We didn’t know what we were in for when we boarded our flight to Arusha last November, but we arrived in a land of enchantment, generous hospitality, and heart-stopping drama in kingdom animalia. We absolutely loved our time in Tanzania, and have ADS to thank for every moment of that wonder. From Dawn’s precise pre-trip details to our warm welcome at the airport to our final goodbye in Zanzibar, we had the absolute trip of our lives.
Our guide Ellison was the best, and we mean that literally, responsible for opening our eyes to the treasures in the land. He could predict animal behavior so precisely, and his eyes were always finding not only hard-to-spot animals like rhinos and leopards, but also birds of all kinds; he was a walking field guide and talking with him was the highlight of the trip.
We loved arriving at each hotel to cool towelettes and smiles, and discovering our tents and rooms, which were all so magical, starting with the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge’s Treetops homes (like sleeping in a tree house) to the Serengeti Bushtops luxe tents. From elephants walking on the paths at Migration Camp to the water buffalo drinking below the Four Seasons’ pool, each location blended into the landscape and welcomed the animals, while keeping the guests safe. And I should mention that every hotel accommodated my gluten-free dietary restriction with ease.
Probably the most surprising thing for me was the quantity of animals. So much of the trip, there were hundreds of animals out every window of our vehicle! My favorites were the baby animals: monkeys clinging to their moms, elephants wiggling their trunks in the dust, giraffes loping with their pals. But the most unbelievable sighting of the trip was that as we watched the wildebeest migration across the Mara, a massive crocodile lunged out of the river and took one.
Here’s a teaser of the photos my husband took, and if you’d like to see/read more, you can see all our posts on our travel blog at walkandalie.com/trips/2016/tanzanian-safari/
We wouldn’t change a single thing. In fact, when considering other trips we keep saying “too bad Dawn/ADS don’t plan trips there!” Thank you, ADS, for the most spectacular journey!
Love from Brooklyn and Minnesota,
Alie on behalf of The Angells
Safari Dates: November 12, 2016 to November 26, 2016
Great Pictures!
Your picture are marvelous-are you a professional- theft compare to anything I have seen in Nat Geo- will you share them with me. I was on the same safari in July of 2014- stayed at the same places you did- I was pleasantly surprised how elegant the accomadation were- looking at your pictures makes me want to go back
Great photos! We went on our safari with ADS in March 2012. Glad the here Ellison is still a guide. He was our guide too. Thought he was amazing.