A Fantastic Family Safari

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Posted on by Michael

Sharon, the animal encounters were amazing. We started seeing zebras before our entrance into Tarangire National Park. The pictures that we took do not do the safari justice. We experienced a lion and lioness mating and saw a deep cut on the lion’s hind leg from a former battle as he walked away from his mate. A lioness was resting at the side of the road to where we thought she was full from breakfast, but in fact was pregnant and ready to deliver any day. The ostriches were flapping their wings across the Serengeti to call their mate we then experienced them mating as well. Baby lion and cheetah cubs were playing at the side of the road while towers of giraffes were munching on the treetops.

One of the highlights of the trip was on an early morning game drive. We observed a cheetah surveying 3 gazelles for her tasty snack. The cheetah bolted like lightning speed and conquered the gazelle in a matter of minutes. We were fortunate to stumble upon this great feat along with the vultures picking up the pieces once the cheetah left the area.

Another highlight was the buffalo confrontation. While on a walking tour, a buffalo came out of the bushes unexpectedly. Our guide threw his walking stick at his head to steer him in another direction while the African warrior shot 3-4 rifle shots at the buffalo to scare him away. The buffalo was literally 30-40 feet away from our group and we could clearly see the magnitude of this animal up close and personal.

While we watched the elephant parade, an enormous elephant blocked our path in the road. We waiting patiently, but the big guy wasn’t going to let us drive down “his” road. Our guide drove around the elephant as we weren’t going to tangle with this huge elephant. But to see that large beast up front was incredible as you can see the wrinkles in his hoofs and eyelashes on his eyes.

The birds and trees were truly something that you have to experience firsthand. The colors and shapes are pictures of artwork. We purchased a large African mask from the Cultural Heritage Center in Arusha and had it shipped back to USA. It arrived safely in North Carolina about 3 weeks after our departure and it hangs beautifully on our wall to treasure for years to come.

The visit to the Maasai tribe was an experience like no other. The African people are so very genuine and we felt welcomed at every place that we explored. Sharon, & Africa Dream Safaris did a fantastic job with our animal observations and our experiences were very memorable and will be treasured for many years to come!

David and Mary D. and children
Cecilia (age 13) and Henry (age 6)
Burgew, North Carolina
Safari start date: July 7, 2013

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Spectacular, Serene, Superb, Magical!

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Posted on by Michael

Lynn: My wife and I just got back from our safari last night. Your company made our safari adventure, truly a trip of a life time. And although we never return to the same place twice in our travels, we are already considering returning. Everything met or exceeded our expectations.

And I cannot say enough about the professionalism shown by your guide Russell (who actually became “our guide” for the 7 days of safari). Although there is definitely danger out in the bush, we never once felt unsafe. He also made the other challenges of the bush enjoyable and inspiring. And while the number of animals and their environment presented all kinds of questions from our group, Russell knew the answers and provided additional insights that were not only educational and informative, but also pleasurable. He made our safari an adventure that we already cherish.

We asked out group to describe the safari in one word and here are the words suggested: Spectacular, Serene, Superb, Magical. Thank you again for putting us in such good hands while we were in Africa.

Patrick and Nancy S.
Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Safari Dates: June 25, 2013 to July 1, 2013

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My 50th Birthday Celebration

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Posted on by Michael

When I decided to go on safari for my 50th birthday celebration, I chose African Dream Safari because they are ranked in the top 3 with the National Geographic. After I landed in Arusha, I knew I made the best decision to let Lynne with African Dream Safari handle everything for this trip.

Our tour guide, Wilford, was second to none. His ability to spot the animals from huge distances is very impressive, as well as his vast knowledge of the biology of the animals that we were able to see. Our pictures speak for themselves…I highly recommend ADS and if given the chance would definitely choose ADS again. JAMBO!!

