Year: 2008

Quote of the Week: Kaaryn and David C.

Thank you so much for making our honeymoon such a special trip. We will never forget it. [ADS] was great to work with […] the quick responses to all of our questions and knowledge about the lodges and parks were so valuable in helping us pick an itinerary and lodging that suited our needs. Enough cannot be said about the staff in Tanzania. After 20 hours of travel, it was great to have [ADS] at the airport to greet us. [ADS] quickly got us through customs and to our lodge. Our driver-guide was great company to spend a week with. His knowledge about Tanzania’s history, customs, parks, animals, birds and the migration was incredible. He seemed to never miss any game on our drives and encouraged us to get up early to have the best chance of seeing the most game.

As the other safari companies were turning around to stay within their mileage limits and the main roads, we were heading further away from the camps and crowds. It was great to get away from the crowds and truly feel like we had the park to ourselves […] Highlights of our trip: Seeing tens of thousands of wildebeests and zebras during the migration. Three huge male lions on a kopje. Pride of lions feeding on 3 wildebeests that were recently killed. Being able to see 5 black rhino’s at the same time on the crater floor.

Hopefully we’ll be back soon and certainly will book with ADS. Asante Sana!

Kaaryn and David C.
May 2008

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Quote of the Week: Mason and Nandi O’Dell

We have been back from our Safari nearly two weeks and have yet to come down from our emotional high. We have been trying to find the right words to describe the beauty that is the Serengeti – it is truly a unique place in this world, filled with magnificent animals and incomparable landscapes [… ] The experiences we encountered on our trip felt almost surreal at the time, but we now have so many incredible and vivid memories that will always remain dear to our hearts. However, it was not just the natural beauty of the environment which we’ll remember so fondly, but also the people we met along the way. The care and thoughtfulness of the ADS team had a huge influence on making our trip special. Never before have so many people made us feel so welcome. From the early planning stages to our welcome home, every detail was carefully planned to accommodate our best interests. It would seem that only family or friends could be so thoughtful, but each and every member of the ADS team treated us as such, and for that we sincerely thank you. Rest assured that we will go back again someday, but until then we will remain advocates for ADS and serve as ambassadors for the country of Tanzania! Thank you so much for making our experience so incredible!

Mason and Nandi O’Dell
May 2008

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Quote of the Week: Simone and Pat Campbell

Pat and I found that our trip far exceed our expectations. Talking to other travelers, we found that African Dream Safaris has done an outstanding job in comparison to other companies. We felt very fortunate to have chosen the right company for our adventure. We were extremely please with the service and attention to detail which started with [our initial contact] and continued through our trip.

Simone and Pat Campbell
May 2008

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Quote of the Week: Gary and Simone Campbell

Let me start by saying I am 57 years old and have never sent a letter of thanks for a paid vacation before. I have traveled for 57 years for both business and pleasure, Tahiti to Amsterdam, Alaska to the tip of Chile, Calif. to Maine, Asia Pacific to Central American, Cambodia to Singapore…..Never have we been treated as well and professionally as Africa Dream Safaris treated us. Nothing could have been better; they were always accommodating our needs and always there to deliver beyond our expectations. We could have booked higher priced tours but not anything that delivered as ours……Thanks for making our vacation a real “Africa Dream Safari.

Gary and Simone Campbell
May 2008

A gazelle birth and “first steps” picture, taken by Al and Jennifer Behr (ADS clients) on safari in the Southern Serengeti in March 2008.

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Quote of the Week: Karin and Clint Carter

As far as the actual trip and ADS is concerned, absolutely topnotch from the very first phone call [planning our safari] until the minute we were back at the airport in Kilimanjaro! Everything was as described and met or exceeded our expectations in every way. […] We saw all the big 5 several times over and in fact saw big cats everyday of our safari. Some of the many highlights being the cheetah and two cubs [our guide] found well off road in the short grass plains and the lion pride with 5 little one not more than 6 weeks old at the lake bed leaving Ndutu at sunrise. In both cases we were able to park within feet of these incredible animals and observe their behavior. All areas we went to were full of animals (and almost devoid of humans) and it was almost comical that on at least three separate days when we entered a new area and [our guide] stopped to talk to another passing driver/guide the response from them was that they hadn’t seen any cats all morning and within ten minutes [our guide] found us a Cheetah and cubs, a leopard with a fresh kill in a sausage tree, and a lion in a tree in Ngorongoro searching the grasslands for prey. These other drivers had literally driven right by these cats and the unfortunate passengers with these other tour companies missed out on some great animals as a result of their guides’ inexperience and/or lack of interest.

