Posts From April 2015

I Never Did See Tarzan, But I Have Memories That Will Last A Lifetime.

I have dreamed of going to Africa ever since I was a little girl and watched my first Tarzan movie with Johnny Weissmuller. My dream started to become a reality when I inherited some money and booked my first safari with Sharon from ADS. Sharon was always there to answer all my questions and plan the perfect safari.

Our safari started on March 22, 2015 when we were met by Mathias at the Kilimanjaro airports. He put me at ease, and all my fears and anxiety disappeared.

Our first night was spent at the Mt Meru Hotel. What a hotel, this must be how the rich people live! We got up early for a hot breakfast on the veranda and then off with Mathias and Timan to the Arusha airport.

Once we landed at the Seronera airstrip in the central part of the Serengeti, we were met by Ally, our guide for the safari. He had a smile from ear to ear and was never far away from us. He answered all our questions, provided us with a wealth of information regarding the animals and the African culture. I especially enjoyed his sense of humor. His eyes were incredible and he was able to pick animals that were no bigger than a speck in the grass.

Before arriving at Seronera Sametu Camp, we saw a herd of elephants chase away a pair of lions, saw Thompson’s Gazelle, Grant’s Gazelle, Impala, Worthog, Zebra, hippos, Giraffe, Lions, Elephants, Baboon, Hyena, Hartebeest, Topi, Buffalo, Jackal, Cheetah and many types of birds. And that was just the first day!

The first time I saw Sametu Camp, I wondered what had I gotten myself into. I had only seen pictures of the camp, but I could never have imaged how wonderful staying in one would be. We were greeted by JJ with warm towels to wipe off the days dust and a glass of juice. The tent was amazing. While we were at supper, the staff would close up the tent, turn down the bed, pull down the mosquito netting, fill the shower with water and place hot water bottles in the bed. During the nights we heard lions outside the tent. I can’t begin to describe the feelings: fear, excitement, terror, trepidation. In the morning we found out the lions were on a rock formation not far from the tent.

These are some of the high lights from our 3 day stay at SAMETU CAMP:

1. Night drive. You need a special permit to do this.

2. Hot air balloon, we just hovered over the heads of buffaloes, trees and hippos.

3. Zebras, by the thousands waiting to get to a watering hole.

4. A lion stalk and kill a warthog.

5. Pride of 20 lions eating a zebra.

6. Countless numbers of animals including the elusive Serval cat

7. And of course JJ.

Then off to NDUTU LODGE in the South Serengeti for 2 nights. Highlights include:

1. Cheetahs and leopards

2. A cheetah stalking and killing a young hartebeest

3. Our first Bushy TV (camp fire)

4. Eating dinner and having Genets climbing around on the rafters

5. Exploring Lake Masek

Then off to LIONS PAW CAMP, but first a visit to a Maasia Village!

At Lions Paw Camp, where we were met by Edward, highlights include:

1. By day we explored the Ngorongoro crater and saw 8 rhinos and 2, yes 2 Caracal cats.

2. At night, I heard the buffalo eating grass outside the tent next to my head.

3. Lots of great scenic pictures

The game drives were long and dusty, but filled with excitement. We would get lost in following a leopard walk across the Serengeti or watching a cheetah stalk and kill a young hartebeest. Each day was filled with something new and exciting. I’m so glad we chose to use ADS for our safari needs and thankful they paired us up with our guide Ally.

I want to thank all the ADS staff for making my childhood dream come true.

One last note: I never did see Tarzan, but I have memories that will last a lifetime.

Marilyn and David C.
Hugo, Minnesotaa
Safari Dates: March 22, 2015 to April 1, 2015

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ADS TURNS 20!

Today marks the 20th Anniversary of Africa Dream Safaris. Leading the way in private, custom-tailored safari tours to East Africa, we feel honored to have fostered such a vibrant community over the years. Let us take this opportunity, during this week of thanks, to show our deepest gratitude to the wonderful guests who have traveled with us (some more than once), our incredible staff of bush guides and safari specialists, and the conservation and humanitarian partners we so proudly sponsor.

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We Recommend ADS To Anyone Wanting A High Quality PRIVATE Safari.

We want to thank Africa Dream Safari (ADS) for a most wonderful lifetime experience. From the moment we got off the plane in the Central Serengeti we were seeing all kinds of animals. Right when we thought we had seen it all, the next day brought a new and exciting experience and each day was a new adventure. It was so wonderful to see all the animals in their natural habitat on our game drives. They were so close you could almost touch them!

Russell, our guide and driver was extremely well educated and experienced. Our Land Cruiser was very comfortable and Russell drove cautiously at all times. Russell provided in depth details of everything we saw, from the big 5, to reptiles, to insects, birds and so much more. He took the time to answer all of our never ending questions. We learned so much in such a short period of time.

We were treated like royalty everywhere we stayed and we were well taken care of from the moment we got off the plane to the moment we boarded our plane home. The accommodations were so fantastic – really over the top – and the food was fantastic. Our safety was a priority from all staff we encountered.

Tanzanians are very kind and wonderful. ADS is extremely professional and provided us with the highest quality experience not only on the Safari but in all the preplanning that went into our trip. We both rate ADS a 10 out of 10 and recommend ADS to anyone wanting to experience a high quality personal safari.

Cynthia and Cary N.
Seattle, Washington
Safari Dates: March 26, 2015 to April 4, 2015

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Guide Report – A Wonderful Adventure With Al and Susan

We began our safari on March 20, 2015 at the Central Serengeti Airstrip where I picked up my guests named Al and Susan after they took off from the Arusha Airport. They had just landed into Tanzania the night before after flying all the way from the U.S. (Florida). I was very excited to begin the safari in the Central Serengeti since wildlife viewing had been excellent in this area during my last couple of safaris this year. Luckily, the Central Serengeti did not disappoint us and we were blessed with plenty of wildlife sightings right away including the famous predators of the Serengeti.