Jerry and Gina S.
Arnaudville, Louisiana
Safari Dates: May 25, 2013 to June 1, 2013

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The Wonders Of Tanzania

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Posted on by Michael

We cant say enough good things about our experience with ADS and the wonders of Tanzania and we are more than happy to share some of experiences.

An upclose safari has been a dream since watching David Attenborough on TV as a child and the experience with ADS more than lived up to our wildest expectations. We wanted to do something special to celebrate our 50th birthdays this year and it seemed time to fulfill those childhood dreams. I did feel a certain skepticism about the other testimonial pictures as they did seem almost too good to be true. But now look back at our pictures this is not definitely not the case.

Our guide Ally picked us up from the airport and the adventure began! Ally took great care of us for the entire stay and the welcome at the hotel has now set new standards for all of us. Peter gave us a wonderful introduction to Arusha and the experience of driving through a Sunday afternoon market, watching women cook maize at the side of the road and drooling over some enormous tanzanite stones at the cultural heritage center set the stage for the most amazing trip.

On our flight out to Seronera, we all wondered whether we would really see animals within a few hours of starting our safari. It must have been less than 15 minutes before we saw the first family of elephants and it was a completely jaw dropping sight. From family groups, to a lone elephant having a good scratch on a tree that first 30 minutes set the stage.

We all came with a list of what we would like to see and we were all delighted. From watching baboons coming down from the rocks at sunrise at Mbuzi Mawe to the sounds of migrating zebra and wildebeest, lions enjoying a siesta under an acacia tree every day was full of surprises. Watching a pack of hyenas nursing, playing and “laughing” with a couple of cheetahs off in the distance while the sun came up was magical. Some of the smaller animals were also fascinating: bat eared foxes running around was always a source of amusement and the antics of a serval cat were completely out of the ordinary and we all laughed at the many warthog families running through the grass with their tails held high.

Ally was a fantastic guide, his passion and knowledge covered interests of both adults and children. The drive almost up to the border with Kenya was amazing, remote yet beautiful and we really got to see what the great migration looks and sounds like! The accommodations were fabulous. The intimacy of Mbuzi Mawe and their wonderful staff (and the elephant, giraffe, buffalo and sounds of lions roaring around the camp) made this a very special place. The food at all the lodges was delicious both for adults and children and we all loved the Tanzanian hospitality. Mbalageti lodge was amazing and we loved the views from the dining room, the luxury of a post game drive and watching the sun go down from the deck.

We all found the 6 am drives magical, watching the sun rise while cheetahs wander through the grass or lions showing cubs how to hunt zebra were amazing experiences. The drive across the Serengeti, through Nabi gate and down to Ngorongoro reinforced the scale of the Serengeti and there and then we started planning a return trip during the rainy season. The thought of those incredible plains covered with animals seems incredible.

By the time we left Ngorongoro we had seen everything on our pre-trip lists (including the reclusive rhino) and so many unexpected delights and Ally made sure we had time to absorb as much as we wanted. Including on our return trip back to the airport during a lovely clear view of Kilimanjaro and he stopped so that we could collect some final pictures. He seemed to find the most secluded and interesting spots: enjoying a breakfast picnic one morning while watching a family of baboons play and groom beside a river, while crocs and hippos swam past and the occasional group of impala stopped by was magical.

Many thanks also to ADS for the after dinner surprise during our final dinner at Ngorongoro Sopa lodge. The staff were fabulous but then when the lights went down and they came over to our table carrying torches and singing we couldn’t believe it was for us. The children still talk about this and hearing the phrase “hakuna matata” was a highlight for them too!

This was a completely fabulous experience from the first info package with DVD and sample itineraries, through the pre-departure planning with Dawn through to kindness of everyone we met in Tanzania. ADS and Ally took great care of us and we cant wait until the next time.

