Nine of us women, mostly teachers and friends, set off for Tanzania to experience the most thrilling adventure many of us will never forget!

Before we flew over the beautiful Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, we had a day trip in Arusha to shop for memorable treasures. We stopped at a crafts village where we saw locals make beaded jewelry and treasures for the home.

Some of them were deaf and I was thrilled we could communicate with each other using American Sign Language! We made each other’s day! I would love to go back after retirement  to work with them and get to know them better and maybe work in the school for the Deaf where they all had once attended.

We learned so much from our guides, Roman and Dida, who went over and beyond our expectations! They would ask us what we had hoped to see for that day and they almost always delivered even though finding the animal of our dreams was never a guarantee! We kept saying….how can the next day be better than today?! Dida, Dawn and Roman – amazing and kind people!

Some highlights were:

My dream was to see a leopard in a tree and it came true! 2 were perfectly perched on the tree branches in perfect view from our jeep! I was in AWE at the end of the day when I saw how beautifully they looked in my pictures!

Seeing over 100 lions lying on beautiful kopjes (rock structures), lazily in the trees, in the grass, feasting on a kill (34 near our tented area!), or surrounding our jeep (yikes!) and 16 of them all converging as they walked off into the sunset! What a well-played out movie that was! Truly, a dream!

The sleek, gentle-like cheetahs that were feasting, lying lazily in the grass or keeping their eye on the stealth hyena! They were amazing to observe!

The countless zebras (endlessly observing us or other animals), wildebeests (running what seemed like sideways on toothpick legs – so funny to watch! And swaying beards! HAHA!), Thomson gazelles (frolicking or dashing away when you came near!) –  again, we never tire of watching these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.

The ADORABLE doe-eyed dik-dik was one animal I would take home! They were so gentle-like and I loved the fact they are monogamous.

The bird life was extraordinary! The countless, ugly vultures feasting on a kill was fascinating to observe! The other birdlife was so colorful and beautiful to watch pecking at food on the ground, flirting with each other or taking off in flight. And an ostrich peeing right in front of you! AHHH!!!!

The beautiful and most colorful Maasi people and their animal dung village was so educational and humbling to experience!

Our accommodations were OUT OF THIS WORLD! I loved, loved every place especially the tented camps! The delicious food, a candlelit dinner in the brush by an open fire, amazing, kind staff and stunning décor were way over and beyond!

And to end my review, I can never thank Dawn Anderson (email her at dawn@africadreamsafaris.com) and her sister, Ann Eilert, enough for organizing this beautiful and most memorable trip for all of us! We are all grateful to you both and it will be a trip we will all talk about for a long time!

Asante Sana from the bottom of my heart! 

Trina D.
2^nd grade teacher for the Dept. of Defense – Vicenza, Italy
Safari Dates: March 30, 2018 to April 7, 2018