Author: Michael

Viewing The Wildlife Privately Was A Huge Bonus For Us

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Posted on by Michael

Words and pictures will never quite express our feelings and memories from our recent trek to Tanzania. From the very first contact with Africa Dream Safaris, with our safari specialist, Dawn Anderson, to the final trip to the airport to go (sadly) home, every detail was attended to. Not only were our questions answered in a timely manner, but they were answered with full explanations which better helped us to prepare for the safari.

We began talking about the trip in January of 2013, making the final commitment in April to go on our trip in late September of the same year to coincide with our 30 year anniversary and our son’s plan to study abroad at the University of Dar es Salaam. We began our trip with a two day extension to spend some time in the Mount Kilimanjaro area. We flew from Dar es Salaam (where we had been visiting with our son) to Arusha on Friday, Sept. 27, 2013.

We were greeted warmly by ADS staff and whisked up to Ndarakwai Ranch. While there we enjoyed the stunning views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a walking safari, a night game drive, and a day hike excursion on the Shira Trail. The food was superb and the accomodations were delightful, including the nightly visit of the bush baby to the dining tent! On Sunday we left the ranch to travel back to Arusha for shopping at the Cultural Heritage Center and a one night stay at the beautiful Mt. Meru resort. ADS staff picked us up on Monday morning and transported us to the Arusha airport for our early morning departure to the Serengeti. At last, our long awaited safari was beginning!

Our driver/guide, Claude, met us as we got off the plane, quickly introduced himself, gave us traditional Maasai gifts as anniversary gifts, and helped us with our luggage. Within minutes we were settled comfortably in our safari vehicle and had entered a land full of animals only seen in zoos before. Our first stop was at the Mara River to catch the very tail end of a wildebeest crossing. We would end up being entertained both this day and the next as we watched the herds gather at the very edge for quite some time, only to change their minds and disperse and regather later in the day.

Our first day of safari was quite successful as we saw a partial river crossing, lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippos, a cheetah with two young cubs, and countless birds and antelope of various species. We stayed the first night (Monday) at Lemala Kuria Hills, which was a place of abundant beauty. We were surprised during dinner with an anniversary cake with our names on it and it was presented with a song by the kitchen/dining staff!

Our safari continued with a two night stay at Buffalo Springs Camp. During the next two days, the wonders of the Serengeti continued to reveal themselves as we saw a rhino with a young baby, a cheetah just after she had killed an oribi, a lion pride of 11 lions, and continued abundant sightings of zebras, giraffes, elephants, wildebeest, and water buffalo.

During our two nights (Tuesday and Wednesday) at Buffalo Springs we enjoyed a walking safari to the top of a hill behind the camp, a night game drive, and a traditional bush dinner served from an overlook area away from the main dining area. The food was delicious and the hospitality extended was remarkable. We felt as if we were personal friends/guests of Mark and Neil rather than international travelers. On Thursday we visited the local Maasai village before beginning our drive to the Seronera Sametu Camp. The village visit was both fun and educational and we came away with a renewed appreciation for the Maasai traditions and work ethic.

As we drove to the Seronera Sametu camp, where we would spend the next two nights (Thursday and Friday) we continued to see a great number of zebras, giraffes, elephants, water buffalo, hippos, and various antelope and birds. Jonas, and the staff at the Sametu camp, were very attentive and excited to hear about the things we had seen.

On Friday we were thrilled to watch a mother leopard with two young cubs and a recent kill. It wasn’t long before the mother and one young ran off but we were able to watch the other cub eat the kill for quite some time. Eventually a baboon family ventured into the area and chased off the last cub who dropped the meat and ran up a different tree. This whole event was thrilling to watch.

On Saturday we departed the Sametu camp with the desire to see an adult male lion – this was about the only thing we had not seen at this point. It wasn’t long before Claude was able to follow the tracks to a grasslands area and one beautiful male lion popped us as we were driving by. It was almost surreal how he just raised up at the perfect time as he was completely hidden in the grass prior to popping up. As we stayed and watched him, we discovered that there were another 15 lions also hidden in the grass. As we stayed and watched this beautiful pride, all 16 lions moved about and we were able to enjoy this in the quiet beauty of the early morning.

From there we ventured to the Oldubai Gorge and the Ngorongoro Crater and a one night stay (Saturday) at Lion’s Paw Camp. The crater was unbelievaby beautiful and filled with abundant wildlife viewings. On Sunday morning we were able to watch the drama unfold as two packs of hyenas enclosed on a water buffalo herd, killing one of it’s young. It was a back and forth fight as the hyenas would attack the baby and the adults would then chase the hyenas off. The hyenas would come back, attack again, only to be chased off once more. This lasted for over an hour, until the baby water buffalo was too badly injured and the adults were too exhausted to continue the fight.

From there we traveled to Lake Manyara and finally back to Arusha. We had a day room at the Mt. Meru Resort, a pre-arranged dinner at 5:00 and a 5:30 departure for the airport. The ADS staff saw us safely to the airport check in. Although we have many great memories and pictures from the trip, it is hard to summarize them in a short article – we felt we could have written a book!

A large part of the success of this trip goes to our driver/guide, Claude. He was attentive to our every need and desire, was excited to teach us about the wildlife and vegetation of the Serengeti. He provided us with wonderful picnic areas and he was able to use his knowledge to find the wildlife away from the other safari vehicles. This luxury of being able to view the wildlife privately and for extended periods of time was a huge bonus for us. All in all, it was the trip of a lifetime!

