middle of water (Munge river). This was another highlight of the safari.

Lake Manyara National Park was beautiful, as well. The underground water forest was very green and we spotted several species of primates including baboons and both blue and vervet monkeys.

Amonng the highlights in Tarangire National Park was spotting a leopard close by and watching a herd of elephants bathing in Silale Swamp. The Tarangire migration of wildebeest and zebra (separate to the more famous Serengeti migration) was located in the central areas of the Tarangire Ecosystem. I have included several pictures I took while on safari including:

A beautiful leopard with it’s kill (baby wildebeest) in a tree (North Serengeti).

This mark in the North Serengeti marks the border between Tanzania and Kenya.

This is a picture of a leopard yawning on top of a rock in north Serengeti.

This giraffe is licking salt in order to replace lacking minerals in his body.

A female lion urinating very close to a male trying to show him that she is in heat.

Wildebeest migration crossing sand river.

Maasai warrior at Loliondo jumping very high when one of them got married.

It was in the Central Serengeti (Seronera Valley) that these male elephants were fighting.

In the Munge river of the Ngorongoro Crater we saw these four lionesses kill a buffalo.

This male lion was marking his territory on our car (Ngorongoro Crater).

A beautiful picture of wildebeest horns.

This is the nest of a Hammerkop bird. It is a very tiny bird that builds unusually large nests with different raw materials like nails, metals, woods, nylons, plastics, etc. That’s why it is known a superstitious bird.

Thanks,
Raphael Mollel
ADS Guide

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Wall Street Journal Article – ADS Partners With School Of St Jude

Africa Dream Safaris has partnered with the School of St Jude, which provides free education to about sixteen hundred children in Arusha, Tanzania. ADS will now be donating two-thousand hot lunches every month to the school of the School of St Jude. To read the Wall Street Journal article, click on Africa Dream Safaris Reviews. For our guests conducting African Safari Tours, we can offer trips to the school. This is recommended on your African Safari layover day though we can certainly provide the tour on your last day if flying the late night KLM Airlines or Turkish Airways departure. We can provide two basic tours with the first being an inspection of the school followed by lunch with the school children in the cafeteria. The second trip adds a bus ride with the children at the end of the school day followed by a home visit. Both tours make a wonderful complement to any african safari and returning client feedback and reviews have been very positive.

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Group Safaris with ADS!

Let the ADS team host your next family reunion, company function or conference. It’s rare to find such a special place as Tanzania, a remote wilderness that still offers sophisticated accommodations and comfortable amenities able to accommodate a large group of people. Tanzania offers an endless variety of options and activities to satisfy a wide range of people of different backgrounds, ages, styles and tastes. With a mix of game drives, walking safaris, swimming pools, hot air balloon rides, cultural interactions and other exciting activities to choose from, you can rest assured that each individual guest will be satisfied, and together your group will make memories they can share forever!

With our experience designing exclusively private safaris, ADS offers the level of competence to successfully manage a larger group of people. Whether it be private charter flights, flexible schedules, or conference facilities ‘in the bush’, we have the level of experience and strong local relationships to make it happen. We can arrange special entertainment for your group such as Maasai dancers, hot air balloon rides, bush dinners, spa packages or even a guest speaker from one of our humanitarian or conservation partners such as FAME or the Serengeti Lion Project.

Let ADS tailor a customized program that designed especially for your group’s specific needs, and make your next get-together the most memorable one yet!

For more details including group-specific guest testimonials and a sample safari itinerary, please visit: africadreamsafaris.com/group-safaris

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Our African Adventure

Our Family Safari began with the spotting of 10 lion cubs and their mothers near a water hole. We were able to watch two of the lionesses unsuccessfully chase a warthog family for lunch.  This was just in the first hour of our landing at the airstrip on our way to Ngorongoro Crater and Lion’s Paw camp!  Immediately after that sighting, we came upon a cheetah hungrily eyeing a few impalas. Then in the distance a lone very large elephant appeared strolling purposefully toward an unknown destination. While we watched the elephant, the giraffes appeared as if on cue, then the zebras, impalas, Tommy gazelles, wildebeests, and countless other animals.  The birds put on their show with incredible displays of bright colors as they tried to outdo the furry four legged creatures.

