Our 10 day trip in Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater over the Christmas break really was the trip of a lifetime and we can’t say enough about our guides, the accommodations, and the incredible wildlife and landscapes we witnessed.

The planning for the trip was very easy with the ADS team providing great advice and making all of the arrangements. Once on safari, our exceptional guides Emmanuel and Bernard were a real pleasure –knowledgeable, witty, and amazingly eagle-eyed!

The wildlife was abundant, diverse and very accessible. Our first few days on the Serengeti really spoiled us –lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, several types of antelopes and dozens of species of birds, including many tawny and martial eagles. And epic landscapes, sunrises and sunsets! At night after a great meal, we typically sat around the campfire with a cocktail, watching the stars and listening to lions and hyenas –it was really a great way to end the day.

Our time in and around the Ngorongoro Crater was equally memorable. The setting is so primeval –like it’s been that way for tens of thousands of years. We even spotted a black rhino!

The accommodations were really top notch and varied. We stayed at a very nice boutique hotel (the African Tulip), impressive lodges (Four Seasons and the Escarpment), and tented camps such as Sametu, Lake Masek, and Lion’s Paw. We really appreciated the setting, arrangement and staff of the tented camps and liked Sametu the best. The hot water bottles in the bed at night added to glamping at its best!

Our favorite moments include:

-seeing baboons, then giraffes, then elephants crossing the road one after another in front of us

-watching a leopard with a baboon in a tree and another w/a gazelle

-several cheetah sightings, including watching a kill of a Thompson’s gazelle, 30 minutes after seeing two jackals also take down a Tommy.

-ostrich mating dances

-a martial eagle guarding it’s ibis prey

-hyenas fighting over scraps

-lots of babies –piglet warthogs jousting, then pausing for a snack w/mom as she grazed; lion and cheetah cubs playing; baby zebras, antelopes, and elephants staying close to their mothers; hyena cubs peeking out of a den; baby baboons riding moms.

-driving down into the crater

-thousands of zebras, wildebeest and gazelles migrating

-taking a nature walk at the Escarpment Lodge guided by one of the Massai Warriors. Giving insights into the plants and trees that have been used for medical purposes for centuries.

-enjoying the Massai Warrior dance

-lions everywhere!

Tom, Jean and Christian B.
Laurel, Maryland
Safari Dates: December 18, 2017 to December 27, 2017