My wife and I began planning our trip almost two years prior to our departure on February 12th 2017, looking at many different companies before settling on ADS. It was a smart decision. They take great care of you from the moment you book until the day you return home from the most wonderful journey of your life!

Upon arriving at Kilimanjaro airport, we were met by an ADS staff member, as promised, and whisked through visa and security without an issue. This while watching other people get off the plane, standing around not knowing where to go or what to do.

The drive to Mount Meru hotel went smoothly and we began our education of Tanzania and learning a little Swahili on the way to the hotel. The hotel was as lovely as ADS described.

We were picked up the next morning and driven to the Arusha airport. There we took a small plane out to the Serengeti. Our first landing was a stop in the northern Serengeti to drop off passengers. On our approach, almost everyone on the plane was looking out their windows at the animals below. Our next stop was in the Central Serengeti, Seronera, where we met our guide Elias.

Elias immediately started the day’s game drive and we began to see the fabulous animals. We saw herds of Wildebeests along with Zebras, Hart beasts, gazelles and many others. We saw a male lion mating with a lioness. We also saw two tree climbing lions. On the way to our camp (Seronera Sametu), Elias showed us a leopard that had dragged his kill up into a tree. We made it a point to leave camp by 6:30 am each day to see the morning activity. Our guide always tried to place us in the best position to take photos.

Elias was so knowledgeable about the animal, that you almost thought that you were taking a course in animal behavior. Each day we were seeing a bigger variety of animals: Hyenas, Eland, Elephants, Thomson gazelles, Grant gazelles, Impalas Topi, Warthogs, Waterbuck. We were able to get so close to the animal that one rarely needed a telephoto lens. When we reached the Ngorongoro crater we sighted the last of the Big 5, four Rhino’s together. The real excitement was when two of them ran across the road in front of us.

It was a wonderful trip. All the camps we stayed at (Seronera Sametu, Lake Masek Lodge, and Lion Paw Camp) each had their own charm. The food was excellent at all the camps.

I guess the most exciting moment for me was at the Seronera Sametu Camp when, I went outside to watch the animals around the tent and, a male lion about 30 yards away sat looking at me (see the first picture below). He was quickly moved a safe distance away by the staff!

In closing, we would like to thank our wonderful guide Elias, who has eyes like a hawk, for spotting all the animals, Dawn who was fantastic, anticipating all our questions and needs, plus all her helpful tips, and all the ADS staff for their caring, helpfulness, ensuring us a wonderful time.

Below are some of the 3,000 plus pictures that we took. An ADS Safari experience is highly recommended to everyone. My wife and I are already talking about going back for another adventure with ADS!

Andrew and Cassandra P.
Putnam Valley, New York
Safari Dates: February 13, 2017 to February 22, 2017