Alice and Mark P.
Prospect, Ohio
Safari Dates: September 27, 2013 to October 6, 2013

 

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ADS Waives Cancellation Fees With Regards To Ebola

TRAVEL TIPS + UPDATES

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Posted on by Michael

October 22, 2014

We would like to reassure our guests that there continues to be no (i.e. zero) reported Ebola cases in the 33 countries comprising the regions of Eastern, Southern, Central and Northern Africa. In West Africa, the countries of Nigeria and Senegal have been declared Ebola free by the World Health Organization while three remaining countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) are still having new cases of Ebola being reported.

The affected areas in West Africa have had zero impact on East Africa and specifically Tanzania where we operate our private safaris. It is our continuing opinion that the risk of an outbreak occurring in Tanzania where we operate our safaris is exceedingly remote. Therefore, we would like to provide further reassurances to our guests by offering a generous and revised cancellation policy for all new and existing bookings with Africa Dream Safaris with immediate effect as follows:

– AFRICA DREAM SAFARIS WILL GUARANTY THAT ALL CANCELLATION FEES WILL BE WAIVED UP UNTIL 24-HOURS PRIOR TO ARRIVAL IN THE EVENT AN EBOLA OUTBREAK IS DECLARED IN ANY COUNTRY IN EAST AFRICA BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.

Please allow us to demonstrate our reasoning why we believe that the risk of Ebola spreading to Tanzania to be very remote by sharing with you several relevant factors:

– The affected areas in West Africa are thousands of miles from the famous safari circuits of Tanzania. To put things in perspective, many major cities in Europe and South America are actually closer to the affected areas of West Africa. London, Paris, Rome and Rio de Janeiro are all closer in distance to the Ebola outbreak area then Arusha, Tanzania where our safaris originate.

– The primary airline (Kenya Airways) that would connect East and West Africa has suspended all flights to/from the infected countries since August.

– Entry has been suspended for passengers travelling from and through the infected countries, excluding health professionals.

– There is no viable land route by rail or road between West and East Africa. It would take several months to travel overland from West to East Africa.

– Recent encouraging news that two countries in West Africa  (Senegal and Nigeria) have successfully contained the Ebola Virus and have now been declared free from Ebola by the World Health Organization.

We hope that the above provides reassurance in travelling with Africa Dream Safaris over the remainder of 2014 and 2015. We have several happy guests currently in Tanzania on their dream safaris and many more who have just returned (check out our travelogue). We look forward to welcoming more of our esteemed guests here shortly in November and during the holiday period in December.

We are optimistic that some good comes out of this tragedy in West Africa in that the significant media attention may raise awareness on the greatly underfunded and inadequate medical facilities that exist in Africa. Though there is no denying the horrible situation in the affected Ebola areas of West Africa, the much larger humanitarian crisis in Africa still remains AIDS and many other widespread and easily treatable conditions and diseases. Sadly, there are roughly 1 million deaths reported in Africa from AIDS each year.

We urge all our upcoming guests to stop by the F.A.M.E. facility in Karatu for a brief tour and presentation and learn more about how Africa Dream Safaris is making a real difference in the lives of local Tanzanians by sponsoring quality medical care. You can read more about Africa Dream Safaris and F.A.M.E. here.

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A Dream Come True

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Posted on by Michael

It has always been a dream of mine, since I was a child, to visit Africa. I would tell friends “if I could go anywhere, I would love to go on an African Photo Safari”. Well…… my husband was listening. One day about a year and a half ago, he gave me a small stuffed lion toy and a travel book on African Safari’s, and told me to start planning. And believe me, I began my research that day!!!

Luckily, I came upon the Africa Dream Safaris web site. After much research comparing Safari tours to Safari Tours, I soon discovered that ADS rose far above the other tour operators. It is wonderful to have your own vehicle, driver/guide and to realize that it truly is all about what you want to see and do! And now after returning from our Safari, I am very happy to say that ADS did not let us down!! Our Safari was simply the most amazing trip of my/our life!!!! It definitely was a dream come true!

Our Safari began when we landed at an Airstrip near the Mara River in the Northern Serengeti. From minutes to within an hour, we saw Wildebeest, Zebras, Giraffes, Impala, Waterbuck, Crocodiles, Hippos and many species of birds. At lunchtime, we ate under a beautiful tree and talked about what we might see next.

Just as we began to drive off in our Rover, our amazing guide, Russell, stopped driving, pulled out his binoculars and looked toward a grove of trees. He smiled broadly and then took off. When we finally drove out of the trees into a clearing, we saw what he had seen…. a Mother Rhinoceros and her baby! This was all within 3 hours after landing in the Serengeti!!!

When Russell, our driver, spotted animals, he always made sure that we had the perfect angle/lighting for our photos and viewing, but always showed complete respect and gave the animals the distance they needed to not feel threatened. Russell’s knowledge about Tanzania, its parks, and what “lives” there (animals/birds/plants/people) and its history was remarkable! It is safe to say, that without Russell, we never would have experienced a Safari like we did.

When we left home for our safari, I was sure that we would see a lot of animals, but what we saw far exceeded any expectation I could have possibly imagined! I thought we would drive along and “here and there” see an animal or two. Instead, mainly due to “Hawkeye” Russell, our wonderful guide and friend, it seemed we were constantly spotting an animal or a bird, or something! There was never a boring minute!

We were fortunate to see two Wildebeest crossings, one on the Mara River and one on the Grumeti River. And we saw hundreds/thousands of animals close enough that sometimes they were almost too close (haha!! ) to frame in my 80-400mm lens. I highly recommend that you bring 2 cameras if possible. We had one camera with an 80-400mm zoom lens and one camera with an 18-200mm lens. It seemed that what one camera /lens couldn’t completely capture, the other did! And I would also recommend that you bring lots of SD cards! I am a “photoholic”  , and I took well over 6500 pictures by myself, and with both cameras, my husband and I took a total of over 7500 pictures!

