Smiles All Around

Owning a 16-year -old tour company, we travel all over the world and work with hundreds of different ground operators. Once and awhile there is a ground operator that stands out and delivers something extra special, that is Africa Dream Safari.

There are glowing reviews on this blog about all aspects of travel with ADS and the experience. Having just returned from Africa with 24 people this last May, I can tell you that there is very little if any exaggeration of the wonderful experience ADS offers their guests. All of our 24 travelers walked away from the trip with fabulous memories of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

When you work with many tour operators around the world, you get a sense very quickly what their standards are and the level of experience you can expect when the rubber hits the road (or in this case, the dirt road). I was very confident from very close to day one with ADS, because the communications and response to our needs and concerns were met quickly and professionally by Lynn (Newby-Fraser), our safari consultant who was with us the whole way. Lynn always had the answers helped us fine tune the whole group experience with ADS.

When we planned this group departure, we wanted to offer people the experience of an individual Safari and not a traditional group experience. With 5 separate, 8-seat Land Cruisers we were able to put 5 or less people per vehicle and this allowed for a very personal experience. We often did not see the other vehicles and did not need to travel right on top of each other, making for a feeling of an individual Safari. During the six nights in the Serengeti National Park, staying multiple nights at 3 different lodges I did not see a single vehicle as nice as what we traveled in during the trip. We were proud to step in and out of them at every lunch gathering spot or picnic area across the Serengeti.

During our full day with the Great Migration on the plains of the Southern Serengeti, we did not see or pass one other company’s vehicle that PAID the extra admission to be right out on the plain with the Migration. ADS mentioned off the beaten path and this was just one example that emphasizes that point. We only needed to share the thousands of wildebeest and zebra with the lions and cheetahs we came across.

We had a very unique opportunity, and that was the chance to experience FIVE different guides over the course of the trip. All five guides were excellent and each brought a different perspective and life experience. What stood out above it all was how highly they spoke of Africa Dream Safari and how proud they were to be working with the company. Most had one time or another worked for other companies, but they were very pleased to be where they wanted to be, working with a company they respected. On our trip we had the pleasure to get to know Reggie, Pokea, Thompson, Englebert and Petro. I will always remember their warm smiles and genuine spirit. We coordinated each day always with the emphasis of bringing out the best experience.

So let me end this by saying, search no further, you can trust Africa Dream Safari to reveal Tanzania to you in the best possible way, to care for you and make you feel comfortable in the adventure. Whether it is a single family or 12 couples like our trip, you will always feel special. Michael Wishner and his team of Safari consultants are top notch and you can relax knowing you are dealing with a quality company that has a good reputation and connections on the ground in Tanzania!

Mark & Vicki Stewart
Owners / Coordinators
www.StewartTours.com
May 2012