Since an African safari had been our dream vacation for years, we were concerned that it couldn’t possibly live up to our expectations. To our delight it didn’t – it far exceeded them. From the moment we arrived, everyone on the ADS team did their part to make our trip an incredible, enjoyable adventure. [Our guide] was truly remarkable – he could spot animals that we could barely see even with binoculars, then he would 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, then put is in a great spot to watch. At the end of every day we teased him that there was no way he could top what we had seen, but somehow the next day always brought something wonderful – a large herd of giraffes striking beautiful poses against a storm darkened sky, the unbelievable scale, movement and noise of the migration, lion cubs playing within feet of our LandCruiser, hyenas stalking a wildebeest toward an ambush (fortunately for the wildebeest it was a failed attempt), zebra sentries guarding against a lurking cheetah, a charging elephant (at another elephant, not us, thank goodness) …

It was also so nice to come “home” to such great accommodations after our day out with the animals. While the lodges were beautiful and comfortable, our very favorite was the private camp. The guys did such a terrific job taking care of us we felt guilty calling it camping! Hot showers that smelled faintly of smoke, a nice glass of wine by the campfire, and charming conversation with the incredibly thoughtful and kind Ndeke. We all agreed that John’s food, cooked over a wood fire with your basic “Boy Scout” type cookware, was unbelievably delicious. It was far and away the best food we had on our entire trip, including that at some pretty upscale restaurants in Amsterdam which we used a stopover on our way to Tanzania. He is such a talented cook!

We honestly can’t think of how the trip could have been any better, and have become huge supporters of the Tanzanian people, who could not have been nicer or more welcoming. Our visit to the Masai village was both interesting and fun. We enjoyed having the chance to really see and hear how they live, and appreciated their candor and willingness to answer our many questions.

I could go on much longer than you would probably like to read, but in short, thanks again to all that you and the ADS team did to make this the vacation of a lifetime (although we definitely want a return engagement!) You all made us feel so special and brought true meaning to the phrase ‘custom vacation’.

Susan and Andy Roth
May 2009