I have told so many of my friends about the absolutely amazing vacation we had with African Dream Safaris. I hope some of them call you because everybody, if they have the opportunity to get to Africa, should go. I’d like to give special appreciation to our guides, Petro and Michael, who were friendly, informative and so accommodating.

We were two families traveling together, ten total, and they managed to satisfy all our wishes. We’d tell them what we wanted to see and the next day they would accomplish it. From nursing lions to playing leopards, they knew where to find the animals that would send our hearts racing and illicit exclamation of, “Oh my gosh, can you believe we are here witnessing this!”

Though we were on safari during the green season, our guides managed to bring more color to each experience by relating personal stories and providing interesting information about the animals, birds and vegetation. From grunting hippos to hyenas eating freshly killed prey, they spotted everything that they thought would be of interest to us.

And, your staff in Arusha were so helpful when I left my camera on one of our short, internal flights on the day before we were due to leave. You can imagine how upset I was that all those once-in-a-lifetime memories were gone. But, you all managed to track it down and I was able to have all my pictures in hand before we left for home. Send my thanks to everyone.

There were so many exciting moments but I would like to share two which stand out in my mind. The first was seeing a pair of necking giraffes. It was a dance of nature that defies description. I could never put the gracefulness and beauty of their actions into words but it was awesome. I never thought about where the term “necking” came from but let me tell you, human beings have nothing on giraffes. I did manage to capture the moment on video and have shared it with many friends who can’t believe the magnificence of it.

The other thrilling moment was meeting the gaze of male lion who walked about two feet from our vehicle. We could almost reach out and touch him. It ranks as one of the most breath-taking and heart-racing encounters I’ve had in my life. But let me reiterate that though it was thrilling, I was never worried about our safety. Our guides were very professional and I trusted them completely.

Finally, please send all my thanks to the many people who helped make our stays at all our accommodations so comfortable. While we stayed at the luxurious Bilila Lodge, the president of Tanzania was also there. So cool. We took an afternoon during our stay there to relax by the pool and enjoy the many diversions on the property.

While at Sametu tented camp, we enjoyed showering under the stars and hearing lions groan in the bushes behind our tents. I would recommend to anyone going to Africa through ADS, to combine a wide range of accommodations because each place we stayed had their own special charm. At all the places we stayed, EVERYONE was friendly and attentive.

Finally, a special thanks to you, Dawn, for always promptly responding to our many questions. concerns and planning the most incredible vacation for us.

Sincerely,

The Brody Family
Wilmette, IL
December 2011