This was truly the trip of a lifetime for us- finding the words to capture the experience is impossible. A dear friend of mine recommended ADS and after seeing her photographs and hearing her stories, I had some pretty high expectations; those expectations were exceeded in every way! The guidance we received through the planning process was fantastic and resulted in the perfect adventure for our family. Our driver-guide was phenomenal! His expertise, knowledge, patience, and gentle, quiet demeanor were so astounding and so appreciated. It was truly a pleasure to get to spend our days with him. We were amazed by the sheer number of animals we saw each day and as we went to bed each night, we wondered how the next day could possibly compare to the previous day.

We have 6,000 photographs between the four of us so picking a few favorites to share is nearly impossible.

· We sat and watched this noble lion for nearly an hour; he napped and groomed himself and then stood up and marked the front of our vehicle as he walked away. He knew he was King.

· The elephants were breathtaking; it was a gift to watch (and listen to) them eat, drink and bathe themselves in the mud.
· We were so blessed to see not just one, but four leopards! We were on an early morning drive on our last day in the Serengeti when we saw this striking male; not a single other vehicle was around so his beauty was ours alone.

· Watching two cheetah brothers groom each other was an amazing experience; we were so fortunate to share that quiet, magical moment with them.

· While it was usually the babies and the monkeys who provided the silly moments of the day, this itchy zebra had us laughing. We sat and watched as she rubbed her belly, neck and legs all over this rock- and two other zebras were waiting in line to do the same thing!

Asante sana.

Erika Hartle-Schutte and family
June 2011