From childhood into adulthood one is exposed of Africa through many venues; books, magazines, movies, etc. But nothing can prepare you for what the human eye sees, the constant change of emotions derived from changing feelings, sense of intoxicating aromas and a never ending Serengeti full with wonders of life. I will try to expose these emotions; however, I am confident that neither the following words nor pictures will fully capture the actual moments. Some of these moments were in:

o The constantly changing colors blending with terrain, vegetation and light of day

o The wakening of each day by singing birds, the shuffling of animals and the roar of the male Lion. Each communicating its own message of life, struggle and dominance

o The constant battle for survival with protecting parents of their young. The quick training that must quickly pass on for both predator and pray

o The stalking before the chase, the chase, evasions and final outcomes of the most skilled

o The parental loving attention and sharing of the fresh kill by a dominant family of Lions or Cheetahs

o The almost comical approach and participation by Hyenas, Jackals and Vultures as they ravage through the leftover of a kill or normal death. The Serengeti gives and takes with little trace of the carnage and the cycle continues

o The massiveness and vastness of the migration by wildebeest and zebras

o The cyclic and repeating migration, driven by the clock of nature, which taunts them with the promise of food for their survival

o The massiveness of elephants herds with their destructiveness of trees for food. No green training here. However, the family caring is so obvious

o The massive hippos in their “aromatic” pools, territorial and so protective of their young

o The huge crocodiles that bask in the warmth of the shores in stillness and full awareness

o The giraffes so majestic with an uncaring view of all that is a foot below them. With reward of fresh green leaves that only awaits them at the tips of the high branches made brilliant against the Blue sky

o The feeling of freedom and being alive as you stand in the vehicle, head sticking out on the top while being driven through the serenity of the Serengeti, fresh wind on your face

o The many people at the camps of Kusini, Swala, Lake Masik and Ngorongoro that made our returns a welcome with cooling towels, hot water to clean and relax our bodies, and the nourishing quality of food and drink to energize and prepare us for events to come

The above are just a few of the many treasures that are intermingled by many more animals that were unveiled through the keen eyes of a well-trained ADS guide and driver (Pokea): An expert not only in wildlife, but terrain, he managed to provide us with the utmost Safari experience. The ADS family may not be large in comparison to other providers, allowing them to focus on the quality of services and motivation to provide us with the best experience possible. The ADS family has exceeded our expectations exposing us with moments that took our breath away.

The last five days (December 29, 2012-January 3, 2013) were spent in the tranquility of the Palms resort located on Zanzibar Island. What a wonderful way to chill down and reflect on the safari adventure. The people of the Palms are to be commended for the service, exquisite cuisine, and the softening tranquility of the quiet surroundings.

If you can treat yourself and family to these experiences ADS will most certainly accommodate and exceed your expectations

Enjoy and share some of our photos

Leo Pavlow and Christiane Meyer
Safari Dates: December 19, 2012-December 29, 2012
Plymouth, Michigan

We had an absolutely amazing safari with Africa Dream Safaris, better than we ever dreamed possible. We loved having our own guide and vehicle, and the freedom to choose our own pace, according to the interesting sights and the weather. There were 4 of us, so we had room to spare for picture taking and for our daypacks as well as boxed lunches some days. From the moment we landed in Kilimanjaro, we were guided skillfully and patiently throughout our trip, even getting through customs smoothly with extra assistance from our guide.

We saw everything we could have imagined, in abundance. We encountered dozens of elephants and baboons at a time, filling the road and crossing it, lion, zebra, and cheetah and zebra families, and beginning of the wildebeest migration. On our first day, a pair of cheetahs made a surprise raid on a warthog family, stealing one of the young. The distraught mother chased the other cheetah at an amazing pace. While watching a large group of baboons all around us, we spotted a male feasting on a small animal right next to us. Our guide, David, said it was rare for baboons to eat meat so openly, but he sat at the side of the road picking the carcass clean.

One elephant actually approached and circled our truck, stopping twice to let her infant nurse within a few feet of us, before ambling away. And we witnessed a large pack of hyenas try to approach a lion kill, only to be successfully driven off by 3 determined lionesses. Two hippos appeared to clash repeatedly in the water with their mouths open, although no blood appeared. We witnesses real and novel adventures every day, not just a long distance peek at wildlife! Also, Tanzania is a bird lover’s paradise, we was a wide variety of birds, including birds of prey, at close range. Some even landed on our vehicle.