The above barely describes our excitement and joy at seeing Africa’s offerings during our first hours on the ground. Our enthusiasm grew as we went through the days of our safari with Thomson and Arnold our drivers and excellent guides.  They answered all of our questions with thorough and  knowledgeable facts about any and everything we asked, like “What does that bird eat?”  “What is a termite mound made of?”  They even showed us what hyena poop looks like.  They shared the Swahili names for all the animals and birds and some of us were quite able to say the name for each animal before we left our Safari.

We entered each camp with a great sense of anticipation, wonder and surprise…that it could even be out there in the bush with all the conveniences, excellent food, caring and attentive attendants and hosts, and with the feeling of safety and comfort. Because of the size of our group (10) we were the only guests at a couple of the camps.  What an experience to feel as if it is your very own private place in paradise! It was amazing to see our “city” grandkids adapt so easily to their new environments at each place. The grownups managed very well also as they sampled the local refreshments at the camp bars.

The following note from our granddaughter, accompanied by a sketch of a leopard lounging in a tree, pretty much says it all about the joy and pleasure we experienced on our family African Dream Safari:

—–
Dear Bibi and Babu, (Swahili for Grandma & Grandpa)

Asanta sana for the trip! It was by far the best trip in the world.  I had so much fun and learned a lot. I’ve seen things so amazing I’ll never forget them. I got to spend time with my grandparents and cousins. I had a wonderful time in a place that is impossible to forget.  I cannot say how thankful I am.

You took me to see God’s glorious creation and there are no words to thank you for that.  I made memories that I treasure far more than any trinket. The fact that I was in AFRICA still blows my mind. I have amazing tales and funny stories and I cannot thank you enough for that.  I love you.
—–

That little note speaks volumes about our African adventure.  Our thanks and appreciation to you, Sharon, for all your work in coordinating and arranging every detail of our trip for 10 people from the time we set foot on the ground at Kilimanjaro until we boarded our plane back to the U.S.  Your guides, drivers, and hosts were exceptional and are commended for their attention and caring  manner for all of us. They were always cheerfully ready to go above and beyond to make our trip the best ever. While we absorbed the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangiri, Lake Manyara, Mara River, Lobo Game Reserve and the incomparable Maasai village near Buffalo Springs luxury camp, one might say they OVERACHIEVED, and we loved it!

These are our comments on the trip .  Our daughter Christine wrote a great description which you published earlier with the heading of “ 84 lions.”

Asante sana,

Ruth Ann and Bob R.
Accompanying us were Chris, Mark, Mason & Kylie Mark, Kathi, Elizabeth and Robert
Hobson, MT and Scottsdale, AZ
Safari Dates: July 17, 2013 to July 28, 2013

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The Trip You’ve Been Waiting for Your Whole Life

Our new Trip of a Lifetime section highlights safaris for senior guests who enjoy the exclusivity of a private and custom program tailored to their specific interests and needs. Our pre-safari planning service ensures that guests are well prepared for their trip before they ever step foot on Tanzanian soil. And once in the country, all safaris are 100% escorted and chauffeured from arrival to departure including VIP assistance with customs and immigration at the airport.

We host many elderly clients without any problems whatsoever and ask each guest ahead of time about health concerns or medical conditions that we should be aware of. You can rest assured we take extra care to make sure our guests are as comfortable as possible throughout the entire duration of their trip. If mobility is a concern, we can request guest rooms that are close to the common areas at the various lodges/hotels. Aside from walking from the vehicle to one’s guest room, very little walking is required on a trip like this. Part of the beauty of a private safari is that you can move at your own pace.

For more details including specific guest testimonials and a sample safari itinerary, please visit: africadreamsafaris.com/trip-of-a-lifetime

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By Russell Temu – Big Cats of the Serengeti

My name is Russell Thomas Temu, a professional guide based in Tanzania employed with Africa Dream Safaris. This time I had a safari for 10 nights (July 20th to July 30th) with our great guests by the names of Donna and John L. and Faye and Jeff G. We started from the Northern Serengeti around the Mara river on July 20th where the wildebeest migration is currently located. We continued exploring the Central Serengeti (Seronera Valley area) and the Western Serengeti (Western Corridor) before we ended our safari in Tarangire National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater.

