One of the highlights from my recent safari was watching this pride of lions (pictured below) with their buffalo kill. This was in the central part of the Serengeti in the Seronera River Valley. The Seronera region is a good spot to see predation year round as there are several large prides of lions that are resident (i.e. they do not follow the wildebeest migration) and subsist off the resident herbivores including buffalo, warthog and several species of antelope.
Our thanks go out to Africa Dream Safaris and their marvelous staff! We were greeted in Kilimanjaro by the ADS staff and they never left us during our eight day safari through the Serengeti. Before leaving, Lynn took good care of us by answering all our questions and preparing us with material. A big part of the fun of every holiday is planning and anticipating. Our trip to Tanzania was my mom’s dream for at least 13 years. I was lucky to get to go along with her on this adventure. My mother and I called Lynn multiple times, asking questions and analyzing the data that was returned to us. We really appreciated all her hard work and efforts to insure we had a great trip. We chose the right company to host us…definitely!
Tent Camps/Hotels – Every accommodation was great and the staff aimed to please every need. It was fun being in an international atmosphere, with different languages being spoken at every table at breakfast and dinner. The beds were comfortable and wifi was available at most places so we could check email, text home or send video clips to our family and friends during the trip! We would use “Face-Time” on our cell phones to get free video service to the USA. The staff at the camps got a real kick out of this technology and all got in on the video streaming to home, so our family at home could see the people and the accommodations, etc.
Food – we dined both breakfast and dinner at the hotel or tent lodge wherever we were staying. They all had European standard cuisine that was delicious and a good variety of choices. The fruit selection in Tanzania was amazing – the most wonderful tasting pineapple, mango and passion fruit were my favorites – I ate them at every breakfast opportunity. We had a packed lunch for every day on the trip, which was helpful so we didn’t have to return to the camp in order to eat lunch – we could just keep on our adventure.
Guide – Our trip WAS our guide. Thomson Malekia knew so much about all the sites and animals. He and his colleague, Francis (another ADS driver), walkie-talkie’d each other to help their respective guest see the best sightings of the Serengeti. Thomson was very friendly with all the SUV drivers – everyone loved Thomson! We are so grateful to have such a professional, experienced and friendly driver – he was just amazing! He’d stop anytime we wanted to take pictures. He would jump out of the SUV when it started to rain, to close the sunroof panels so we wouldn’t get too wet. He’d go to bed after we were taken care of for the evening and be ready to drive again as early as we wanted to start.
Animals – we saw so many animals – Right off the bat we saw two Leopards in a tree and we saw two lions mating. Then we saw a hippo pool with a giant crocodile lingering at the edge. We saw a kill – infanticide killing of a baby hippo by one of the adult hippos. – this was all during day one! We also saw cheetah, elephant, giraffe, striped mongoose, fox, hyena, vultures and cheetah. The Thomson Gazelle, Grunt Gazelle and Impala were so graceful and quick. The wildebeest and zebras everywhere – we got to see them migrate, which was so interesting. The baboons and their babies were so fun to watch. We watched all week with our check list of animals we wanted to see. We even got to see two Black Rhinoceros on the last day. Thompson knew of my passion for Flamingos and made sure we saw plenty of them. The Ostrich, Crane, and many bird varieties were with us at every stop.
People – Everyone spoke English, which was very helpful to us. We visited a Maasai Village, where we were introduced to some native tribal people, their homes, their traditions, lifestyle, and interaction with each other and the world outside. We saw the children in their schoolhouse and the people tending to their cows, goats, sheep and donkeys. We jumped off the ground with the tribesmen to their rhythmic beats. I’m really glad we opted for this excursion – it was one of the highlights of the entire trip!
Time of Year – We originally were going to start our trip in January, because that’s when the babies are born, but Lynn suggested a “hidden secret” – going in March or April. At this time the babies are big enough to run with the rest of the pack. It’s the rainy season, so the cloud patterns in the background added to each picture we took. It rained but not too much…just enough to keep it cool. I’m so glad we listened to Lynn with this suggestion!
Thanks to ADS for our trip – it was everything we wanted and more. I’ll definitely suggest ADS to people wanting to take a safari in Tanzania!
Karen D. (mom) and Brad D. (son)
Long Beach, California
March 18, 2013 to March 25, 2013
My name is Reggie and I am a driver-guide with Africa Dream Safaris. I have just returned home after completing a spectacular safari with my two guests from America named Nancy and Rachel. It was a very nice 8-night safari itinerary (Feb 22nd to March 2nd) with 3 nights at Seronera Sametu Camp in the Central Serengeti, 3 nights at Lake Masek Camp in South Serengeti and 2 nights at the end of the safari at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.
There were many highlights on the safari but some of particular interest were as follows:
– We saw a mother cheetah who had a successfully hunted and killed a gazelle. After she and her cubs finished eating they came and used our vehicle for shade. They were very friendly they also tried to climb the vehicle. See the pictures below if you don’t believe me!
– We saw another female cheetah who also had a successful hunt but this time she managed to capture a baby zebra.
– We found a serval cat who had been killed by a leopard and was hanging from a tree. This shows how aggressive cats can get to each other due to competition over limited food resources.
– Baby wildebeest being born!
– Several very nice bush picnics including a picnic breakfast at Ngoitokitok picnic site in the Ngorongoro Crater (last picture shown below)
Much regards,
Reggie Matemu
ADS Driver-Guide
March 5, 2013
Jambo! I’m Emmanuel Kichao, a driver-guide with ADS, and I have just returned from the bush with my nice clients Toni and Richard. The safari dates were February 20, 2013 to March 2, 2013. We had a wonderful experience and it was very fortunate timing to be in the Serengeti to witness the wildebeest calving season.
