Jambo Everyone! Our 12 day Safari started in mid February. Traveling with two of our good friends Dave and Linda, we flew into an airstrip in the Serengeti where we met our driver guide Simon. Game driving the rest of the day, we viewed animals and got to know Simon. Simon’s knowledge impressed all of us. We expected his animal expertise, but his knowledge of the birds was truly a plus.

Venturing out at both 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM for game drives, we saw animals every time. One of our best drives was when we saw a Cheetah stalk and kill a Thompson Giselle. After the kill, the Cheetah made a soft mewing sound and two Cheetahs cubs came running from their hiding spot in the tall grass up to “mom”. It was quite a site.

At one time we came within mere feet of Elephants as they were crossing the road. Another day a bull elephant made a bluff charge at us from about 10 feet. Simon knew it was a bluff, and expertly diverted the Elephant. The Elephants were always great to watch. Some of the herds were very large, while others were much smaller.

While in the Central Serengeti, Simon slowly drove into the middle of the migration and we sat and watched the Wildebeests and Zebras pass all around us. As it was the middle of the birthing season, there was a large number of babies. We saw a Wildebeest calf only minutes old with the placenta still hanging from the mother. The calf was already walking. Friends have told us about the migration and we have seen TV documentaries, but until you see it for yourself there are no words that can do it justice. Everyone should experience this fabulous site.

There were many prides of Lions to see and one day we saw two Lions stalk a Warthog. The Warthog won out this time and the Lions missed a meal that afternoon. Another time a Lioness was giving a hunting lesson to two older cubs. She watched the young Lions sneak up on a baby Wildebeest. The hunt was unsuccessful but the lions surely learned a valuable lesson.

The Giraffes seemed elegant the way they walked so tall and ate the tender leaves from the top of the trees. Tanzania truly chose the right animal for the symbol of the country. We saw so many animals but it’s impossible to mention every event, or even all the animal, there were just so many.

One viewing worth mentioning is when we came upon a pack of African Wild Dogs along the side of the road. There were 17 of them and they were all resting in the hot sun, certainly with full bellies. Simon told us they were rare to see and we took some great pictures. We also saw three Leopards all of which we’re napping in trees.

The camps we stayed at were great. The tented camps were our favorite. They gave us a real Safari feeling with an added bonus of wonderful food and a fantastic staff. The other camps were also very nice and we enjoyed them all, but our favorites were the tented camps. Special thanks to Jonas Of Seronera Sametu Camp and D C of Ngorongoro Lions Paw Camp.

Thanks ADS for a trip of a lifetime. We were treated with a friendly, professional and a smiling face at every step of the way. A special “Asante” to Simon for a Safari filled with a life time of memories.

Mike & Patti M.
Brooksville, Florida
Safari Dates: February 13, 2014 to February 23, 2014