We saw “The Big 5” (numerous times), 2 of “The Little 5” and even made up our own “The Ugly Five” and “The Fake Five”!! (Explanation: when you are looking intently for animals, sometimes your imagination can get the best of you, and a stump may look like a monkey or a log in a river like a croc! We definitely had a few good laughs at ourselves! Just some of the wildlife that we saw while on Safari were: Wildebeest, Zebras, Hippos, Crocodiles, Giraffes, Elephants, Cape Buffalo, Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, Jackals, Klipspringers, Steinbok, Orbi, Bushbuck, Dik-Dik, Kudu, Waterbuck, Hyaenas, Baboons, Colbus Monkeys, Rhinoceros, Python, Ostrich, Impalas, Gazelles, Warthogs, Topi, Eland, Bushbaby………….. and over 150 species of birds! I’m still amazed at all that we saw!

The lodgings and camps were wonderful! The accommodations that we stayed at were Lemala Kuria, Buffalo Springs, Mbalageti, Seronera Sametu, Lion’s Paw and Swala. “If it looks like a tent, it must be a tent”, does not hold true here. Some of our accommodations may have looked like a tent from the outside, but upon entering you walked into a beautifully decorated and comfortable room with a king sized bed, wardrobe, couch, chairs, desk and a fully functional bathroom.

And there is nothing better than falling asleep to the sound of animals all around you! And the staff at each of the places we stayed were all so warm and friendly, and always attentive to our needs. My only wish?… that I could have had more hours in a day to enjoy my 9 to 11 hour Safari drives with enough time leftover to still have been able to enjoy all of the many amenities that were offered at our lodgings, especially watching more “Bush TV”!!

If I could go back and do it all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Our adventure was a trip of a lifetime and was made possible by careful preparations made by ADS stateside (Sharon and Michael) and in Tanzania by Russell and the ADS staff. Thank you!! Thank you!! (Asante) for making my/our dream of an African Safari come true!!!! And, a special thank you to my husband Jim for the best gift ever!!

Below are some of the pictures we took while on Safari. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed taking them!

Thank you!!!

Pam and Jim B.
San Jose, CA
Safari Dates: October 8th – 18th, 2013

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Our Serengeti Safari Journal

AFRICAN WILDLIFE

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Posted on by Michael

Here are a few notes we took while we were on our vacation. I hope you enjoy reading. Also, just a few of our favorite pictures. Thanks Again for a Wonderful Trip of a Lifetime.

Gardenia and Omar P.
Los Angeles, California
Safari Dates: June 10, 2013 to June 15, 2013

Day 1

After spending almost a whole day in between flights we finally arrive at Arusha, Tanzania. We were greeted by a woman by the name of Farida who wore a full headdress. We couldn’t believe it, we were stepping on African soil! Just like in any foreign country we’ve visited perhaps it is customary for customs agents to avoid cracking a smile and thus giving us a short sense of nervousness assuming the rest of the people would treat us the same. Farida kindly took care of our visa paperwork and led us to Trevor and Mattias our Arusha companions who drove us to our hotel early in the morning.

Mount Meru hotel was perhaps one of the most impressive resort hotels we’ve stayed in right next to the one in Koh Samui Thailand 5 years ago. The hotel had an impressive lounge with a lit swimming pool that was a little too cold for my liking so I just appreciated it from a distance and took pictures of the beautiful foliage that the hotel provided for a plenty of scenic pictures of mount Maru in the background. We slept most of the day trying to recover from the jet-lag of the previous day and when we went out for dinner to say we where impressed by the beautiful dinner preparations they had for us is not enough.

That night we had a very luxurious 5 course dinner under a candle lit canopy with a “welcome Mr&Mrs Omar” greeting made out of flowers on the floor. We felt as if we were the only couple in the entire resort. We had great steak and grilled fish while in the background played a playlist of the snappiest 80’s and 90’s KOST greatest hits. The people here are so nice and soft spoken, eating all this food was great for my palate but it also provided a strong sensation of guilt knowing that the same people serving me this savory dishes probably did not eat this themselves or could not provide this for their families. Keep in mind that Africa is the same place that is home to many starving people and many who die from simple diseases like the flu but dont have proper ways to care for such .

As dinner came to an end we preceded to a few cocktails at the lounge where rapid serving was not their primary concern but the wait was worth it since they did provide tasty drinks if you had a few minutes to spare. After 2 or 3 rounds we decided to call it a night since the next day we had another plane to catch to the west of the Serengeti.

Day 2

Today we woke up around 3:45am and could not fall back to sleep, perhaps it was from sleeping all day the day before or maybe from the luxurious stiff mattress that was awesome after a long flight but rather uncomfortable the next day. We watched Tanzanian TV programming which consisted of either religious programing of music videos that seemed to be directed by amateurs, maybe it was a poor budget that made these videos appear to be amateur.

We finally decided to get up around 5:30 to get ready for our busy day and start the day with a good breakfast. I was expecting a continental breakfast but instead I was surprised by a great buffet of grilled vegetables, baked beans, stuffed tomatoes, sausage links, bacon, fruits and these eggs that have much whiter yolk than were used to in the states. Fresh squeezed pineapple juice and watermelon juice were pairing all these good breakfast options.

Soon after we went to a smaller airport where we boarder the smallest plane we’ve ever been on, a two propeller Twinkie that has a cruising speed of 150mph.