Karen, Alan, Alexander (age 13) and Isobel (age 9) S.
East Lyme, Connecticut
Safaris Dates: June 23, 2013 to July 1, 2013

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By Emmanuel and Ellson – Maasai Wedding Ceremony

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Posted on by Emmanuel

Greetings from Tanzania. My name is Emmanuel and I am a driver-guide with ADS. We just came back from this trip with a family of 14 including several children, which we started in the Serengeti National Park on June 25th and ended in the Ngorongoro Crater on July 2nd. There were three of us driver-guides on this safari including myself (Emmanuel) and also my colleagues Rafael and Ellson.

We had a wonderful time with this family from Iowa, USA and we got the chance to see the wildebeest migration which was heading towards Nyamalumbwa Hills together with some amazing cheetah and lion sightings.

One of the highlights of the safari was being invited to a Maasai wedding ceremony, which was located at a village just outside of the Northern Serengeti very close to the camp we were staying at called Buffalo Luxury Lodge.

We have included some pictures here of the Maasai warriors slaughtering a big cow for the wedding ceremony and the arrival of the bride and groom. The wedding ceremony concluded with dancing, eating and plenty of local drinks. My guests had a chance to meet the bride and groom as they arrived from the brides village and the best man is also pictured explaining to the guests how the whole wedding ritual is performed.

Below are a couple wildlife pictures we took while on safari. The picture of the cheetah resting on the termite mound (shown immediately below) is one of my favorites for the year. Also, the large male lion pictured next to the ADS vehicle and guests demonstrates just how closely you can get to some of the animals.

Best wishes from your guides Emmanuel, Rafael and Ellson. We hope to see you in the bush out on safari soon!

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We Were In Awe Of The Beauty Of Pure Africa!

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Posted on by Michael

Hi Sharon we just wanted to thank you for the wonderful safari you planned for us. Bill and I had a super time; we have so many great memories. The animals and the experiences went way beyond what we could have imagined. Not sure if you heard but we did have an encounter with a Cape Buffalo, pretty scary at the time but what a story. The lodges were all so beautiful and the service at each one; 5 star!

From our first 15 minutes into the park we were in awe of the beauty of pure Africa! We saw so many animals, to the smallest little turtle to the most amazing elephants. We had so many experiences that we never thought could never happen to us. A lion and a lioness mating, a cheetah kill, a encounter with a cape buffalo and dinner in the middle of the Serengeti as a spotted hyena walked up to us to get a better smell.

The photos can only remind us of the wonderful time we had and then bring our memories back to the most real moments. I loved every minute of our experience from the dust on my face to the picnics under the acacia trees to the many remarkable, stunning and truly inspiring natural wonders of Tanzania. We truly appreciated the knowledge, professionalism and patience our driver Petro gave us each day with a smile. ADS made our trip of a lifetime a most enjoyable one meeting every expectation and beyond.

Asante Sana!

Bill and Cindy B.
Wilmington, North Carolina
Safari Dates: July 8, 2013 to July 19, 2013

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By Claude Shitindi – Multi-Generational Safari

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Posted on by Claude Shitindi

Hello I am Claude, one of the Africa Dream Safari guides, and have just got back from a safari. We started in the Northern Serengeti (Kogatende Airstrip) where I met and picked up my guests including Bill and Jane (grandparents) along with their two granddaughters named Haley and Morgan. It was great to be on safari with this family and it was nice to see the whole family participating in such an adventure together.

The trip started off with a bang so to speak as just on our first day we spotted three cheetah brothers on the Lamai plains, a pride of lions and dozens of hippos and giraffes. To top things off, there were huge herds of the wildebeest migration around Nyamalumbwa. What a way to begin a safari!

Afterwards,  we went to Buffalo Luxury Camp where we had chance to visit the local people who are the Maasai tribe. We also did a night game drive which was a different experience for the guests. Since Buffalo Camp is in a game concession, we can can conduct night game drives which are prohibited inside the Serengeti National Park.