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Guide Report – A Magical Safari With Cary and Cynthia

Greetings again from Tanzania! My name is Russell Temu, a guide with Africa Dream Safaris. I just finished my latest safari (March 26, 2015 to April 4, 2015) with two guests from Seattle, USA named Cynthia and Cary. We started in the central region of the Serengeti National Park on March 26, 2015 with 3 nights at Seronera Sametu Camp. We then headed to the Southern Serengeti Plains for 3 nights at Lake Masek Camp. We concluded our adventure together with 3 nights in the Ngorongoro Crater area split between Crater Lodge and the Ngorongoro Manor located between the coffee farm and the Ngorongoro forest. We had an abundance of spectacular wildlife sightings even though it was unusually dry for this time of year. Thankfully we are receiving a few rain showers as I write this. Please enjoy my pictures I managed to take on the safari.

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Guide Report – A Serengeti Adventure with a Family from Montanna

Jambo! This is ADS driver-guide Arnold Yahaya Mushi reporting from a very warm and sunny Arusha, Tanzania with my most current report from the bush! My latest safari was with a lovely family of five from Montanna, USA named Richard, Paul, Mary, William and Kathrine. Our adventure began on March 9, 2015 at the Seronera Airstrip in the Central Serengeti when I picked up the guests after they arrived on the morning bush flight.

After a short briefing, we headed off for our 1st game drive and within 20 minutes we saw a male and female lion along with several herbivores. Over the course of the next 8 nights, we saw an abundance of wildlife including dozens of lions, several cheetah and leopard, the wildebeest and zebra migration, huge herds of elephants (even one large group of elephants chasing off an equally large pride of lions), several species of antelopes, spotted hyenas, hippos, rhinos and much more.

It was a very enjoyable trip and my guests promise to be back again! The safari started on March 9 and ended on March 17, 2015 with 3 nights at Seronera Sametu Camp in the Central Serengeti, 3 nights at Ndutu Lodge in the South Serengeti and 2 nights at the Crater at Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw Camp. It was an exciting itinerary. Here are the photos to show how lucky we were during this trip:

Family of elephants enjoying a drink of water in the beautiful Seronera Valley of the Central Serengeti.

Here are the elephants chasing off a large pride of lions that were resting under an accacia tree in the Central Serengeti. This was thrilling to watch even for me and it was very exciting for my guests.

Within 20 minutes of landing at the airstrip we saw a male and female lion.

My guests on the Ndutu plains of the South Serengeti.

Zebras drinking from the Seronera River, Central Serengeti.

Lion pride in Seronera Valley close to the river.

Female leopard at the Maasai Kopjes, Central Serengeti.

Flamingo’s at Lake Masek in the South Serengeti.

A mother cheetah with three cubs on the Sametu plains – Central Serengeti.

Monitor Lizard

Rock Python in the South Serengeti

A beautiful sunset in the Ndutu Woodlands, South Serengeti.

Female cheetah with two cubs at the marsh area of Ndutu, South Serengeti

The famous Sametu Lion pride near Sametu Camp where we stayed for 3 nights.

Male Waterbuck in Seronera Valley.

Hippo close to the Retima Pool, Central Serengeti

It’s difficult to see in this photo, but here is a male leopard resting on top of a kopje. He had captured a young wildebeest calf.

Warthogs with spotted hyenas on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Regards,

Arnold Yahaya.
ADS Driver-Guide

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Guide Report – Rare Caracal cat spotted!

Good morning from Arusha-Tanzania. This is ADS guide Raphael Mollel with my latest bush report. On this trip I enjoyed the company of two guests from North Carolina, USA named Jeff and Chris. We enjoyed 8 nights together staying at various camps and lodges in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro including Seronera Sametu Camp, Four Seasons Lodge, Lake Masek Camp and Ngorongoro Lions Paw Camp.

We started in Central Serengeti on the 7th of March and it was amazing because big herds of the migration were scattered throughout this area. We saw millions of wildebeest and zebras together. Both the Central and South Serengeti were great this time of year for all three species of big cats. We had numerous sightings of lions, cheetahs and leopards over the course of our adventure together. Another highlight of the trip were several large herds of elephants we encountered as well as 10 species of antelope including Grant’s Gazelle, Eland, Thomson’s Gazelle, Topi, Waterbuck, Dik-Dik, Hartebeest, Klipspringer, Reedbuck and Impala.

The Ndutu area of the South Serengeti was especially good on this safari for lions and cheetahs and even a rare rock python. In the Crater we saw lions hunting zebras, black rhinos and large tusker elephants. However, the highlight was spotting the extremely rare Caracal cat. Overall, the safari was fantastic. Below are some of the picture I would like to share with you:

A beautiful sunrise with a Giraffe on horizon in the Southwest Serengeti.

Wildebeest drinking water at Seronera Valley-Central Serengeti.

Some other ADS vehicles were out on overlapping safaris and we enjoyed some exciting game drives together.

This is a young male lion near Simba Kopjes.

Black rhino with wildebeest in the Ngorongoro Crater.

The rare Caracal cat – amazing! If I didn’t manage to take this picture, nobody would have believed me!

Mr. Jeff with Camels in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Wildebeest migrations at Moru Kopjes in the Southwestern part of the Serengeti.

A mother lion with her cubs at the Sametu Marsh.

A big male lion walking toward our vehicle. You can see the beautiful Sametu Kopjes in the background.

Marabou Stork with Catfish.

Two playful lions cubs.

Regards,

Raphael Mollel
ADS Driver-Guide

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