Day 3

Little did I know that when I asked for a wake up call the night before and I saw no phone in our tent that the wake up call would be a young boy maybe about 16 years old knock on our door with a flashlight on one hand and a spear on the other.

Woke up early around 5:20am when we left for our safari and experienced hyenas as soon as we left camp, soon after we saw an incredible sunrise followed by elephants eating and breaking off the limbs of a tree. All this and it was still 6:45 am with our whole day still ahead of us. We soon we to the river where everything happens, we saw a whole colony of baboons groom each other while the babies played on the trees. We did that for about 30mins when we moved upstream and watched the wilder beasts drinking water from the river and attempting to cross it.

Breakfast was an experience matched by no other, eating my hard boiled egg with black coffee in the middle of thousands of wilder beasts keeping a watchful eye over us was a memory all of its own. While watching all these hundreds of beasts crossing the river an elephant crossed behind them as if ignoring them or being quite indifferent of the baby wilder beast that would soon be drowned by a crocodile. The sight of watching this poor calf take his last breaths as the crocodile tried his best to drag him under the river will be etched for ever in my memory bank. I’ve seen thousands of these wilder beats in just 2-3 days and I know they’re the blood and oxygen that keeps the Serengeti alive but it was quite sad to see an animal take his last breaths before he became croc breakfast.

We moved on to find the lions only to drive past an agonizing wilder beast who had been disemboweled perhaps by the sharp claws of a lioness trying to feed her cubs but the poor thing was not dead yet and was hyperventilating, out safari guide Rafael assured us it wouldn’t be in pain for long and it would probably die the same afternoon yet it was only 10 am. We drove for about 3minutes through thousands of wilder beasts and hundreds of zebras and we came across a family of 3cubs and 3 lionesses resting under a shady tree while their kill laid in the sun. Surely the big cats where tired after hunting today’s meal and were catching their breath under the Tanzanian shade of a thorny tree.

We all waited quietly waiting for the momma lioness to cut up lunch and serve her sleepy cubs a nice roast wilderbeast sandwich. Siting ten feet away from these deadly cats in their own shade is got to be one of the most impressive experiences of this vacation and my life. The lions have now retreated to a different bush that provides more privacy than the previous bush, the lions don’t seem to appreciate out proximity so were moving on to not disturb their noon nap.

We’ve now moved to see a group of 12-15 vultures tearing apart a wilderbeast while fighting each other. These birds have about a 7foot wingspan and spread their wings to intimidate each other. In matter of a few minutes they’ve managed to eat most the wilderbeast, one of them made us laugh yet cringe when we saw it stick his head through the carcass’s butt and eating out of it. Although the size of a turkey, these birds seem quite strong, they can tug and pull of the entire carcass and move it with ease, they would’ve managed to devour the entire animal a lot faster if they would stop fighting for a second.

One can’t help to feel bad for some of the injured wilderbeasts, this next one we saw seemed to have gotten a spinal injury perhaps caused by those intense head bunts they give each other when they fight and although healthy looking his hind legs were almost useless. As we got closer to it, it somehow managed to get up and escape the horrifying sound of our quiet Toyota land rover Diesel engine. It was able to regroup with the herd but his legs gave out soon after and fell to their resting stance. There are millions of wilderbeast here but when you isolate your eyes upon one you don’t want to see it die or suffer, I wish that I had a loaded riffle to be able to put out of their misery the couple of agonizing animals I saw today, I know it’s the circle of life and in order for other species to survive some may have to die but it’s just hard to see them die slowly, waiting for their hearts to give out in order to put an end to their pain and suffering.

On a happier note we found 7 giraffes towards the end of our excursion, very quiet and peaceful animals that pass on that peacefulness to those who gaze at them for prolonged periods of time. We must have seen at least 300 baboons with their babies everywhere from the long grasslands to the top of every tree I sight. We ended out night with a very deep shiatsu massage from Stella and Badi a little stiff for my preference but I guess that’s how it’s done in The Serengeti.

Day 4

We got up late this morning, we decided to opt out of the traditional wake up person today so we woke up when the sun filled our room with light. We had a quick breakfast for we had to leave the West Serengeti to head to Central Serengeti, it was quite a bumpy ride with many warthogs and zebras in sight. About two hours into our trip we stopped behind another land rover to ask what they were looking at and much to our surprise we found our first cheetah laying in the shade. Although cheetahs look small on TV they’re quite long and you can see their muscles through their slender bodies.The cheetah seemed a little shy so we moved on, we found this place called the hippo pool it must have had about 100 hippos in a very tight space

Well we came across an area full of trees and about at least 500 zebras, we saw zebras till we got tired, and low and behold zebras happen to be lion food so a few minutes later after we got tired of looking at zebras we drive away only to see a big male lion feeding on one. The male was clearly visible because of his long and beautiful mange and as we focused on the lion we noticed about 4 lionesses probably the ones that took down the zebra and about 2cubs. The cubs were still full of blood around their snout where they dug deep Into the zebras belly to feed.

We stumbled on 5 elephants at first then 18 elephants where we stood for what seemed 5 minutes but In reality it was about a half hour. This second group had 5 elephants about 2-3 years old and the moms were pretty comfortable with us to the point where they were only about 3 felt away from us. I reached out to let them smell me with their trunk and the mother became protective and stepped away to a safe distance.

Day 5

We woke up at 5:20 am to be in the road by 6, we were greeted with coffee by Jonas to get our day kick started.

