I just don’t know where to start regarding this trip.  I have been living in Europe for almost 25 years.  I have been wanting to go on a safari for a very long time, but for one reason or another it never happened. In the fall a couple of friends came to me and said they were planning on going on a safari for Spring Break, and they asked if I would like to join them.  I agreed without a hesitation.

Before I knew it, Spring was in the air, and the trip was around the corner. The talk centered around what clothes and other essentials to take.  Then finally the day arrived. We left Venice, changed planes a couple of times and arrived in Arusha.  We were met at the airport by the staff of ADS who helped us with the visas.  The next thing we knew we had our luggage and were on our way to the first hotel!  It was gorgeous!  We were surprised at the luxurious accommodations!  We ate lunch outside, did some shopping at the cultural center, and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  We ended our evening being entertained with the preparation of an Irish coffee.  It was the perfect ending for our first day!

The second day we took a short flight to the Central Serengeti.  We met our two guides.  They were fantastic!  They were so knowledgeable about all aspects of our trip.  The first animals we saw were hyenas!  We hadn’t been in the jeep for 3 minutes when we saw the first one!  He was walking toward our jeep, so we had to stop for photos.  He stopped near a ditch, and his friend made his appearance.  We were so happy to see animals.  Little did we know that this was just the beginning!

What did we see the first day?  Velvet monkeys, hippos, crocodiles, a leopard sleeping in a tree.  Out guide kept moving the jeep for the best views!  Next a giraffe, some guinea fowl, and then baboons, and all of this before our first box lunch!  He pulled out a map, and explained the areas we would be exploring that day.  We saw our first termites’ nest, then elephants, lions, gazelles and 2 more leopards!  As we were driving to our tented lodge we saw so many animals living harmoniously together:  birds, hippos, dik diks, monkeys, giraffes and LOTS of elephants!  When I thought about taking this trip, I really wanted to see the animals in their natural habitat.  I never imagined that we’d see so many animals on our first day of the safari!  We stood on the seats of the jeep with our heads out of the roof, looked wide-eyed at the animals, and enjoyed the breeze through our hair (make sure your hat is strapped on tightly!).

Animals, animals and more animals…..each day was special for different reasons.  Here are a few highlights: a leopard hunting a dik dik (he managed to get away safely!), hippo pool (they are huge!), monkeys in trees watching us, lions (mom with 2 cubs 1 day, then a pride of 8 the next day, then 2 males that were enjoying a zebra breakfast), zebras leading wildebeests on the great migration (they walked in lines!). We were able to drive in the middle of the Serengeti, get out of the jeep, and see zebras and wildebeests as far as we could see in EVERY direction.  It was as if we were a part of a National Geographic documentary!

One day we were on the look-out for big cats, and we were not disappointed! We came upon 4 cheetahs: mom and 3 cubs.  She was teaching them to hunt!  They had captured a baby gazelle (our guide thought it was a couple of days old).  Eventually they killed and ate it.

But the experience did not end there!  The mother went to sleep under our jeep, but this is still not the end.  One of the cubs jumped on the hood of our jeep!  He walked back and forth several times hitting the windshield. He played with the side mirror, and he stood up on the windshield.  All the while our guide was calmly telling us to remain quiet!  We took some incredible photos, and had a great story to tell!

We even managed to see some rhinos while we were in the Ngorongoro Crater.  There was a short rain shower, followed by a rainbow.  We thought that was the perfect ending for our morning!  But the adventure continued into the afternoon.  One of the last animals we saw that day was an elephant.  He was walking toward our jeep.  I snapped a photo, and he kept coming closer.  I snapped another photo and decided maybe I should not be standing on the seat (he was really getting close!).  At the last moment he turned, went around both of our jeeps and continued to walk.  It wasn’t until after I was looking at the pictures that I realized how incredibly big this elephant was!

I cannot say enough about this trip!  It surpassed anything that I ever imagined.  We were taken care of the entire time.  Our tour guides were the BEST!  The entire experience was incredible, but the guides made our experience unforgettable.  Their ability to locate the animals was unbelievable.

They shared their knowledge of the animals and their stories with us.  They would position the jeep so that the sun was at a perfect angle for our pictures.  They were up at the crack of dawn, guided us all day, and would get us to our lodge each evening.  We were patiently and kindly taken care of each day.  We couldn’t have been in better hands.  I would recommend this trip with African Dream Safari to anyone who is interested in going on a safari to the Serengeti!

Diane Anderson
April 2011

My adventure with African Dream Safaris was already [a few] months ago. There are times when I can’t remember what I did just a few days ago, so it’s amazing to me how much of each day on the safari is still imprinted on my memory – as if it were yesterday!

The flight into the central Serengeti, excitedly spotting the first giraffes and elephants from the altitude of the plane, meeting our Guides, and then settling into our vehicles for the drives was just the start. And the vehicles were equipped with excellent binoculars – we each had our own! We were so excited to see our first animal – a hyena – right by the road. We had no idea what was to come. A few monkeys and elephants later, there it was – a leopard sleeping in the tree – so close to the road I barely needed to use my zoom – except to study the spots! And this was all before lunch. A second leopard relaxing on the trunk of a fallen tree was our surprise in the afternoon. The week continued much the same.