I am pleased to share with you the following pictures taken on this safari documenting the predatory behaviors of the three big cats of the Serengeti.

Picture No.
006 – Lioness preying on a Zebra close to Mara river.
011 – A leopard walking across the grass toward the granite rock kopjes.
016 – A male Cheetah (one of the two brothers) preying on a grant gazelle.
005 – A mother Cheetah with her cub around Lamai triangle in the Northern Serengeti.

Thank you very much.
Russell Thomas Temu
ADS Guide

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Tanzania – A Dream Come True Romantic Getaway

Visit the new Romantic Getaways section of our website to learn how ADS can be the perfect host to your honeymoon, anniversary or intimate getaway. Combining the best of exotic adventure, beautiful wildlife, luxurious accommodations and pristine beaches, Tanzania is the absolute best destination for romance. Get ready to embark on a grand adventure with your loved one and make memories you will share for a lifetime.

Stalk a leopard. Lose yourself in a million wildebeests. Watch a crimson sunrise wake the Serengeti from a night of silver moonlight and lion roars. Indulge in decadent luxury, gourmet food and world-class service. Feel the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. Connect with nature, lose track of time, and live an epic story that will be well worth retelling to future generations. Nature’s harshness and beauty that governs daily life in Africa; a paradox that will delight, inspire and humble you. Experience it together.

From your initial consultation with your safari consultant, to the day you bid farewell to your guide and board for your return flight home, ADS covers every minute detail to ensure that your safari is the trip of a lifetime you’ve always imagined.

For more details including honeymoon and anniversary testimonials and a sample itinerary visit: africadreamsafaris.com/romantic-getaways

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Within 15 minutes We Were Watching Five Lions A Cape Buffalo

We have been back for two weeks from our Tanzania Safari. As you can well imagine, none of our group of eleven wanted to come home at the end of our week stay.

You did a fantastic job Sharon, of planning our trip. We started with the Ngorongoro Crater and working our way up to the northern Serengeti and flew back to Arusha on our last day.

Our Drivers, Francis and Ema, meet us at the Kilimanjaro Airport and took us to the Mount Meru hotel our first night. We had a easy time getting through customs with the help of the Arusha office crew.

Our second day drive to Ngorongoro went very well and we did a game drive en route. The highlight of day two was going down into the crater. We parked along a river bank and within 15 minutes we were watching five lions consume the last of a Cape Buffalo they had captured. It was interesting to watch the surrounding area to see the Hyenas and Jackals who were gathering and waiting their turn with the Buffalo. We returned to the same sight the next day and there must have been 35 Hyenas gathered around, but only one of them had a small scrap from yesterdays kill.

The Sopa Lodge on the lip of the crater was a perfect transition into our safari experience. As we drove into the Central Serengti we had a real treat. Our driver, Francis, spotted a Black Rhino that was wandering out of the protected area of the National park. This is not good because given the chance, poachers waiting just outside the park and would have killed the Rhino. Francis radioed a relative of his who worked for the conservation department, and reported this situation. Within a half hour, a truck load of Park Rangers arrived and began to herd the Rhino back towards the park. It was very exciting to follow the drama as it unfolded. Things would go fine for awhile, and then the Rhino would get dissatisfied with the whole thing and he would stop and spin around to have a face off with the truck. We could have followed them all afternoon, but had to leave so we could reach our lodging at the Seronera Sametu Camp.

The Sametu Camp was more than anyone expected. The consensus was, we want to stay here forever. Sleeping in the middle of the Serengeti is an experience everyone should try just once in their lifetime. The next morning we did a morning game drive and were rewarded with a Cheetah and her cubs, playing in the track.

Going north to the Buffalo Springs Lodge was an adventure. Stopped at the Hippo pool. Seeing 150 Hippos lounging in the mud is quite a site.