Our next place was Mbalageti Tented Camp in the Western Serengeti where we had one night and then moved on to Seronera Sametu Camp in the Central Serengeti. Here the camp was nice plus the wildlife viewing was exceptional and close by. We had three good sightings of leopards, saw lions in a tree and also lions hunting and killing right in front of us, about ten feet away. We could watched them feed for some time. The following day we departed the Serengeti and drove to Ngorongoro to visit the famous Crater for one night and then we finished in Tarangire National Park at Tarangire Tree Tops Camp. It was a very nice itinerary. The elephant sightings in Tarangire were fantastic especially the huge bull elephants we call the big tuskers!

The whole trip was fantastic and areas visited were stunning and worthy, to combine in such a way. The following are the pictures I would like to share with you including:

– A cute lion cub less than one month old at Samtu Kopjes in the Central Serengeti
– At Seronera Valley in the Serengeti, I captured a lioness jumping off a tree
– Giraffes under the umbrella acacia tree getting some shade from the warm mid-day sun
– Lionesses in the sausage tree looking up for Zebras passing in the distance

With best regards,
Claude Shitindi


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By Peter Huka – Safari Report July 4, 2013

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Posted on by Francis Peter

This is Peter Huka, a driver guide with Africa Dream Safari. My latest safari started in the Central Serengeti at 09:30am on June 27th as I drove to pick up my new guests named David and Ronale from the Seronera Airstrip. We did a game drive along the Seronera river where we saw a pride of lions (about twenty in total including cubs). While we were watching this pride, a lioness moved and began stalking a zebra. The hunt was unsuccessful but it was exciting to watch. After that we continued with a game drive around Maasai Kopjes where we saw elephants, giraffes and hyenas before heading to our first camp on the safari called Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp. During the night lions came near the camp and I could heard them roaring not too far away.

The following day we started the game drive early in the morning from Mbuzi Mawe and were able to watch a sunrise which was nice. Afterwards, we headed towards the retima hippo pool. We had breakfast on the picnic site with hippos which is one of my favorite picnic areas. Afterwards, we went around Makoma hill, Maasai Kopjes where we saw the lions and a herd of buffalos.

On our last day before departing the Central Serengeti for the Western Serengeti we were able to see three cheetahs (a mother with two cubs). Along the way to the western corridor of the Serengeti we saw herds of migration scattered throughout. On our full day game drive in the West Serengeti in the Grumeti plains we saw a pride of fourteen lions with cubs and along the Grumeti river we also saw colobus monkey, crocodiles and hippos.

After spending two nights in the West Serengeti, we headed for the Ngorongoro Crater. We passed through Seronera Valley enroute and were able to see a leopard in a tree watching for prey. We concluded our safari with two nights in the Ngorongoro Crater area with one night at Crater Lode and one night at the Manor. It was a great way to finish the safari!

Please enjoy the following pictures.

Thank you,

Peter Huka
ADS Driver-Guide

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By Russell Temu – A Magical Experience

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Posted on by Russel Temu

Jambo again! My name is Russell Thomas Temu, a professional guide based in Tanzania employed with Africa Dream Safaris. This time I guided a group of 7 persons from the USA. The safari started on June 25th and ended on July 1st, 2013. We had four nights in the Serengeti and two nights in the Ngorongoro. We also visited Lake Manyara National Park for a day trip.

The adventure started in the western side of the Serengeti National Park after watching the wildebeest migration and the giant Nile Crocodiles along the Grumeti River.

Thereafter we had an amazing sighting of a lion pride hunting a wildebeest and preying on it, on our way to the Central Serengeti. In the Central Serengeti around Seronera valley we watched a Cheetah attempt to catch Thomson Gazelle and a mother cheetah with two yearling cubs.

In the Ngorongoro Crater the game viewing was incredible after watching two lionesses fight one lioness. It seems she intruded on their territory though she survived after showing submissive posture and running away. We were also looking for a Black Rhino and came across one lying down about 200 yards away in the plains.

Below are my two favorite pictures which I would like to share with you about this magical experience. The first is a mother cheetah in the Seronera plains of the Central Serengeti and the second is of a pride of lions preying on a wildebeest in the West Serengeti.

