We researched companies and decided on using ADS for our much-anticipated trip to Africa. We were 4 retirees from Missouri, and we were not disappointed. We chose ADS’s customized Hemmingway Safari. From the planning stage to the meet-and-greet VIP treatment at the airport, we were truly well taken care of. Our trip coordinator, Sharon Lyon promptly and patiently answered any questions that we had, and we had a lot of questions.

Joseph, our greeter in Arusha, gave us a great tour of Arusha on our extra day of acclimating to the time difference. We enjoyed visiting the market, the Cultural Heritage Center and the sheltered workshop located at the Coffee Lodge. We were well taken care of for 2 nights at the beautiful Arusha Coffee Lodge, where we were entertained by a troop of Black-faced Vervet monkeys.

After an amazing flight into the Serengeti, we met our wonderful guide, Ferouz, who was so very knowledgeable. We started seeing animals immediately after he picked us up from the airport in the land rover. He continued to amaze us with his knowledge, and his uncanny ability to find the animals for the next 11 days.

We stayed in 4 different camps during our time on Safari: Sametu, Woodlands, Lion’s Paw and Maramboi. They were each unique and terrific, in their own ways, and we loved them all. While we got to hear the animals at night, we always felt very safe and the staff at each camp was truly wonderful! They welcomed us warmly and invited us to come back, as we left each camp. We all felt pampered during the entire safari, as the staff were always trying to surpass our expectations.

We were treated to numerous ‘bush meals’ where they would set up a feast in the bush to surprise us. The food was excellent, and the staff was great to work with, doing a good job of meeting our food allergy needs as well. They would pack amazing safari breakfasts, or lunches for us, if we chose not to return to camp for a meal. It was amazing to have our laundry done quickly and well, all while we were gone!

After a good night’s sleep in the amazing beds (that we always had), we started most days before dawn, so we would be able to see the animals that had been hunting during the night. Ferouz seemed to know where to drive, instinctively!

We were able to see so many different animals, in fact we kept a list of all our unique animal sightings (171). Since I was particularly fond of the lions, we also kept count of the total number of lions that we saw during the trip (78).

One of the highlights of the trip for us was watching the various animals interact with each other in their natural environment. They are not threatened by the presence of the vehicles, and they seemed to ignore them for the most part. We got to sit in the middle of a zebra/wildebeest migration where they seemed unphased by our presence.

We experienced lion cubs and also (separately) cheetah cubs playing around our parked land rover, while their mothers watched unconcerned. We were able to witness playing and mating animals, as well as seeing animals hunting their prey. Although we were present, we were basically ignored by the animal participants, which was totally unexpected to me.

We also enjoyed meeting the people of Tanzania. The African people that we met we seemed so gracious and happy, even though most had very little in the way of possessions. We were truly impressed by everyone that we met and everything that we saw.

The trip surpassed our highest expectations! We would love to come back and visit Africa again. We would highly recommend using African Dream Safari to anyone wanting an unforgettable safari experience!

Dianne and Pat M.
Missouri, USA
Safari Dates: February 6, 2025 to February 17, 2025