Tanzania leaves its mark on you quickly, and in the best possible way. There’s something about the Serengeti that strips away the noise and puts everything back in its right place. Sharing that with our kids felt huge – like we were giving them a glimpse into how life really works, not the polished version from home.

We were inspired by a couple who were enamored with the first trip they took with ADS several years ago. The stories they told about their experience and the professionalism and care shown to them by ADS sold us on the idea. Our hope for our safari was to show the circle of life and the birthplace of humanity to our young daughters, providing them with an experience they wouldn’t receive in any zoo or museum.

Having younger children, we wanted to feel both the exhilaration and awe of being in the presence of wildlife in its natural environments, in a safe and respectful manner. Lastly, we wanted to experience Tanzania’s Karibu (Welcome) spirit and learn as much about its people, culture, and traditions as possible.

We knew this trip would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but even so it surpassed all our expectations! I have never felt a yearning to return to anywhere I’ve previously traveled to in the way I do for the Central Serengeti. Our girls felt it too.

Upon returning home, our oldest said she missed Tanzania; she missed the “wildness” of the Serengeti. The early mornings jumping into the truck and heading out to join the animals living out the rhythm of their day – without buildings, sidewalks, or crowds. Just Mom, Dad, Sister, Mr. Ellison, and our safari truck.

ADS ensured everything about our safari felt intentional, authentic, and customized, and in close partnership with the local community. Our arrival at the Kilimanjaro Airport was smoother than any international entry we have ever had. The ADS team met us in front of the airport as we disembarked from the plane and walked us through security. We spent less than 10 minutes in the VIP lounge before our bags were loaded into the truck and we were off.

One (too short) night at a beautiful family villa situated on a coffee plantation followed by a 50-minute flight into the Central Serengeti courtesy of Miracle Air and we were in the thick of it.

Our safari began literally as we touched down on the dirt airstrip when we saw a family of banded mongoose frolicking just off the side of the airstrip.

From that moment on, we were overwhelmed with animals! Giraffes, elephants, crocodiles, multiple lion prides, a mating lion pair, cape buffalo, “thunder chickens” (aka ostriches), “track cats” (aka Cheetahs), all four species comprising the great migration, hundreds of baboons alongside black-faced vervet monkeys, hyenas, jackals, maybe 50 different kinds of birds, to include the stomping Secretary bird and not-so-attractive storks, one black mamba, dwarf and banded mongooses, a monitor lizard, and one lucky serval.

And our guide Mr. Ellison found an elusive leopard – the only one we saw the entire trip – napping in a tree.

The most poignant moments we experienced were two instances involving mama cheetahs and their cubs. In the first instance, two adolescent cheetah cubs inadvertently flushed a serval out of its hiding place in the tall grass, chased it as it fled, and cornered it. Though they had the serval surrounded they did not quite know what to do with it afterwards.

The mother cheetah initially watched with disinterest from her perch on a tall termite hill, then became distracted by a small group of Thompson gazelles. The Gazelles had spotted the young cheetahs in their protracted standoff with the serval and took a wide berth around the adolescent cheetahs, but they never saw the mother cheetah in the distance.

Mama cheetah had already started stalking the gazelles and moved on a course to intercept them as the gazelles were trying to move around the adolescent cubs. She was at a full beautiful sprint and on top of them before they knew it. We witnessed mama and cubs eat well that day.

The following day, we found another mama cheetah and her 2-month-old cubs in Southern Serengeti. The mother was nursing a minor injury and walking with a limp, and the gravity of that hit us all hard as we knew that if she was unable to run down prey she would be unable to feed her two very young cubs.

Mr. Ellison advised that we give her some space and we proceeded to spend a couple hours with a large pride of lions camped near one of the numerous kopjes.

When we returned to check on the Mama Cheetah, she had successfully hunted a young Thompson gazelle, which she and her cubs were hungrily devouring. We all cheered the mother’s success and left feeling reassured that she’d bought her cubs and herself a least another day while she continued to heal.

We also immensely enjoyed the presentations on Cheetahs and Lions, provided by doctoral candidates and wildlife research experts, which were coordinated by ADS. And we were moved by our excursions to Olduvai gorge and a local Masai tribal village.

Logistically, we wanted for nothing. If we have one recommendation for future clients, it’s to read Dawn Anderson’s blogs on packing and preparing for the trip. They were perfect!! And we were truly spoiled by the lodges ADS reserved for us.

I am tremendously thankful we reserved our safari 23 months in advance as that meant we were able to reserve 2-bedroom family suites at every lodge, to include Woodlands Camp (my favorite).

But the special magic to our safari was our guide, Mr. Ellison. Not only did he have an uncanny ability to locate animals and understanding their rhythms and patterns, but he was also an exceptional logistical coordinator, functioning as a go-between for us and the lodge staff with whom he coordinated the following day’s schedule and requirements.

Ellison was also compassionate, funny, full of energy, and an absolute professional who strove to provide the best experience possible for us. He was great with our girls and taught us the Jambo Jambo Song and Swahili sayings like “cool like a banana in the fridge” (which you can imagine our girls loved!).

He was incredibly upbeat and energetic, even with our grinding schedule. We were up at 5:00 AM, breakfast at 5:30 AM, in the truck by 6:15 AM and spent all day out on safari until we pulled into camp at 4:00 PM. But we were all smiles when we had breakfast with Ellison and we decompressed, shared stories about the day, and planned the following day’s itinerary together at dinner.

We became a 5-person team – some of the best memories were us alone and unafraid with our truck parked under an Acacia tree, getting ready for a bush lunch at a kopje while our girls explored animal tracks and built primitive lean-tos. Those quiet moments were unexpected gifts.

I don’t yet know when, but we will be going back to Tanzania and will absolutely choose ADS again without a doubt. The experience did not just impress us – it left a lasting mark and one that will be hard to beat. Asante sana!

Aimee and Chuck S.
Boerne, Texas
Safari Dates; December 29, 2025 to January 06, 2026