The trip was amazing in every sense… the experience life changing. For anyone reading this toying with the idea of going on a safari, don’t hesitate any longer, it is an adventure and experience not to be missed.

Karin and Clint Carter
May 2008

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Quote of the Week: Debbie Simpson

What can I say? Do you have all week???? […] There are no words that can aptly describe the scene as it unfolded. Even pictures cannot do justice. You have to be there to experience it to really understand – no picture can tell the tale. […] But I need to pause to speak about [our driver guide] – he truly made this such a special safari – and I will admit that we were all long in the face when we had to say goodbye to him – I admit a few tears also! He was amazing – nothing was too difficult – he offered before asked – he knew just what was needed – he never gave up the illusive hunt for the leopard […] Honestly his knowledge was vast but his character and kindness far outweighed anything we could ever have hoped for. He truly made our safari spectacular.

And oh did I forget the wildlife?????? […] To have seen over 70 lions – and our first sighting day we saw 27 – some only a couple feet away – to have seen baby cubs including one only a few weeks old – to have seen a pair of lions mating right there in front of us (we had to close Sammy’s eyes) Ha – to have seen the playfulness of a cheetah who put on a wonderful show for us only a few feet away – to be rewarded with spending 45 minutes with the illusive leopard and her cub right next to our vehicle – something I know was a very special gift which we will not take for granted! To see a kill right in front of our eyes with 3 lions climbing up on a buffalo to take it down and then to return the next day to see the pride taking turns finishing off the spoils! To have seen the migration – hundreds of thousands of animals many blocking our path – even [our guide] said that we were really blessed to have seen the amounts we saw right in our view. To have seen lions hiding in the grass waiting to pounce and the way the zebras all stared at the lions waiting to see their next move. And then the rare black rhino in the Crater – wow. I have not spoken about the thousands of zebras, hundreds of elephants some waddling in the muddy water, wildebeest, countless gazelle of all kinds, wart hogs, wildebeest, buffalo, baboons, monkeys – everything – WE SAW EVERYTHING! Including an encounter when in our tent – with a buffalo right outside breathing hard, eating and pacing – was a bit worrisome to say the least!!!!!

The lodges were all great – service exceptional – food great – Maasai escorts wonderful – in fact the Tanzanian people are really special – I can say this having visited Zambia right after – quite a marked difference in hospitality!

We will never forget this experience and adventure – and will always promote ADS as the way to go. Don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from us again in the future! Thank you thank you thank you!

Debbie Simpson
May 2008

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Quote of the Week: Jessica & John Blitchington

The highlight of our trip was the Private Luxury Camping. The first night we were in our tent, wondering why it was so quiet outside, when other reviews we had read talked about hearing lions roaring and hippos grunting. Not 10 minutes later, we heard a lion grunting and roaring inside our camp. As we waited quietly, the lion started drinking out of the water basin right outside our tent. You cannot imagine the thrill of knowing a lion is five feet away from you with only a tent flap to protect you! Adding to the experience, our guide found the pride of lions the next morning less than 500 feet from our camp!

Jessica & John Blitchington
March 2008

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Quote of the Week: Kari McCloskey

I can’t express in words how great Africa Dream Safaris was and how pleased we were with every detail of our trip. […] One of the main things that let us know that Africa Dream Safaris was the right choice was watching the other outfitters. Their vehicles were so full it looked hard for the passengers to move about the car; just the opposite for us we had plenty of room to move around. We also noticed that their days out on game drives were not as long as ours were. They would only drive for a limited amount of miles and stayed on the roads everyone else traveled. Our driver/guide would keep us out as long as we wanted and we would go places and see amazing things without other vehicles around. We saw a pride of thirteen lions on a kopje and didn’t see another car for 3 hours. We saw 2 different leopards in trees right next to the road and it was just us. Our guide really went out of his way to give us a natural and honest experience […] All the accommodations were lovely and the private luxury camp was amazing and so much fun. The way the vehicle was set up and outfitted was outstanding. Our guide couldn’t have been any better. The whole experience was one of the best of my life. I simply can’t say enough good things. A FANTASTIC TRIP!