Thank you,

Russell T. Temu

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By Claude Shitindi – Beautiful Tanzania

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Posted on by Claude Shitindi

Hello, it’s me Claude here with my latest safari report for my trip that finished on 04th July 2013. I was with four lovely people that I took on safari i.e Erick, Anna, Alec and Adrian. It was wonderful up in the Northern Serengeti as we had thousands of wildebeests everywhere all over the Nyamalumbwa plains in the direction to the Mara River.

We had one night in Lobo Valley and then we were off to Mbalageti and the West Serengeti where we found more of the migration and also other species including the big cats. This area was very productive.

At the Central part of the Serengeti the wildlife was a little scattered. Seronera Valley, Moru Kopjes, Sametu Kopjes, and the Marshes of Maasai Kopjes were the best places in the Central Serengeti for wildlife viewing.

At Ngorongoro Crater on our early morning game drive we had a rhino crossing the road twice very close to our vehicle. It was just us alone and I heard that was the only sighting on the entire day making it even more special. Here are just few of my pics to share…

 

Black rhino crossing the road in the early morning – Ngorongoro Crater
A freezing dik dik antelope in  Seronera Valley 
Zebras resting in the middle of the day but still alert for predators
Vevert monkey in Lerai Forest at Ngorongoro.
Curious little lion cubs near Sametu Kopjes in the Central Serengeti
Black rhino in the early morning coming towards our vehicle – Ngorongoro Crater
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By Peter Meena – Safari Report July 3, 2013

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Posted on by Peter Meena

My name is Peter Meena the driver guide for ADS. This time I had a great group with the last name of Kedda where our trip started from 21st to 27th June. There were seven adults it total and it was nice to all be in one vehicle together. We started our safari by visiting the Western Serengeti (Mbalageti Lodge), Central Serengeti (Seronera Sametu Camp) and then we finished up with Ngorongoro (Crater Serena Lodge).

Here are a couple of interesting pictures to share with you. It seems everyone is sharing pictures of the big cats (lions, cheetahs and leopards) plus the other big 5 animals (elephant, rhino, buffalo). Here is something to mix it up at they say.

GIRAFFE: This solitary giraffe was quenching his thirst in the Grumeti River. It’s amazing to see this alpine animal spreading it’s fore limb’s and tossing it’s long neck into the water. It was very interesting to see how he was bringing his long neck up and down as if he was playing see – saw.

STUCK ZEBRA: The Zebra in the photo was deeply stuck in the mud of the Seronera River. To my experience he was trying to cross and make it through the water not knowing that sometimes mud can turn into quick sand.

MATING PUFF ADDERS: This couple of Puff Adders were seen mating. We stayed on to watch this exercise. It’s unbelievable to see how long these Serpents lasted in the affair because we left before they were done. It was awesome.

FLOCK OF BLACK HEADED HERON’S: We viewed this flock of Black Headed Herons perched on top of an acacia tree accompanied by young chicks, together with females and males. The entire flock was busy. Some were mating and some were nurturing the young one’s. What a great great scenario.

With appreciation,
Peter Meena.

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Six Days On The “Endless Plains”

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Posted on by Michael

Marty and I want to thank you Lynn for helping bring our once in a lifetime trip to fruition. It was truly memorable in the very best sense. Marty caught a cold the day of the flight back home and hasn’t yet shaken it off completely, but that has been the only down side. I love telling everyone about our trip and love looking at my favorite pictures. Yes, I have culled through my literally hundreds of pictures that I took and have chosen about 20 as my fav’s. Let me summarize as succinctly as possible our thoughts/feelings.

We came away with so much more than we expected, even though I hadn’t really know what to expect. Actually I thought it would all be desert sand – that’s how little I really knew! It was such a good idea to spend an extra day recuperating first recuperating from our long flight to Tanzania. We then took the internal flight up north and were greeted by our guide and driver, David Chando. He turned out to be not only knowledgeable but also enthusiastic about sightings, as well as patient about stopping for my photographing as much as I wanted.