Lionesses took us to lion
2 lionesses and a lion lounging after mating
3 leopards at tree eating Thompson gazelle
One elephant before going back to camp

Day 6

We left camp again to head to ngororo crater, 15-20minutes we were greeted by a momma elephant and her calf approx 5 years old since the calf was already showing at least 4-5 inches of tusks. We stood there for about 20 minutes perhaps more in order to watch them eat and cross the road in front of us. We wanted to stay there as much as possible for we didn’t know when we may see another elephant group again.

As we carried on with our trip we saw at a far distance a cheetah mom with one or two cubs, they were so far I couldn’t count the cubs under the long Serengeti grasses. Since the cats were not clearly visible we continued with our drive passing the many clusters of volcanic rock formations that are the lounging pads for most predatory cats. The second or third set had two lionesses on top. The view from the 20 or less feet away that we were parked was phenomenal! We stood there for a while, one of then girls kept looking at a distance but I couldn’t see even with my binoculars what she had her eye upon, when we decided to leave I soon discovered that she had her eyes on her two sisters that were lounging by the water.

All of these cats had their snouts red which was a clear sign that they had killed earlier that day. At the rocks I tried to get the lionesses attention by waving my shemaugh in the air in order to get a perfect face picture and may have woken up some predatory instinct because one stood and looked like she may jump into our truck, luckily she must have realized that may not provide enough nutrients for the amount of energy needed to pursue me so she sat back down, my heart was about to jump out of my chest!

We left that scene only to find the sight of the day or perhaps the trip, we found the male lion and with him was two of his mates but we saw one of them carry an infant cub In her snout, the same snout that killed zebras and wilderbeast now has the gentle sensitivity to pick up her baby and not even scratch it.

We kept moving towards the Ngororo crater and it was a long bumpy ride with only a few ostriches on sight and maybe 3-4 hours into our ride we saw a rock formation with 3 male lions probably brothers since its a rare sight to see so many males in one place.

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The Reality Was Even Better Than The Dream!

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Posted on by Michael

Breath-taking…Amazing…Inspiring…Magnificent…just a few of the words that describe our October 16-28 safari created with ADS’s phenomenal planner Dawn and put into action with Guide Extraordinaire Simon.

Seeing the “Big 5” plus dozens or other animals up-close-and-personal during our first few days in the Northern Serengeti, without hordes of other vehicles, was a much more intimate and rewarding experience than we ever imagined.

Then, as we journeyed through the Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire, every hour brought surprises: a “new” animal or bird; an animal we had seen before, but with slightly different coloring for this new habitat; a herd/family playing, moving, eating; a carnivore with a kill; an animal coming closer to the vehicle than before.

We truly enjoyed traveling a parallel – and sometimes intersecting — route with ADS guests Dawn and Rob from Indiana and their Guide Patrick. Having Simon and Patrick share information as they surveyed a kopje from various sides, investigated different sides of the river, or evaluated different sections of a game loop, gave us extraordinary viewing advantages. Plus, having new friends to share experiences was wonderful.

Our sightings include: lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard, rhinoceros, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, Nile crocodiles, cheetah, warthog, hyena, jackal, mongoose, python, impala, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, eland, Klipspringer, waterbuck, topi, gnu, reedbuck, dik-dik, rock hyrax, baboon, vervet monkey, ostrich, pink flamingoes, lizards, and many, many raptors and birds.

Our comfy accommodations were staffed by warm and thoughtful folks intent on providing exceptional service to make us feel special. Favorite memories include:

• A 5:15am wake up call at Lemala Mara accompanied by a symphony of bird songs and coffee in bed.

• The awe-inspiring view of the Serengeti plains fading into infinity from our Loliondo hill perch at Buffalo Springs.

• The antics of an exceedingly acrobatic Baboon trying to join us for breakfast at Mbuzi Mawe.

• Watching “Bush TV” and enjoying a glass of South African wine as the sun dropped below the rim of the Crater at Lion’s Paw.

• Dining under the stars at Kikoti and being walked back to our tent under the watchful eye of a Maasai Warrior.

Walt Disney said, “You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” We could have “built” the most wonderful safari itinerary, but without the knowledge, skill, creativity, and sharp-eyes of the ADS Team, it would never have become a reality.

Larry and Jane M.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Safari Dates: October 16, 2013 to October 28, 2013

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Beyond Our Wildest Dreams

Romantic Getaways

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Posted on by Michael

When Rob and I got married ten years ago we agreed that we would go to Africa for our 10th anniversary. For many years we talked and dreamed and two years ago we got serious and started searching for a company to supply us with our anniversary trip. When we first saw the ADS website we thought a private safari would way too expensive for us but, on a whim, I inquired anyway. Dawn Anderson replied almost immediately with an incredibly impressive brochure and a price that was so close to the “budget” group safaris that we were sold.

As the days flew by we kept saying “this time next year we’ll be in Africa” . . . “this time in six months we’ll be in Africa” . . . We were so excited and kept reading the ADS newsletters but we didn’t dare to hope that our trip would be so wonderful. But then we found ourselves saying “this time next week we’ll be in Africa” . . . and suddenly we were there!

From the ADS agent who met us at the airport, to the gentlemen who took us to our hotel that night, to the help at the regional airport, to our amazing and incredibly knowledgable guide, Patrick every single detail was taken care of. We literally didn’t have to think or worry about anything but watching for animals and wondering what incredible food waited for us in those yummy lunch boxes or at the lodge that night. (We are both engineers and are sticklers about details and about time so for us not to worry about these things is saying a lot!)

In our wistful thinking leading up to the trip we thought we might see a few animals but they would be at a long distance. So I bought my husband a very fancy camera for his birthday earlier in the year with a very powerful zoom lens. Imagine our excitement when we could almost reach out and touch these beautiful creatures. Other than a very shy leopard and a somewhat elusive rhino at the crater we scarcely had to use our zoom! What a thrill to have a male lion walk right up to your truck and snarl at you because you were in the shade of “his” bush! How incredible to see the wildebeast and zebra that blackened the plains they were so numerous!