Got to Buffalo Spring and guess what? Every one wanted to “STAY HERE FOREVER”. The setting is beautiful, and the food was great!

The Wildebeest migration was amazing. There must have been a million of them in small herds, and one long line of wildebeest, streached from left to right for as far as you could see in either direction.

We departed the Lobo Airstrip and flew back to Arusha in a Cessna Caravan. Being a recently retired pilot and riding right seat up front was a special treat for me.

We returned to Amsterdam with so many special memories. Your group does an amazing job. You truly did create a Dream Safari.

Asante Sana,

Hank & Judy H.
Carrollton, Texas
July 22, 2013 to July 29, 2013

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She Made Her Lighting Fast Move To Claim A Zebra For Dinner

This was our third safari to East Africa, second to Tanzania.  Each experience is unique, however this was truly an African Dream come true.  The gift of having just your party in a safari truck with your own guide, tutor, caretaker and protector was a five-star experience.  The beauty of the countryside , the stillness of long plains, waist-high bleached grass, acacia trees shading accompanied by the sound track of the wildebeest’s gentle “Gnu” broken by the  elephant breaking down bushes and limbs, the almost silent padding of the cats crossing in the soft dirt all create a never to be forgotten experience.  The colors of Africa, from the red robes of the Maasai to the tawny coats of the cats to the bright colors of the birds blend with the landscape.  The light remains in the memory long after we traveled back to the rush of everyday life.

The countless photos try but cannot capture the startling awareness of exotic animals carelessly near to you.  Is there a high as high as looking into a lion’s golden eyes, as curious about us as we are about them?  Watching the animals move, run, hunt, love, nurse and cuddle their young is indescribable .

The cheetahs did not jump on our truck, but a male lion padded around and down the side of the truck, staring up at us, inches from the camera.  Several trucks were parked around a watering hole with hundreds of zebras pushing each other for a drink.  The truck radios were alive that a single lioness had been spotted in the area.  I moved my camera to get a shot of the large group of trucks with cameras all posed on the zebras when the lioness was spotted casually lying between two trucks with no one aware she was there.  When a truck started up the noise distracted the zebras and she made her lighting fast move to claim a baby zebra for dinner in the middle of the stampede.   The leopards and cheetahs were beautiful but the lions on their “honeymoon” and with their cubs hold a special place in our memory.

Most of us make this journey for the experience of the great migration and the animals.  Some of our most memorable experiences were to step away from the discovery channel of animals to the people of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.  Sitting by a campfire on the rim of the Crater discussing Africa today with two ADS guides, talking to the man who oversees a coffee plantation and the women carefully picking future Starbuck coffee beans, or visiting  FAME and meeting Dr. Frank and Susan whose remarkable clinic and hospital care for the Maasai are experiences that we recommend highly.

A special thank you to our wonderful  guide and teacher, Emmanuel “EMA” who treated us as fellow travelers not tourists and to “Mama Simba”, Sharon  who designed our trip for June, 2013.  What a great Birthday for us!

Asante Sana

Susan and Joe
Orange County, California
Safari Dates: June 13, 2013 to June 21, 2013

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By Ally Dhulkfil – Safari Report July 22, 2013

Warm greetings from my home in Arusha, Tanzania. My name is Ally and I am a professional safari guide with Africa Dream Safari. I have just concluded a safari with two guests from Staten Island New York named Tony and his wife Colleen. The safari dates were July 14th to July 20th.

We had a wonderful time and were lucky to have quite a few tremendous game viewing opportunities during our 6 nights together. We started our safari from the north part of the Serengeti ecosystem, where we saw the wildebeest migration. We stayed 1 night at the Lemala Camp before continuing on to Buffalo Camp in the Loliondo Game Reserve. After Buffalo, we spent two nights in the Central Serengeti at the Four Seasons Lodge for a chance to see some of the resident animals that inhabit the Serengeti including the big cats. We finished our safari with a final night on the Ngorongoro Crater at Lion’s Paw Camp, which is a great bush camp and a nice place to end an adventure.

