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that travelers would need to present a negative COVID-19 test upon entering the country but that measure was rescinded.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