As you know, we spent 6 days on the “endless plains” (July 3 – July 8. We were driven from the Northern Serengeti down south into the Ngorongo Crater and then through Lake Manyara National Park. Even though we went in during the country’s winter, we saw so many animals. Some of my favorites were the beautiful zebras and giraffes, who became more numerous in the south. I also loved seeing some of the mothers and their young ones, especially when they were nursing, though I wasn’t able to photograph any. I even grew somewhat fond of the wildebeest.

I’m about to describe photos shown below. Marty and I found it most exciting to see two different lionesses laying in wait and then pounce and run after a warthog, but they were too slow to catch them! However, we did see the end result of a lioness dragging her kill – a lovely Thompson’s Gazelle. 1) That is pictured below. 2) Another special picture is the leopard, since they’re often difficult to spot. Indeed, I can see the details of this leopard better in the photo than I could that day in person.

I also loved viewing the elephants. We saw many different compositions of them – in small groups and a larger herd. Actually, we saw the different groups then walk from different places, as we were driving, and then come together at a large pool. Very cool! 3) The photo below of the two young elephants was taken at a distance. I think it’s so cute! 4) I also love the 2 hippos play fighting on land, since we so often see them resting their large bodies either on land, or in the water. 5) an adorable set of zebra I had to include, and 6) finally, a cheetah and her cubs hidden in the shadow of a tree and the grass; that might be too difficult to really see, but I couldn’t resist including it. I’ll stop myself from giving you more. I love so many of them.

Thanks again for ushering us through what was an extraordinary event.

Warmly,
Louisa and Marty L.
New York, NY
Safari Dates July 3, 2013 to July 8, 2013

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By Godson Mbonye – Highlights From My Safari

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Posted on by Francis Peter

My name is Godson Mbonye, a ADS driver guide. I have just concluded a 11 day safari with my guests from Denver, Colorado USA named Sara and Mark F. We explored the following areas: Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti and Lake Manyara.

My guests arrived on 21st June and on 22nd we started our game drive into Tarangire National Park, where we saw our first leopard in an acacia tree within just a few minutes. Within Tarangire National Park we had two full days before we proceeded to Lake Manyara National Park on 24th June, and further to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the same day. In Lake Manyara National Park, the vegetation consists of a tropical forest with wet savanna and short grassland near by the lake. We saw primates including oliver baboons and blue monkeys along with many species of birds. This park is situated at the end of the eastern great rift valley.

Arround 3pm we were entering the last gate of Ngorongoro crater for an afternoon game drive and we saw several species of cats including the rare serval cat. The funny story here is that somehow we picked up a hyrax hitchhiker on the crater road heading to Lion’s Paw Camp. Later we heard the hyrax’s noise under the car and we were all very surprised! The next day we took it back to its home range. Down on the Crater floor we managed to see two rhinoceros.

On 26th June we departured and headed to the Serengeti (specifically the Western Corridor), where we saw reptiles such as crocodiles, monitor lizards, snakes, also some of the wildebeest migration which were headed north to the Mara River and the North Serengeti.

The remaining days we explored the Central Serengeti including the area around Sametu where we saw cheetahs, leopards, and prides of lions. We ended by the Mara River where we saw two crossing.

I had a lot of pictures as follows:

– Young bull elephant in the Central Serengeti.

-Hyena puppies waiting for their mother to bring them food in the Ngorongoro Crater.

-Two big groups of wildebeests crossing the Mara River in North Serengeti

-Pied Kingfisher, standing on side bridge of Tarangire River looking for fish

-Rock hyrax  in a big rock in Tarangire National Park.

-Buffalo herd grazing in the open  savanna at Lake Manyara National Park.

– Blue Monkeys looking for tropical fruits into Manyara forest.