Nothing in our dreams included elephants and their babies that would walk alongside your truck and treat you to a show while they shot water and dust over their backs! And the hippos! Who knew we’d be up close and personal with hippos while they got into a tiff and their voices echoed down the valley created by the Mara river? We had no clue that zebras “bark” or that hyenas are named “laughing hyenas” for a very good reason! And that was just during the day! During the nights we were treated with visits from elephants, giraffes, elands and lions – right outside (or under in the case of the lions) our room!

Our guide, Patrick, knew the name of every bird and every creature. I took notes on it all in my journal and Patrick was always patient for me – not driving off until he had located the animal in his guidebook so I could spell it correctly. Patrick told us about the “big five” (elephant, lion, cape buffalo, rhino and leopard) and then he made it his mission to make sure we saw all five – which we did! We weren’t sure if Patrick was a kindred spirit or if he could read our minds but he always was taking us places and showing us things that we wanted to see without us saying a word.

The lodges were wonderful and the people as friendly as any I’ve experienced in my travels around the world. We loved the Maasai people and enjoyed talking with them both in their traditional bomas as well as at the lodges where they worked. The lodge managers were great people with interesting stories and were constantly surprising us with their hospitality.

Our experience with ADS has been nothing but spectacular and, as the title says, it was beyond our wildest dreams of how great a safari can be. While we were out and about we saw some of the other big group safari companies with people crammed into vehicles following each other in a line like the animals we saw. We were so pleased we were with with a company that allowed us the freedom to be where we wanted and do what we wanted. Thank you ADS!!!!! Our 10th anniversary was more special than we could have ever imagined!

Robert and Dawn A.
Avon, Indiana
Safari Dates: October 18, 2013 to October 28, 2013

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A Wonderful Experience For Our Family Of Ten

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Posted on by Michael

The trip was beyond amazing and we could never have imagined what we would see. A zoo will never again be any kind of experience. To see the various animals sharing the same space was something we never imagined. As our guide Michael said, “the animals know when the lions are hungry and hunting!” And, the vastness of the Serengeti was unexpected. It seemed you could see forever in any direction.

The first days, when we were near Buffalo Lodge in the North Serengeti, we went all day and only saw a handful of other people, pleasingly surprising. We all preferred that to the Central Serengeti where there were so many more vehicles trying to see the sites that some times it seemed like a traffic jam. The night and early morning game drives let us see different animals and different experiences. Such as when a giraffe nearly walked right into our van, and the lions mating.

Our guides became friends. They were well informed, and answered endless questions about the wildlife, social, economic and political life in Tanzania. We enjoyed the meals that we shared with them.

And, the accommodations were outstanding, exceeding our expectations. The only improvement opportunity would have been to have more time at the lodge at the Ngorongoro Crater. Thanks for your help in planning our trip. We had a wonderful time sharing this experience as a family and would certainly recommend the trip to anyone.

Hoping to return some day!

Andrea B. and Family
Farmington, Connecticut
Safari Dates: October 15, 2013 to October 21, 2013

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Executive Safari

AFRICAN WILDLIFE

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Posted on by Michael

After having operated this very challenging CEO Group with Africa Dream Safaris I could never look at an alternative safari operator again. Your team and the logistical handling of this group with all their demands was fantastic, especially as this size group is a challenge on safari. The group of 36 absolutely loved the Four Season Lodge the facility enhanced the entire VIP safari experience and we even had elephants coming to drink at the water hole in front of the pool twice, it was our own private viewing without leaving our sunbeds.

The two highlights for everyone was the river crossing at Mara river where we had the private camp set up just for lunch right on the banks of the river, the service and food was all under canvas and was one of the tastiest meals we had the entire trip. Not sure how you guys got everything there, but thank you Sharon. The other highlight was the hot air ballooning which is an absolute must for any traveller to the Serengeti. The farewell dinner in the bush just put the finishing touch on an awesome safari experience.

We hope to see you in the Serengeti again soon!

Gail du Toit

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Your Way Of Doing A Photo Safari Is Far And Away The Best

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Posted on by Michael

The trip was outstanding. Having our own knowledgeable, and personable, guide and driver, plus a vehicle dedicated to our exclusive use, made all the difference in obtaining the extraordinary photos we were able to capture. When we return to East Africa it will definitely be with ADS, because your way of doing a photo safari is far and away the best.

Here are a few photos from our trip that I consider exceptional.

Best regards,

Chris and Sandy S.
San Diego, California
Safari Dates: September 10, 2013 to September 22, 2013

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Three Outstanding Safari Encounters

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Posted on by Michael

We had a great safari for which I thank you very much. We saw a huge migration of several thousand crossing the Mara River and it was an amazing experience of life and death. Three outstanding and unusual experiences for us, even though we are old hands on safaris :-

1. A mother cheetah and her cub, on the prowl for food, startled a civet cat out of its hiding, the cub started chasing the civet cat and a cat and mouse game started between the two. All this while the mother cheetah ignored the civet cat and her cub playing, as she was more concerned about her prey , some Tommies a long ways off. We managed to get great photos.

2. During the huge crossing of the migration, some of the wildebeest drifted into the territory of the hippos. One hippo was not particularly pleased and was so angry he chased one of the poor wildebeest, already exhausted from the crossing, bit into his stomach and killed him , before wandering off, having vented his anger! Amazing encounter for a herbivore!

