ADS earned our trust, respect, admiration and profound gratitude on our first safari so there was absolutely no question of who to turn to for our second. A safari in the age of Covid sounded daunting, but ADS met every challenge with the same high standards of commitment, excellence and assistance that is their hallmark. This trustworthiness is one of the big reasons we chose ADS again.
Africa Dream Safari was THE BEST!! We received excellent suggestions from Dawn and Michael throughout our planning for this amazing vacation! Dawn listened to what we wanted, offered great feedback, and customized an itinerary that was perfect for the four of us! Truly, our time in the “bush” and going on game drives was spectacular!
In the month of September, 2018, my wife and I enjoyed one of the most amazing travel experiences possible, an African safari hosted by Africa Dream Safaris. At the conclusion of that adventure we found ourselves wondering if we would ever again be able to return to Tanzania and repeat such an awesome travel experience. As good fortune would have it, we did repeat our African adventure, spending 14 days on safari in April 2021.
Growing up in a large family without a lot of money, travel was not part of my family’s life. Our adventures to far away places came from the pages of the books we read and the nature shows we watched on TV. My fascination with the Serengeti and the animals of Africa began when my parents came home from an auction with a huge box of old National Geographic magazines. I spent hours under the covers with a flashlight devouring every article. My favorites were always about Africa. Sixty years later, my dream of visiting the Serengeti came true with the help of my husband, and Africa Dream Safaris.
We had high expectations for our safari to Tanzania, and Africa Dream Safaris not only met them, but exceeded those expectations. We have been following ADS on the internet and Facebook for many years and knew that when the time came to take a safari to Africa we would go with ADS. Often in this kind of situation when you’re so excited about something for so long, it’s easy to get disappointed. After all, we’d seen so many amazing pictures on the ADS website from other people’s safaris that it was going to be hard for our own trip to be as good. But in this case, our safari was everything we hoped it would be – and more.
August 2019 found us examining our extensive travel Bucket List and deciding to move “Safari to Africa” to the top. A photography friend who had traveled to Tanzania several years earlier with Africa Dream Safaris and who knew that we wanted a private safari told us, “I’ve already done the research…don’t bother looking at any other safari company!” So one phone call later, and a lengthy discussion with Sharon, Vice President of ADS, our much-anticipated safari trip planning began in earnest, and was to commence the following spring in April 2020.
And then the world stopped…
Every lodge we stayed with quickly became our favorite, from the luxury of Arusha Coffee Lodge to the outstanding service at Escarpment Luxury Lodge. We absolutely loved the early coffee service in our luxury tent at Seronera Sametu Camp before heading out for our pre-dawn adventures. Lake Masek tented lodge was a total delight. We could hear the hippos grunting and snuffling as they dined on the lawn right outside our tent, and we love the little Bush Baby that lives in the tree near the dining area deck.
Astounding, ethereal, exceptional, awesome are a few of the superlatives to describe our February 2021 Africa Dream Safari excursion to the Serengeti. What follows is a brief recap of our unforgettable twelve- day journey. Our first two days were at Arusha Coffee Plantation. If your flight is quite long, we highly recommend 2 nights there, so you will be fresh when you begin the safari.
1726…no, that’s not the year we did our first of 5 safaris with ADS…that’s the number of miles we covered during our exceptional 12 day safari! As my wife and I are avid photographers, going during the wet season has been very high on our list. We knew would never have another opportunity to go during peak season and have a minimal number of vehicles in the Southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area, as Covid would severely limit the number of safari travelers. Our guide ensured we would be in the optimum area to observe the Migration, which meant driving many miles to follow the ever moving herds, depending upon which lodge we were staying. ADS excels at getting you to the animals, and the miles driven are inconsequential.
To go or not to go
“In the circle of life…it’s the wheel of fortune…it’s the leap of faith…it’s the band of hope…til we find our place…”
Well, we took a leap of faith and found our place in an unbelievable Serengeti safari experience! Where to begin? I’m sure so many of you fellow travelers are wondering about what traveling is like now, so I will give you an honest and extremely thorough account of our travels and sights during this crazy time. Get ready if you choose to read this, because it’s a very long blog!
Enjoy the video below taken by our safari guests on September 5th, 2020 during an early morning game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater. The elephants in the Ngorongoro Crater have become very habituated to tourist vehicles over the years though it’s unusual to get this close. Make sure to turn the volume up on this one!
Lerai Forest, Ngorongoro Crater
Video September 05, 2020
Lerai Forest in the world famous Ngorongoro Crater is home to some of the largest bull tusker elephants in Africa. The elephants in the Crater are unique in that they are predominantly old bulls flaunting giant ivory tusks. They survived the pre-ivory ban days in the 1980s when many large tuskers outside the relative safety of the Crater were poached. Since the ivory ban was enacted, elephant numbers have increased dramatically and the contiguous Northern Tanzania parks including the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara and Tarangire form one of the greatest strongholds for elephants in Africa.
With more than twenty-five percent of its total land area dedicated for wildlife and protected areas including 22 national parks, 23 game reserves, 44 game controlled areas and 18 marine protected areas, Tanzania is arguably the greatest Eco Travel destination in the world.
After a flurry of flight cancellations at the beginning of summer that left many disappointed travelers postponing safaris to next year, we finally have a few guests successfully venturing from the U.S. to Tanzania for late summer trips. We thought it would be helpful to show what it’s like travelling internationally along with the current conditions in Tanzania and, of course, some wildlife updates from the bush!
Currently, there are no restrictions on travel between the U.S. and Tanzania. Tanzania had briefly put in place a requirement that travelers would need to present a negative COVID-19 test upon entering the country but that measure was rescinded. As the situation is fluid and out of an abundance of caution, all of our guests travelling for the remainder of the year plan to get tested within 72 to 96 hours prior to travel. Regarding the return trip home to the U.S., the CDC has recently dropped the 14-day self-quarantine recommendation for returning international travelers.
International Terminal in Boston on Aug 26 – not the typical summer lines!
Most of the lodges and camps we typically incorporate into our itineraries have now reopened under the government’s new and strict operating procedures. These include screening and temperature checks for all staff and guests, frequent disinfecting of high touch surfaces, limiting the number of guests for dinning services and wearing recommended protective gear.
ADS Guests checking in at Arusha Coffee Lodge – Temperature Checks and Hand Sanitizer Stations now in place at all Lodges and Camps
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