About that bucket list…Just do it, go on safari with African Dream Safaris. We did it in 2014 and had such a wonderful experience that we just did it again in September 2017!

Every safari is different in some ways because of the behavior of the animals. The one thing that was proven constant was the ADS people involved on our safari, those who we saw face to face and all those behind the scene. The guides are so good, with such knowledge of behavior, of locations, and of tendencies along with incredible eyesight!

We were so fortunate to have Bennett down south and Ally in the north and central Serengeti. They could spot activity in trees that we could not see!

The camps (Mara River Camp, Seronera Sametu Camp and Swala Camp) were always ready for us and greeted us with enthusiasm, warmth, and a cool towel and drink. The Tanzanian people are among the nicest people we have ever met. They are friendly and enjoyed listening to our attempt to speak a little Swahili while they are interested in practicing their english which is often very good.

How could a second safari top the perfection of the first? Well, ADS and Dawn Anderson did just that. As repeaters Dawn suggested we view a different national park to start our trek and we enjoyed a southern national park, Tarangire, immensely.

Want to see elephants, lots and lots of elephants? Tarangire is the place to be. At Swala Camp we literally had a dozen huge elephants parade by our tent deck within 4 feet of us. That is when you realize that these huge animals walk silently on padded feet, their young suckle noisily and the moms are so protective that the kids always walk in the middle of the herd for protection.

We flew up to the north Serengeti and we were fortunately able to see 3 crossings of wildebeests within hours. You cannot imagine thousands of these creatures lined up along the Mara River just waiting for one member of the herd to move into the water and then with abandon throw themselves into the river to seek greener grass on the other side.

We saw our big 3 cats, lions, leopards and cheetahs in behaviors that you don’t learn unless you are with a guide and company that has no timetable. We did not have to be at a certain point by a certain time.

The Land Rover was ours and we could stay until that leopard decided to stretch, yawn, move off the rock and pee on our vehicle! We watched lion mothers play with their cubs and even swat them when they became troublesome.

Go for the animals, go for the people, go for the undefined specialness of East Africa…just go. You will love it!

Dan and Emily W.
Calabasas, California
Safari Dates: August 31, 2017 to Sep 12, 2017