When we began researching a possible trip to Africa, we stumbled upon a set of nearly unanimous rave reviews of Africa Dream Safaris on an independent review site. Subsequently going to the ADS website, I was impressed with all of the information there. I realized I was repeatedly going back to the ADS site for info even when looking at other tour companies.

Our positive feelings were reinforced by all of the helpful info Jeff provided in response to our photography questions. What really sealed the deal was our interaction with Dawn. She was extremely patient in working to develop an itinerary that was right for us. Her detailed help only continued through the full year of prep before our trip.

We tend to over think and over plan, but Dawn was never phased. She answered all of our many questions in a timely and cheerful manner. It seemed ADS was always prepared and had thought through every potential problem. We were worried Dawn would eventually become annoyed with our many questions. On the contrary, we felt that we became friends.

Our experience exceeded our expectations almost immediately after our Qatar Airlines flight arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport. We had read about the VIP service upon arrival, but it was better than we could have imagined. We were swept through the VIP facilities and on our way in a matter of minutes, all while we were being cared for by the friendly welcoming crew. We are now spoiled forever.

One of the best things we did in planning our itinerary was to add an extra day in Arusha. Not only did it helps us recover from jetlag, but it gave us the opportunity to do so much more than otherwise would have been practical. The coffee tour and watching the crafts people at Shanga, both at Arusha Coffee Lodge, were fantastic.

A surprise highlight was the Arusha Central Market. Admittedly we had some reservations when Joseph, our extraordinary ADS Arusha rep, told us we were going to the market. I should have known ADS would have everything well planned. We had a special market guide to lead us through and explain what we were seeing, while Joseph brought up the rear. We never felt the slightest bit unsafe. We had a great time, learned a lot, and even bought some spices to bring home.

The camp staff at all of the sites were friendly and helpful. Each site was different, but we enjoyed every one of them. However ADS added so much to the experience by numerous unexpected events such as a bush dinner that included a bonfire to ward off the nighttime chill and a Maasai warrior and his enormous machete to keep us safe. I was in wonder that we were really in the middle of the Serengeti in front of a fire eating dinner—truly a Hemingway Experience.

Of course, the main reason we made the trip was to see the animals. One of the biggest surprises for us was how close we often were to the them. Most of the animals totally ignored us. On several occasions lions went so far as to advantage of the shade from our vehicle.

Elephants picked fruit right off the bushes in front of us.

We saw so many different animals it is hard to remember them all, but they include the Big Five (although the rhino was just a moving black dot without binoculars or a long lens) and all the other notables.

The entire trip was everything we had hoped for and more.  A huge thank you to Fazal and to all of the Africa Dream Safaris personnel for making this trip to Africa so memorable.

Ruthanne and Cliff T.
Lewisville, Texas
Safari Dates: September 10, 2024 to September 21, 2024

We saw more different types of antelope than we even knew existed.

We weren’t especially looking for birds, but by last count we saw over 60 species.

The best thing was seeing the animals interact with one another.  Our wonderful guide Fazal had over 20 years of experience as a guide and it showed.  He worked to help us experience the animals’ behavior, not just see them to identify them.  Not only did he seem to know where the animals would be and what they would do next, but he routinely positioned the vehicle for the best possible pictures.  None of that would have been possible if we had been part of a group tour focused only on seeing as many animals as possible.

On several occasions we spent time watching lions stalk their prey, but unfortunately for them they were unsuccessful.

We watched as two bull elephants sparred immediately in front of us.

More often it was less violent interactions that we observed.  One morning Fazal spotted several lionesses returning from their overnight hunt.

He positioned us in exactly the right place for us to see them reunite with their cubs in a mammoth group hug.

Best of all, we were in the middle of the Serengeti with no one else in sight.  What a thrill to be the only ones to see this happy reunion and the follow up as the lionesses got all the cubs organized and moving to breakfast.

On a different day with a different pride we saw even younger cubs.

We saw two crossings of the Mara River, including one within an hour of Fazal picking us up at the Kogatende Airstrip.

Hours later, after everyone else had left, we went downriver and had front row seats to the many scavengers in the water.

We knew ahead of time that leopards might be hard to find.  Fazal found and put us in position to watch several of them, including one climbing down out of a tree over her catch before posing just feet in front of us.

We even saw a leopard that had apparently been treed by a lion.

We also saw cheetahs multiple times.

We saw baboons on multiple occasions, usually tending to little ones.