3. At the same crossing , a crocodile came swimming , targeting a tired wildebeest on shore , who stupidly jumped back into the water, followed by the crocodile, who tried to take a bite off his rump but did not succeed. Both were swept away by the rapids, the crocodile first followed by the wildebeest, who landed right into the mouth of the crocodile but the croc did not attack him! They then swam towards the opposite shore, wildebeest first followed by the crocodile.

The wildebeest tried to get on the rocks , stepped on top of the crocodile , got on the rock only to fall back into the water, with the crocodile following. Again the crocodile opened his mouth as if to nudge the wildebeest on to the shore. The wildebeest lay its body semi in the water as it was tired. We were expecting the crocodile to take the opportunity to grab the wildebeest but it did not. After a couple of minutes watching the wildebeest , it swam away! Can you believe that? It must have just eaten and was full or it was a very charitable crocodile. The wildebeest survived to live another day!

Meileen C.
Singapore
September 8, 2013 to September 12, 2013

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We Would Drive For Hours And Never See Another Vehicle

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Posted on by Michael

We really enjoyed our trip to Africa. We saw more wildlife than we ever expected. Rented a 70-300 lens for most of the shots. Our guide was knowledgeable and excellent at finding wildlife and could spot things that we would never have seen if not for him.

We saw plenty of everything. I think when we drove “cross country” we had some of the best and most memorable views of the trip. We would drive for hours and never see another vehicle.

John, Lolly, Charles, Cynthia.
Baton Rouge and Sunset, Louisiana
Safari Dates: September 13, 2013 to September 25, 2013

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Sit Back, And Let Your Dream Come True!

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Posted on by Michael

When I was a little girl, visiting zoos to see the animals, I always dreamed of, someday, being able to go “somewhere” and see them free and out of cages. In September 2011 I began to plan my dream trip. After spending twenty plus years in the travel industry I started by reaching out to my contacts; from travel agents, travel professional to tour operators asking for their recommendations. I met with people in our community who have been on safaris (some more than once) and, of course, doing research on the internet. Did I mention that I’ve been accused of being anal?! I requested and received so much information that our mail person was begging me to stop!!

I started reading the information and weeding out many tour operators whose idea of a small group was anything below twenty people. Then I read more and looked at photos of six people (or more) in the vehicles and realized that I wanted more flexibility! I didn’t want to have to worry about getting the top of someone’s head or their ear in one of my photos! Or, not being able to see what was on the other side of the vehicle…or even not having the freedom to stay as long as I wanted to stay to watch a particular animal. So, I kept looking.

I noticed the quote on the Africa Dream Safaris information packet; “Life is not measured by the amount of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away” and I thought to myself, so true. I included their information in a smaller pile of tour operators that did the true “small group” safaris. From there I started doing more research, emailing each of the tour operators, checking with the Tanzania Tourist Board, the Better Business Bureau, Trip Advisors, etc. (Told you I was anal!)

Based on everything, including the quick, detailed and informative responses from Sharon (Lyon) I choose African Dream Safari and from there on life was easy!! Sharon, who I now refer to as “safari planner extraordinaire” took care of everything! I gave her my dates (another plus with ADS, they plan the safari around your travel dates!!) and told her I wanted to see animals, animals, animals. That was priority one and secondary, sunsets! I trusted her to pick the accommodations (after all she’s been on safari sixty times versus my zero – so who would know better?!) I told her I wanted to see and do everything and she got it all into our itinerary.

By July of 2012 the reservations were made and all I had to do was wait until September of 2013 for my dream to come true!! From my first contact with ADS until this September any question I emailed Sharon was answered so promptly (regardless of time of day or day of the week) that I asked her if she ever took time off!

When I started getting the newsletters I was so excited and in awe of all the beautiful photos and reading about everyone’s experiences I knew I had made the right choice. As the time got closer I told Sharon that when they assigned a guide to us to make sure they knew that, if our bodies could handle it, that we wanted to be up and on safari first thing every morning and would stay out as long as we could, so to make sure we got a guide who was ok with that.

We were so fortunate to have Ally as our guide. Within a few days we nicknamed him “Ally the AWESOME” or “Awesome” for short. Why you ask? Well, on our first day we saw the big five (including a lion chasing a leopard up into a tree)!! The second day we saw four of the big five. We would comment that we’d like to see a leopard in a tree with a kill. Well, sure enough Ally would find us one. Then me, being anal again, would say on a later day I’d like to see one closer, and he’d find another! We’d ask to see a giraffe with a baby, and literally five minutes later, there one would be. This happened over and over, at about day four or five I challenged him to find me one of two animals….a polar bear or a penguin, after all he’d found everything else so far I had to make it tough, if I’d have picked anything native, he’d have found it!! How he can see the animals at a distance while driving is remarkable! Add to that the knowledge he has about the animals, the ecology and the country – he made our trip awesome.

Our accommodations were each unique and special in their own way. The staff, at every location, welcomed us and was truly concerned about our comfort, making sure we felt welcomed and were taken care of. And the food, way too much to eat, even in our picnic boxes!!

To anyone who’s looking for a private safari, a once in a lifetime experience (which after having done it you’ll want to make it more than once in a lifetime) make your life easy, pick up the phone or send an email to Sharon and sit back, and let your dream come true!

Hallie and Walter P.
Port Charlotte, Florida
Safari Dates: September 15 to September 25, 2013

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Our Photos May Be Numerous, But Our Memories Are Even Broader.

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Posted on by Michael

Jambo! We have just returned from our safari in the North and Central Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Lake Manyara and we are still marveling at everything that we experienced. Our photos may be numerous, but our memories are even broader. We still can’t believe that we were able to see such majesty and wonder with our own eyes.