Our guide, David, was the best we have ever known, very knowledgeably responding to every inquiry imaginable (a young person in our group was especially eager for understanding of not only wildlife, but Tanzanian culture and customs). He saw wildlife with his naked eye that we had trouble locating with binoculars, and was a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge about every creature we saw – and we saw it all! Not only the big five, but dozens of smaller animals, lizards, and birds as well. He filled us in on every detail about the various acacia trees, the baobab and sausage trees, and gave us advice when we visited a Masaii village. We stayed a long time watching some animals and never felt rushed to move on, as long as one of us was standing. And he frequently moved us into a better viewing position as animals moved about, no request necessary.

I would urge anyone interested in a Tanzanian safari to book with Africa Dream Safaris, which we will surely do when we return!

Gratefully, Diane & John Shoemaker
Holland, Michigan
Safari Dates: December 5, 2013 to December 15, 2013

Cheetah With Cubs

Cheetah Escapes With Baby Warthog

Mother Warthog Chasing Second Cheetah

Leopard Awakens

Lion Cubs Asleep By Road

Elephant Calf Nursing

Hippo Confrontation

Hippo Mom And Baby

Hornbill At Nest

I left for Tanzania expecting to get to spend an amazing vacation on safari, but what I didn’t know was that I would come home with a completely new perspective. Tanzania opened my eyes and changed me in so many ways. The experience was unreal. I have never been exposed to so much natural beauty and culture as I did in the 2 weeks I spent with African Dream Safaris.

First off, our entire vacation was perfectly planned and stress free. Sharon, from the moment I stepped off the plane until our guides said goodbye to us at the airport on our last day, we didn’t have to worry about anything. Everyone we met on our trip was far beyond hospitable and happy to take care of us and answer all of our questions (I had a lot!). Our guide was the most wonderful, knowledgeable, friendly man and he became part of our “family”.

Every place we stayed at was more beautiful and breath-taking than the one before. We traveled during the slower season, so each place we stayed at was peaceful. From tents on the ridge of the Ngorogoro crater, beautiful white houses overlooking a coffee plantation, luxurious tents on top of a kopi, to a 5-star hotel overlooking a watering hole… I could watch animals drink from a watering hole outside of my bathroom window while I took a bath or wake up in the morning to elephants rustling around outside my tent.

I could never have dreamed of how many animals we saw on our safari. To put it into perspective, in the first 20 minutes of our first drive, I asked our guide to stop so I could look at herd of gazelles out on the horizon. Later that day we got to experience the 2 cheetahs stalk and kill a baby warthog. Witnessing nature in action like that is something I will never forget. By the end of our safari seeing a family of giraffes up next to our car was normal.

We saw every animal you could possibly imagine and then some. My personal favorites were the zebras. We saw thousands and thousands everywhere we went but they never stopped being fascinating and beautiful to me. One of our last drives we stumbled upon over 200 elephants, surrounding and walking around our truck. You could see them for miles! We also got to see black rhino in the Ngorogoro crater, which was a real treat.

Every day was another incredible adventure… One day we got to go on a peaceful hot air balloon safari and watch the sunrise. When we landed, we had a delicious and beautiful breakfast prepared for under a tree overlooking the mountains and herds of water buffalo. One day we spent time in a Masai village talking to and learning about their culture. I even got to learn how to do traditional Masai dances.

Overall, I will look back on this trip as an experience that has completely changed my worldview. It was the most surreal, beautiful, humbling, educational, and incredible 2 weeks of my life. I have no doubt in my mind that I will come back to Tanzania someday.

Aside from this, I can’t thank you enough for planning the this trip for us. Everything about it was perfect. I talk for hours on end when people ask me about my experience. I still can’t believe all the things I experienced and saw and did. I am only 19 years old, so it is kind of a problem because I have such a yearning to travel and experience other cultures and countries now.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you a million times.

Hannah K.
Holland, MI
Safari Dates: December 3, 2013 – December 15, 2013