The wildebeest calving that takes place every year on the southern Serengeti plains has to be one of the top wonders of the natural world. Every year the majority of the adult female wildebeest population (estimated to be about 500,000 pregnant females) participate in a mass synchronized birthing in which they all drop their newborn calves within the same 2-week period. They do this to ‘flood the market’ so to speak with their defenseless babies so that the predators (lion, cheetah, leopard and spotted hyena) will only be able to kill and eat so many in a short period.
The timing of this 2-week birth spike or calving window varies each year and is dependent upon grazing and weather conditions. In years with abundant rainfall at the beginning of the green season in December, which triggers fresh and nutritious grass growth, the wildebeest may calve as early as January. In drought years the female wildebeest can delay giving birth until March in hopes of more optimal conditions (i.e. better grazing and more standing water). This year mid-February was the lucky time to witness to the mass calving.
I have included a few pictures I took on my most recent safari to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
We talk about going places all the time, especially after hearing recollections of some of our friends’ amazing adventures, but those special trips are always what we will do some day. So, when I found myself sitting in our Land Rover in the Serengeti surrounded by wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles, I almost had to pinch myself to realize we really were on the Safari of our dreams!
We were talking with friends of ours and we all wanted to do something big to celebrate turning 50. Going on a safari was on the top of the wish list. We said that we have friends who had spoken highly of their multiple safari experiences with ADS, so we decided this was the time to go and we contacted Sharon through the ADS website.
ADS gave us everything we needed to plan and pack for the trip. She helped us through the booking process, giving us updated detailed itineraries as we adjusted our dates. We packed our cameras, clothes, our ADS guidebook and boarded the plane. From the time we arrived in Kilimanjaro and were met at the airport to the time we said our final good byes to our guide, Francis, at the airport twelve days later, ADS staff was always prompt, professional, and handled every aspect of our trip smoothly.
Our ADS guide, Francis, never failed to impress us with his amazing ability to spot animals and birds, his knowledge of the wildlife and the parks, and the uncanny ability to predict the weather! As we were starting our safari at the beginning of the wet season, Francis was preparing us for rainy weather, especially during the last week of our trip. This was the only time it turned out he was not correct!
We were lucky that we only encountered rain twice for short periods and we were able to see lions playing in the mud and hyenas enjoying a mud spa. On every other matter, we could count on Francis to be an amazing wealth of knowledge. He could predict what a lion’s next move would be and identify every bird we encountered. Francis also shared aspects of life and the culture of Tanzania and efforts to preserve the parks. At the end of each day, we would agree on a plan for the next day. He made sure each day held new and exciting experiences. He even patiently waited while we lingered at the pungent hippo pool.
We kept track in our ADS guide book and our ADS-recommended wildlife field guide book of all the birds and animals we encountered and it was quite an impressive list! We watched a cheetah being herded away from the wildebeest calves by the adults, baboons playing in the trees, lions lounging on the beach and snacking on a fresh kill, elephants cooling themselves in the water, and so many other amazing encounters. It was great to have just the four of us and Francis to decide how long to stay and observe and take photos at each location.
We traveled to the central Serengeti, southern Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and and Tarangire. Even though the last night we stayed at the Kikoti Lodge we were the only guests, we were still treated to a full four-course delicious meal as at every other stop, which we were happy to share with Francis and celebrate an amazing trip.
Africa Dream Safaris is aptly named-they made our Safari dream a reality!
Jeff and Sue B.
West Bloomfield, MI
Safari Dates: March 18, 2013 to March 28, 2013
Greetings from Arusha, Tanzania. My name is Claude Shitindi and I am a driver-guide with Africa Dream Safaris. I have just returned from a 10-night safari to the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater beginning February 6, 2013 and ending February 16, 2013. We enjoyed many different areas of the park and also a nice mixture of lodging and camping including Seronera Sametu Camp in the Central Serengeti Woodlands, Private Camping in the Southern Serengeti Plains, Ngorongoro Serena Lodge on the rim of the Crater and finally Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
Included here are some of my favorite pictures I managed to take on the safari with my guests. We very much enjoyed our adventure together!
Lastly, here is the latest Migration Report:
Scattered herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle are currently ranging around Naabi Hill and the Triangle area of the Southern Serengeti. Medium sized herds were seen further south around the Matiti Plains. Immediately around the Ndutu Woodlands there is good viewing for giraffe, elephant, leopard and lion. To the west of Ndutu is currently the best area for cheetahs. The Central Serengeti including Seronera Valley is also great for game viewing currently especially Maasai and Sametu Kopjes with fantastic sightings of lion, elephant, buffalo and giraffe. Lastly, around Moru Kopjes there are huge herds of zebras and wildebeest that were arricing from Kusini area and we got lucky with rhino sightings there too. I am not sure if these herds around Moru will stay or go back to southern plains and Ndutu when there is more rain.
Thank you,
Claude Shitindi
ADS Driver-Guide
Greetings from the Serengeti! This is ADS guide Thomson reporting with a great wildlife sighting. I just came across a pride of lions relaxing by the waterhole near Gol Kopjes. It made for a beautiful picture! The lions were patiently waiting for nighttime to begin hunting as out on these open plains it is easier for lions to hunt under the cover of darkness. It is currently warm and dusty and by sitting along the water they can regulate their body temperature. We managed to get very close to the lions (about 10 feet) without any signs of inducing stress on these animals by our presence, which is always important.
This is ADS driver guide Peter Meena reporting from Tanzania. I have just finished another amazing adventure with my esteemed guests. The wildlife viewing in the Southern and Central areas of the Serengeti is very good this February. I have included below a few pictures I took while on my latest safari (February 15, 2013 to February 25, 2013).
Sincerely,
Peter Meena
ADS Driver-Guide
My guests enjoying the view in the Ngorongoro Crater.
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