This was our third trip to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Carter with Africa Dream Safaris and it was as exciting as ever. We took friends along as it was their dream vacation. We told them we were going to be staying in tents and how luxurious that would be and they were pleasantly surprised at the upgraded accommodations.

Our guide Russell was simply outstanding. How he could see a leopard in a tree from a half mile away still amazes my husband and I. Africa Dream Safaris has the best guides in the business.

We started out two nights in the Western Serengeti. The Zebras were leading the way for the Wildebeest. We saw thousands of Zebras and Topis, as far as you could see. Our friends were amazed what they saw the first two days and I told them it was just the tip of the iceberg!

Next was the Central Serengeti for three nights. We saw lions in the tree relaxing in the heat of the day. Later that day we came upon a small herd of elephants, but nearby on some tree branches were some lions resting. Our guide Russell said “let’s follow those elephants and see if they go towards the lions in the tree.” Oh my gosh…the elephants surrounded the tree with the lion up in it! The lion was frightened and just froze until the elephants wandered off.

Next day we came upon a herd of elephants that numbered around 150. Russell said he had never seen so many elephants in one group. Ten minutes later we saw the main group of the migration. As far as the eye could see in all directions there were wildebeests and zebras…possibly 200,000. What an amazing site!

We could not believe how many different types of animals we saw including lions, leopards, elephants, cape buffalo, ostrich, hyenas, cheetah, black back jackals, topi, impala, grant gazelles, Thomson gazelles…the list is long. A for the birds, we lost count on all the different types we saw.

After the Serengeti we visited the Ngorongoro Crater. We watched early one morning as lions were stalking a cape buffalo, but unsuccessfully. Later we watched a female lion sneak up to a single wildebeest, chase it but fall short of a kill. It was fun however to watch the chess game being played out in front of us in both situations. Finally we saw our first black rhino…only to see 4 more that afternoon. That finished out our Big Five.

Several lion prides, lion cubs, several leopards, hyena families, the rare serval, several black rhinos, lots of hippos and their babies, giraffe families, angry cape buffalos, and a cast of tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebras. And don’t forget the breathtaking sunsets with deep orange and blue streaks. Tanzania is truly a safari paradise!

Steve and Jody J.
Northville, Michigan
Safari Dates: May 15, 2016 to May 23, 2016