Our family of seven including two grandparents, two daughters and three grandsons took a trip of a lifetime to Tanzania with Africa Dream Safari. The trip exceeded all expectations! From the excellent communications of pre-trip planning to completion. The only stressful piece about air travel was getting a Covid test 72 hours prior to arriving in Tanzania, which in fact was uneventful. The great part was everyone on our planes going and returning had tested negative for Covid.

We were met at the Kilimanjaro airport and met by ADS staff. They smoothly escorted our family thru the visa lines and were taken to the delightful Arusha Coffee Lodge. The accommodations are first class, and we enjoyed the coffee tour and demonstration and the delicious food at the restaurant.

We enjoyed having two vehicles and our guides were superb, knowledgeable, kind, and patient with our endless questions about animals and life in Tanzania. Arnold and Bernard were a talented team!

There were too many highlights to list but a few favorites:

Highlight:  Finding a family of cheetahs that posed for a family portrait and then one climbed onto the rear of our jeep and the other onto the hood looking right into the eyes of my grandson. I thought that was only a marketing picture, but it really happened as you can see by the picture.

Highlight:  A large herd of elephants walking in front of and behind our vehicle, so close we could have touched them.

Highlight: The wildebeest crossing – twice! And saw a crocodile take down a wildebeest trying to make the crossing.

Highlight: Leopards in the tree, not easy to find…

Highlight: Watching a large bull elephant shake an acacia tree so that the young elephants could graze and vacuum up the foliage from the tree that had fallen to the ground.

Highlight: Staff singing and dancing in Swahili birthday greetings and when departing a farewell song and cake

I recommend the Maasai village tour – included singing, dancing, jumping and small group conversation in their hut. The people are warm and friendly, excellent English is spoken. In grateful appreciation be prepared to purchase some of their handmade crafts.

The lodging was amazing…imagine having the capability of charging camera batteries, phones, and other electrical gear in your “tent”. Four poster beds, hot water bottle to warm the sheets, hot showers, and flushing toilets and Wi-Fi in your tent. All the staff, were friendly, smiling and so accommodating.

Deb and James E.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Safari Dates: July 26, 2021 to August 06, 2021