Zebras playing in a big puddle of water, a pair of leopards guarding their kill, a mother cheetah teaching her three cubs how to hunt, kill, and then eat a baby gazelle, a failed chase by a male lion to catch a baby wildebeest, baby lion cubs playing while the adults basked in the sun, these are just a few more spectacular things we saw. My favorite was looking eye to eye with a cheetah cub that had jumped on the hood of our van after feasting on its recent kill. He played with the windshield wiper, and stuck his head in our window! I almost wanted to pet his head once my fear subsided a bit. He just looked so cute (see the photos). At one point we were surrounded on all sides by herds of zebras and wildebeests walking, trotting, and running, playfully kicking each other as they migrated towards the water. We drove alongside a mean honey badger and a busy dung beetle, and saw and discovered so much more.

Most of this was made possible by our outstanding guides we had and the way that ADS organizes its drives. Both guides knew exactly where to go and when to see the best action. One of them had grown up in and around the Serengeti. We went at our own pace – no restaurant or lodge expecting us at any particular time. If we saw something amazing or curious, we could stay and watch whatever it was until we were done watching, or the animals had left or fallen asleep – the schedule was completely up to us. My group was all about the animals so we were on the road by 6:30am, ate lunch from a box (always delicious and plentiful), used “bush” bathrooms when the guides felt it was safe, and returned to or arrived at our lodge for the evening around 6 or 6:30pm. Twice we added a boxed breakfast and left at 6am. The best action in the wild is in these early morning hours.

The lodges were wonderful and the staffs were courteous and gracious. I’m usually a budget traveler, so for me this was an expensive trip – but I’ve never regretted spending the extra money. I’ve yet to tire of my photos, my journal, talking to my friends, and like I said earlier – the memories are still fresh in my mind.

This was my second safari. By lunch on the first day I told my companions that we had already surpassed anything I had seen on the first one. This was a trip of a lifetime!

Gina Cross
April 2011

What an absolutely amazing adventure I had with Africa Dream Safaris! Everything about the trip was beyond Fantastic.

As an avid fan of Discovery Channel I had definite ideas of the kinds of animals I wanted to see as well as what they would be doing. Each of us was asked what animals we wanted to see by our guide. My request was for lions. Then I saw a breathtaking male lion the very next day. Then I said I wanted to see a whole pride. The next day I saw a small pride. Then I said I wanted to see a lion take down his dinner. The next day I saw a male lion eating his prey. We day after that I saw a large pride feasting on a wildebeest! If I didn’t know better I would think that ADS people went out the night before, planted the animals and waited for their safari clients to see them the next morning! Without a doubt, we had the best guides in the universe.

What was even more impressive than their vast knowledge about the animals and their habitat, was their amazing abnormal eyesight-which was way past 20/20. I was with a group of seven other friends, split between 2 vehicles. It didn’t matter which vehicle we were in because both guides were knowledgeable about the plants and animals that we saw. One minute we’d be driving along and then the driver would stop and tell us to look in a particular direction for an animal. It would take us 10 minutes fiddling with our binoculars to find what he’d found with the naked eye. I’m already looking forward to a return visit because my first visit was UNFORGETTABLE! The company AFRICA DREAM SAFARI was most assuredly aptly named.

JoAnn MoragneEl
April 2011

A graceful giraffe gliding through the Seronera River Valley.

 

A majestic male lion surveying his domain.

 

A young cheetah that was curious enough about his audience to jump onto the bonnet of the vehicle to check them out and say hello!

I have been home for a while now and the imprint of Tanzania is still vividly etched in my mind’s eye. From the moment we touched down at Kilimanjaro International Airport to the time we departed, ADS was with us all the way. From the caring and helpful ground crew, to the luxurious lodging, and most of all to our fantastic and absolutely best guides, JP and Angelbert, the trip was a dream come true.

JP and Angelbert have to be the top guides. They were charming, funny, and very patient with our “extra” large group. Their expert knowledge of the animals, birds, plant life, and Tanzanian history provided us with a complete view of their country. Their passion for their homeland was contagious.

When I set out on this adventure I had hoped to see a few animals in the wild. Such as a few lions, elephants, and maybe a hippo or two…but what I did see was truly unbelievable. I saw lions sleeping, relaxing in the shade, caring for young, and feasting, elephants galore from mamas to babies and lone males wandering the crater, hippos at the pool and running through our breakfast camp that added a bit of unexpected excitement. Standing in the middle of the wildebeest migration was a thrill worth doing twice and watching a mother cheetah “teach” her three cubs to hunt and then relax under and on our jeep is indescribable. The final thrill with the animals was our chance encounter with a lone male elephant in the Ngorongoro Crater. He came up over the hill, ears flapping, and walking at full speed toward us. He came close enough to touch as he passed by our jeep.

I would love to someday return to Tanzania for another ADS safari, but if I am not able I know I had THE trip of a lifetime. Many thanks to my traveling companions (the Aviano Gang), JP, Angelbert, and ADS!

Tracey A. Medeiros
April 2012