I have attached a couple picture here to my posting including the wildebeest migration in Lamai Triangle, North Serengeti. It was really awesome when we saw them in a single profile and with some groups of elephants. Another photo included here is in Nyamalumbwa valley where we found some Giraffes posing for our cameras. Lastly, when we were in Seronera valley in the Central Serengeti we encountered some hippos basking in the sun along the banks of the Seronera river.

Thanks,

Ally – ADS guide.
July 22, 2013

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We Saw 84 Lions, 9 Cheetahs and 7 Leopards!

We’re still enjoying our safari ‘high’ and are very excited to share our adventure with you!

The trip you planned for us was a fabulous overview of all of Tanzania. We started at the Ngorongoro Crater, turned south to beautiful Tarangire, traveled through the central Serengeti, headed north to track the wildebeest herds along the Mara River and concluded our adventure in the Lobo game reserve.

After our group of ten arrived at the Ndutu airstrip, we were met by our guides Arnold Mushi and Thomson Maleki who were fabulous! They were always eager to find exciting animal encounters, eternally patient with our unceasing photography demands and full of detailed information about any animal/bird/reptile we saw. Arnold would frequently shout out, “How is everybody??” and we would enthusiastically respond! The bar was set extremely high right off the bat as we saw not only a lioness hunting warthog, but a group of ten lion cubs who came down to the water to drink right in front of us! Absolutely magical!!

Though a few of our days were long and we covered many km, when we arrived at each camp there were smiling faces, eucalyptus-scented cloths to wipe away the trail dust and a chilled beverage to refresh us! Each camp was more amazing than the last. Our ‘tent’ accommodations were absolutely top notch with all the comforts of home. Our favorites were Lion’s Paw at the Ngoronogoro Crater and Swala.

At Lion’s Paw, our sundowner was the perfect place to watch a beautiful sunset before we enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Jonas and his staff before we snuggled into our beds in the chilly air. The hot water bottles awaiting us were the perfect touch!

At Swala, we were delighted to have front row seats for a controlled burn of the grass during dinner and lions roaring virtually in our ears at night. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the crazy antics of an African Harrier Hawk as he hung upside down in a nearby tree. Chris and his crew were spectacular hosts.

Our stay at Seronera Sametu was highlighted by a ‘close encounter’ with a lioness who was stalking buffalo near camp. She popped up out of the tall grass and gave my husband and one of the camp guards quite a start! Very exciting!!

Our trek to LeMala Mara was chock full of African wildlife; the hippos crowding the hippo pools of the Mara River and seeing a lion family devour a freshly killed wildebeest were truly memorable sights.

Our final days were spent at the beautiful Buffalo Luxury camp. My daughter, a budding artist, loved that they had drawing supplies available in the lounge so she could put some of the amazing animals we saw down on paper. Our host, Chris, took us on a wonderful walking safari and even organized a hilltop sundowner for our last evening. The food was spectacular (loved those loaf-sized dinner rolls) and they even baked a birthday cake to help celebrate a special birthday for Kathi. Another truly memorable experience was the opportunity to visit a nearby Maasai village and learn about their lifestyle. They welcomed us warmly and we thoroughly enjoyed their melodic singing, jumping and dancing!

Our animal encounters were amazing! All in all we saw 84 lions, 9 cheetahs and 7 leopards along with countless elephants, giraffe, hippo, monkeys, wildebeest, Tomi’s and many beautiful birds. As a group, we took over 10,000 photos! Despite what we thought Africa would be like, it was so much MORE than we expected and the fabulous planning and attention to every detail sets Africa Dream Safaris apart. It was truly the trip of a lifetime!

As Arnold would say, “Every day is a good day… in the bush!!”

Thank you Sharon for putting together our adventure, we sincerely hope it is not too long before we can return to the magic of Africa.

Asante Sana!!