We knew that we would have a truly incredible experience even before we landed in the Serengeti, when many of the meet and greet staff and even some of the staff at the Arusha airstrip said to say “hello” to our guide, Pokea. Upon actually meeting him, we felt very comfortable and at ease knowing that we were in the hands of a true professional. Our first day was quite an eye-opener. We saw a serval, a cat that we both wanted to see, before lunch, then dined al fresco among hundreds of zebra, buffalo and wildebeest and witnessed the Great Migration crossing the Mara River. All of this before dinner on the first day!

The rest of our safari proceeded with just as much grandeur and awe each and every day. We saw just about every animal that we could have imagined and more, except for the elusive rhino. One highlight of our animal viewing experience was watching lions mating in the early morning light. Hopefully, they will produce a very healthy litter to maintain these proud and noble creatures. Also, we got to witness on two consecutive evenings, giraffe nibbling on treetops and vervet monkeys within the tree munching on leaves, right outside of our room while we were sitting on our deck at the Migration Lodge! Watching elephants meander up to a watering hole just off of the hotel pool at Four Seasons-Bilala was yet another of our many happy memories. They just marched in so regally and all had their fill of drinks and then marched off into the distance trumpeting. Another true highlight was the hot air balloon ride. Being our first, what better place to float than over the Serengeti, and with a wonderful champagne breakfast afterwards.

Of course, we want to thank all of the kind and gracious people of Tanzania for all of their warmth and welcoming ways. Everyone, from the meet and greet staff to each and every staff member at all of the properties to our departure team, was exceptionally friendly, courteous and professional. A very special note of appreciation goes out to our phenomenal guide, Pokea. He was an absolute treasure to be around. His vast knowledge, patience, diligence and keen eyesight were absolutely amazing! We miss him terribly already. Lastly, we would like to thank Dawn for all of her patience and prompt responses to all of our questions, which I’m sure were numerous.

Asante Sana Dawn! Thank you very much to all of the staff at Africa Dream Safaris and everyone else involved in making our dreams a reality!

Christopher and Lydia B.
Valley Stream, NY
September 18-24, 2013

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Despite All The Recommendations, I Remained Skeptical…

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Posted on by Michael

Randi and i became interested in a photo safari in the Serengeti after one of her colleagues had returned from a safari (with a different company) and shared some of her experiences and impressions as well as photographs. This interest was reinforced during a New Zealand vacation last year where we met a couple who had been to Tanzania and had an incredible experience with ADS. Despite these recommendations, I remained skeptical; I was persuaded, however, to read the ADS testimonials and contact Sharon Lyon to begin preliminary planning for what became the “trip of our lifetime!”

In preparation for this safari, Randi and I read a number of travel books and articles. Despite this preparation, we were both surprised by what we found in Arusha; I was not expecting to find a modern urban city which Arusha certainly is becoming. We chose to spend an extra day there before beginning our safari to acclimate before “heading into the bush” and this was certainly welcome after nearly 24 hours traveling from Rochester, Minnesota to Africa.

Our guide, Emmanuel, met us after our short flight into the Serengeti and we were immediately immersed in Africa, its wonders and incredible animals. During our first game drive we saw cheetah, lions, and a second Mara River crossing by thousands of wildebeest. We saw an enormous Nile crocodile on the opposite bank of the Mara (thankfully); he was taking the sun and seemed to have recently had a large meal. In some instances, we were close enough to have touched the big cats who were unconcerned with our presence amongst them (I did not expect this); one large male lion appeared so exhausted that he completely ignored our presence.

Each succeeding day brought new joy and unanticipated contact with Africa and Serengeti. That we saw so much of hidden Africa is completely due to Emmanuel. How he was able to locate leopards in rocks and trees from the distances that he did amazed us. On a subsequent afternoon, we were overtaken by a pride of ten lions and Randi and I were awed as these magnificent predators wearily passed our stopped land cruiser, brushing close to the side as they passed. So close that I was able to count the fat black ticks on the back of one adolescent male. Nor can Randi and I forget the young leopard who, with two siblings, came out of the grass and stopped beside our vehicle. He looked up at me for a long moment and then moved away.

William N. and Randi H.
Rochester, Minnesota
Safari Dates: September 2, 2013 to September 12, 2013

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I Can’t Say Enough Great Things About Our Guides

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Posted on by Michael

We got home late last night. What a trip!! I can’t thank you and your team enough. Everything was superb throughout the entire process.

I wanted to take a moment to recognize the crew in Tanzania. From the moment we landed we were greeted by the ADS team. Martus and company were extremely professional, kind and so gracious. It was a wonderful way to be welcomed to Africa.

I can’t say enough great things about the 4 guides that were with us. Francis, Russell, Thompson, and Rafael were terrific. Micheal, Richard and I were escorted by Francis. I can understand why he is so accomplished in what he does, and why his peers look up to him as a leader, and mentor. He was exactly what you would want as your guide. He was funny, knowledgeable, amenable to any changes in our plans if applicable, and very intelligent.

You should feel very proud of what you have built as an organization. I will definitely recommend ADS to anyone that has dreams of going on a safari. I want to thank you and your team again for enhancing my safari experience. It truly was a trip of a lifetime, and one that I will never forget.

Please let the guides know how much I appreciated their efforts. They are 4 amazing individuals, whom I will never forget, and whom I know will go far in their professional endeavors.

Thanks again Sharon for everything. When life has me traveling to Africa again I will definitely get in touch with you.

All the Best,

Deb B.
Baltimore, Maryland
Safari Dates: September 17, 2013 to September 26, 2013

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