– Lioness down in the Ngorongoro Crater preparing to chase a wildebeest.


-At Lake Magadi in the Crater with grazing wildebeest and flamingos.


– The King of the jungle preparing to have young ones with the queen of jungle

– Three crocodiles close to the bridge over the Grumeti River, West Serengeti


– A Male Giraffe in the western corridor of the Serengeti browsing on acacia trees.

– Near Sametu Camp at 6:00am on an early morning game, cheetah preparing to chase a Thomson Gazelle.

– About 2kms from Sametu Camp in the Central Serengeit, a Serval Cat hunting rodents.

– At Swai’s rocks, a cheetah scanning for gazelles on the endless plains of the Serengeti.

– A hungry lioness scanning for zebras at 1.5km, on the way to barafu, east Serengeti.


– A lion pride out hunting in the Serengeti.

– African white backed vultures around a dead zebra eaten by lions.

With Kind Regards,
Godson Mbonye

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By Ally Dhulkfil – Lioness Catches Thomson’s Gazelle

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Posted on by Ally Dhulkfil

Greetings from Arusha, Tanzania. My name is Ally, a guide with ADS, and I am home now after completing a safari with a really nice family from Connecticut, USA with a mother, father, 13-year old son, and a 9-year old daughter. Their names were Karen, Alan, Alexander and Isobel. We spent a total of six nights on safari finishing the trip on July 1st when the clients departed back home on KLM Airlines.

One of the most interesting sightings occurred in the Grumeti area of the West Serengeti. We watched a lioness catch a Thomson Gazelle but she did not immediately kill the gazelle. Rather, she seemed to play with it for quite some time. It was very sad to watch and even myself was holding back tears. I explained to the clients that this is how mother nature works. It is all part of the magnificent Serengeti ecosystem though sometimes it can be difficult not to get emotionally involved with the struggles of some of these beautiful animals.

Sincerely,

Ally Dhulkfil

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Introduction to The School of St. Jude’s

GIVING BACK

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A warning to unsuspecting readers – this blog post will not be about lions and rhinos, or any wild animals at all.

We are The School of St Jude, and we will be writing about girls and boys, and a whole community of teachers and volunteers working together to provide them with the academic skills that will help them become leaders in their fields.

This post is also about our neighbor Africa Dream Safaris, who joined our community of supporters by committing to a monthly donation to help us provide hot, nutritional meals for the students.

Five facts about St Jude’s that you might not know:

1. We have scale: we are Africa’s largest charity-funded school of our kind, providing top-notch, tuition-free education to 1600 boys and girls in the Arusha region of Tanzania. We’ve come a long way since 2002, when Gemma Sisia, a young, idealistic Australian, started the school with only three students and one teacher.

2. We provide academic excellence: In the latest round of Tanzania’s national Form 4 Exams, we were number 1 in the Arusha region and number 10 nationwide. Our students learn in English and Swahili.

3. We aim high: Our mission is to educate the future leaders of Tanzania in public and private sector organizations such as infrastructure, business and health. We work hard to help alleviate poverty and break the cycle of external aid dependency.

4. We are dead serious on equity: Only the poorest children can attend our school. Our rigorous selection process includes a number of visits to the prospective families. Our kids come from homes that subsist on less than $1.25 a day

5. We live on generosity: Our work relies on donations from businesses such as Africa Dream Safaris, plus individuals, families, schools and clubs from around the globe – all working together to fight poverty through education.

Let us add a sixth fact you’ll love to know: We sit at the shadow of Mount Meru – the second highest mountain in Tanzania, at a height of 4,566 meters – and we love visitors!

The school is open 8.30am – 3.30pm Monday to Friday during school term. If you cannot make it during these hours, we will do our best to show you the school at a time that fits your itinerary. If you are on a safari and want to drop in on your way in or out of Arusha, please let Africa Dream Safaris know in advance so they can incorporate this in your itinerary.

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