Chris, Mark, Mason & Kylie (Naperville, Illinois)
Mark, Kathi, Liz & Robby (Avondale, Pennsylvania)
Bob & Ruth Ann (Scottsdale, Arizona)
Safari Dates: July 14, 2013 to July 29, 2013

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We Witnessed Close-Up The Many Wonders Of The Serengeti

From the warm greeting at Kilimanjaro Airport to the waves goodbye at the Lobo Airstrip eight days later, we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our Africa Dream Safari experience. Our guide, Michael, couldn’t have been more pleasant and knowledgeable. His instincts expertly positioned us to witness close-up the many wonders of the Serengeti, and his information and insights were fun and fascinating. The accommodations were all first-rate and the friendly service was greatly appreciated.

Our first morning at the Ngorongoro Crater was so exciting, I feared the trip could only go downhill from there. To our delight, each day in the Central and Northern Serengeti brought new and different experiences.

That first full day on safari, we were awakened at 6 am when coffee was delivered to our luxury tent at Lion’s Paw, and after a hot and tasty breakfast, we drove to the Crater floor. Within the hour, Michael spotted hyenas trailing a water buffalo and her calf and suggested we follow. To our amazement, we witnessed the killing not only of the calf by the hyenas, but the subsequent attack on the mother by four lionesses. Two kills before 8:30 on the first morning! Micheal said we were lucky, but the next day when he positioned us perfectly to see a leopard ambush a gazelle, I realized just how lucky we were to have him as our private guide.

Dawn Anderson couldn’t have been more helpful and the safari she designed for us was everything we hoped it would be. We had been referred to Dawn and ADS by close friends, and we have already recommended ADS to other friends.

Asante sana, ADS Team. Here are just a few of our favorite photos.

Bill B. and Lisa W.
Walnut Creek, California
July 22, 2013 to July 29, 2013

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By David Chando with Marty and Louisa from New York

Once again this is David Chando reporting in from Arusha, Tanzania after having completed another successful safari. This time I had the privilege of guiding a safari for a couple from New York named Marty and Louisa. After the guests having spent two nights in Arusha to rest up from their international flight, I welcomed them to the Serengeti on July 2nd when they arrived at the Mara River airstrip in the upper northern reaches of the Serengeti.

My guests and I very much enjoyed our time together. The safari was short but sweet so to speak. We spent a total of 6 nights in the bush with 2 nights at Buffalo Luxury Camp in the North Serengeti, 2 nights at the Four Seasons Bilila Lodge in the Central Serengeti and 2 nights in the Ngorongoro Crater area with 1 night at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge and 1 night at Plantation Lodge.

There were many memorable wildlife viewing highlights but a few that come to mind were watching the wildebeest cross the Mara River (my first viewing for this season), a female lion with a gazelle kill, a large group of hippos at Retina Pool and a close encounter with a bull elephant in Lake Manyara National Park.

Sincerely,

David Chando
ADS Driver Guide
July 20, 2013

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Family Safaris with ADS!

We’ve just added a whole new section to the ADS website that highlights our family safari offerings! Take a peek through tons of photos and testimonials of families who have traveled with ADS in the past and view fun-filled a sample itinerary for a private and custom-tailored family vacation.

ADS Puts Your Safety First

Tanzania is a very safe, secure and tourist-friendly country. Your family’s comfort and peace of mind are our first priority when you travel with ADS. We have offices both in the U.S. and Tanzania to support all segments of your trip. All safaris are 100% escorted and chauffeured from arrival to departure.

Custom & Flexible Itineraries

Flexibility is key when traveling with children. ADS specializes in private safaris and helps you set your own agenda so you won’t be tied to rigid itineraries and fixed timetables. You can depart on any day of your choice and for any duration of your choosing. While out on game drives, you’re free to make stops when you want and return to camp when the children tire.

Fun-Filled Family Activities

Choose which fun and educational adventures the whole family will enjoy! From full-day game drives and educational nature walks, to balloon safarisvisits to the Maasai tribe and Poli Village School – there’s so much to learn and fun to be had in Tanzania! ADS will work with you to plan a safari adventure that suits every family member’s bucket list. Your professional guide will be your companion, your teacher, and at your service for the duration of your safari.

Please feel free to take a look at our new family section of the ADS website featuring loads of helpful information to help you plan your dream vacation!

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