Kari McCloskey
February – March 2008

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Quote of the Week: Mario and Kari McCloskey

I can’t express in words how great Africa Dream Safaris was and how pleased we were with every detail of our trip. […] One of the main things that let us know that Africa Dream Safaris was the right choice was watching the other outfitters. Their vehicles were so full it looked hard for the passengers to move about the car; just the opposite for us we had plenty of room to move around. We also noticed that their days out on game drives were not as long as ours were. They would only drive for a limited amount of miles and stayed on the roads everyone else traveled. Our driver/guide would keep us out as long as we wanted and we would go places and see amazing things without other vehicles around. We saw a pride of thirteen lions on a kopje and didn’t see another car for 3 hours. We saw 2 different leopards in trees right next to the road and it was just us. Our guide really went out of his way to give us a natural and honest experience […] All the accommodations were lovely and the private luxury camp was amazing and so much fun. The way the vehicle was set up and outfitted was outstanding. Our guide couldn’t have been any better. The whole experience was one of the best of my life. I simply can’t say enough good things. A FANTASTIC TRIP!

Mario and Kari McCloskey
February – March 2008

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Quote of the Week: Pat and Don Auriemma

With Africa Dream Safaris the adventure began for us before we stepped foot in Africa. From my first email to [ADS] we knew we had chosen the right company. From that email to the last, [ADS] took the time to explain the details of the trip and answered every question we had…..and there were many! […our ADS rep] would say over and over again, “remember this is your private, custom safari”, and once on safari we realized how accurate her words were.

Pat and Don Auriemma
February 2008

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Quote of the Week: Pat and Don Auriemma

On safari, we saw many lions and 18 cheetahs, including three cheetah cubs. We witnessed lions with their kills and cheetah hunting their prey. In addition, we saw leopards, elephants, cape buffalo, hyenas, jackals, hippos, rhinos, monkeys, baboons, crocodiles, giraffes, thousands of zebras, gazelles and wildebeests and almost 100 different species of birds! [Our guide] even took us to what he called “the largest maternity ward in the world” where we saw wildebeest babies moments after they were born. In total, we saw 150 different species of birds and animals. The Serengeti was lush, green and full of life!

Pat and Don Auriemma
February 2008

A lioness moving her cub.

 

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Quote of the Week: Don & Pat Auriemma

Our guide is worth his weight in gold and a great asset to ADS! He went out of his way, every day, to make our safari special. He is professional, informed, dependable, personable, and a highly skilled spotter of birds and animals. He negotiated the roads in a safe manner, kept our truck immaculate and comfortable, and always had our best interests at heart. He was anxious for us to have the best experience possible…AND WE DID! [Our guide] made our experience one we will never forget.

Don & Pat Auriemma
February 2008

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Quote of the Week: Ron, Mary, Jessica and Jake Largent

We can’t thank your team enough for a fabulous safari! Everything went so smoothly, better than we had hoped. We were absolutely amazed at the efficiency of the entire staff and how we were never waiting or wondering, “What do we do now?” Our guide was wonderful. He was so friendly, warm and accommodating, making sure we saw and did what we wanted, but also encouraging us to do things we might not have done. With his expertise, we were able to see every single animal and bird there was, I think. We were pleased with his extensive knowledge about the animals. It was an added relief for my daughter and I to never fear for our safety. The [Private Luxury Camping] was unbelievably accommodating. [The staff] treated us like royalty and the African cuisine was superb. We never expected the ‘camping’ to be so luxurious.

Ron, Mary, Jessica and Jake Largent
January 2008

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Quote of the Week: Mark and Susan Bronner

Many thanks for all the help in setting up our personalized safari. The trip was fabulous and first class […] We have traveled extensively and you have a truly impressive organization. Anyone contemplating this trip may have experienced standing in long, hot Customs lines; retrieving your own luggage and finally being greeted by your driver holding a sign with your name inside the airport. But, have you ever been greeted on the tarmac, your luggage retrieved by someone else, being cleared through Customs (while you are in the bathroom) and then leaving the airport within 15 minutes of arrival? We have and Africa Dream Safaris made it possible. They also made an exciting trip safe, educational, comfortable and affordable.

Mark and Susan Bronner
January 2008

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Quote of the Week: Mark and Susan Bronner

Many thanks for all the help in setting up our personalized safari. The trip was fabulous and first class […] We have traveled extensively and you have a truly impressive organization. Anyone contemplating this trip may have experienced standing in long, hot Customs lines; retrieving your own luggage and finally being greeted by your driver holding a sign with your name inside the airport. But, have you ever been greeted on the tarmac, your luggage retrieved by someone else, being cleared through Customs (while you are in the bathroom) and then leaving the airport within 15 minutes of arrival? We have and Africa Dream Safaris made it possible. They also made an exciting trip safe, educational, comfortable and affordable.

Mark and Susan Bronner
January 2008

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