My name is Arnold Yahaya Mushi, a driver-guide with Africa Dream Safaris, and I have just returned home from the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. My safari was from April 3rd to April 9th, 2013 and I had the pleasure of accompanying two guests named Donna and Sharon.

We had an amazing safari as you can tell from the pictures. We were celebrating one of my guest’s 60th birthday and I think a great birthday present was having a cheetah jump on top of my car (scroll down to see the picture). We saw many lions, cheetahs and leopards not to mention big groups of the wildebeest migration and also elephants, crocodiles, hippos, rhinos and many different species of antelopes to name just a few. In fact, on our first day of safari we saw the Big 5!  Please enjoy my pictures below.

This is my 3rd time posting to the blog since our company began a new policy, which allows many of us guides with ADS to take small pocket cameras to the bush to record the wildlife viewing highlights. To see my other postings, you can click on my name at the bottom of this posting.

This is the Sametu lion pride. They were only 75 metres away from Sametu Camp in the Central-East Serengeti. It was very exciting to have such a large pride very close to where we staying and we enjoyed their roars each evening.

The whole pride together.

One of the resident male lions of the Sametu pride on his usual spot atop the Sametu Kopjes.

Another one of the resident males marking his territory at Sametu Kopjes.

The view at sunrise from Sametu Camp.

A breeding heard of impala – big numbers of  females with only one male.

Elephants around the Moru Kopjes, Central Serengeti

Big crocodile in the Seronera River, Central Serengeti.

Lion paw prints very close to Sametu Camp.

This little cub finished feeding on a rib from a zebra, close to Sametu Camp.

Two cubs resting with a mother cheetah around the Gol Kopjes area, East Serengeti.

The female cheetah scratching before going hunting.

A lion trying to drag a wildebeest kill while surrounded with vultures in the Gol Kopjes, East Serengeti.

Black backed jackal on top of one of kopjes in the Gol area with a beautiful view of Ngorongoro Hills.

Black backed jackal.

Mother with two cubs on top one of the kopjes.

The Gol Kopjes LION pride feeding on a young wildebeest.

Another shot of the gol kopjes pride, East Serengeti.

Donna and Sharon watching the cheetah on the top of the car.

Cheetah on top of the roof.

Cheetah resting on my bonnet.

Three cheetah cubs playing with a white stork, but they didn’t kill it. This was near Hidden Valley in the South Serengeti.

Cheetah cubs catching a white stork close to Hidden Valley, South Serengeti.

Mother and cub feeding on a young wildebeest between the Ndutu woodlands and Naabi Hill in the South Serengeti.

Rest time after feeding.

Female cheetah dragging her gazelle kill under a nearby tree.

Cheetah feeding on a grant gazelle. Note this cheetah is pregnant.

Flamingo’s at Lake Ndutu in the South Serengeti.

Bat-eared foxes resting before going down into their burrows. This was very close to lake ndutu and it was around 0630hrs in the morning.

Wildebeest calf nursing close to Hidden Valley, South Serengeti.

Young brothers playing in the Ndutu Woodlands, South Serengeti.

Mother and her cub (young male) in the Ndutu Woodlands.

A lioness scratching before hunting.

Three cubs resting under the tree, i.e two young females and one male about 1.5 years old in the Ndutu Woodlands.

Big male lion resting close to Lake Ndutu.

Male lion and his cub in the Triangle plains in the South Serengeti.

Dung beetlee rolling the dung at the Olduvai Plains.

Serval Cat crossing the road.

This Serval Cat was hunting just about 100 meters  from Lion’s Paw Camp in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Male and female Ostrich on the crater floor. They are thinking about locating a good place for nesting their eggs.

A leopard climbing down the tree.

Egyptian goose family in the Seronera Valley of the Central Serengeti.

I hope you enjoyed my pictures.

Arnold Mushi / April 10, 2013

My name is Anglebert Pantaleo, a guide for ADS. Having completed my last safari started from March 25th to April 03rd, the entire Serengeti was so extraordinary with regard to the wildlife viewing. We had a well planned safari with a great pace starting from the Central Serengeti at the Four Seasons Lodge for two nights, then we moved to the Eastern Serengeti Plain at Sametu Camp where we felt real close to nature. We had three nights at Lake Masek Camp at the southern plain of Serengeti and Ndutu forest, as well as one night at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge where we had a great experience visiting the caldera.

It is the green season on Serengeti Plains as well as the Ngorongoro Crater and although it is raining, we had an incredible game viewing experiences. We always recommend the green season because it’s so picturesque with diverse flora and fauna, including the migrants birds. Also, there are very few vehicles around, which makes the game viewing more private and thus more rewarding. This is always the best time for guiding.

The game viewing my group had was unforgettable and I would like to share with you some of the pictures that I have taken.

Lanar Falcon perching on a rock at the crater floor.

My name is Reggie with Africa Dream Safaris. My recent safari started on 22nd March 2013 with four guests and ended on 30th March 2013 with thankfully all four guests! The safari was a huge success in terms of the numbers and variety of wildlife we encountered.

I have been very lucky with cheetah over the last couple of months. On my last safari I was with three cheetahs who were very friendly and came close to my vehicle in the Gol Kopjes area of the East Serengeti. On this safari out on the Ndutu Plains in the South Serengeti, I had four cheetahs who jumped on top of my vehicle. This happened on the 26th of March and the guests and I really enjoyed this experience.  The next day I found another group of cheetah cubs, a mother cheetah with four cubs, and they started to play with us and also jumped up on my vehicle. Here are some pictures of these friendly cheetahs and also some others from my safari. I hope you enjoy them!

Here is a cheetah and my guest posing for a picture together out on the Ndutu Plains in the South Serengeti.

Lions in a sausage tree near Moru Kopjes, Central Serengeti. These lions decided to climb for some rest after devouring a kill.

Early in the morning we came across a mother cheetah with her two babies having  breakfast at Sametu Kopjes in the East Serengeti.

Two large male lions.

Baboon on the front of my car.

My favorite cheetah.

Regards,

Reggie Matemu
ADS Driver-Guide
April 4, 2013

Greetings from warm and sunny Arusha, Tanzania. My name is Francis Peter and I am a driver-guide with Africa Dream Safaris. Having just completed my most recent safari (March 18th to March 28th) , I can tell everyone that the wildlife viewing in the Serengeti especially for the big cats and also the great migration has been extraordinary this March. We have received a sufficient amount of rainfall lately, which has transformed the Serengeti plains into a lush green oasis. This has attracted many difference species of herbivores and likewise good concentrations of carnivores.

My guests this time were two couples from the United States named Susan and Jeff & Ruthanne and Kirk.  We enjoyed 10-nights on safari with 3 nights at Mbuzi Mawe in the Central Serengeti, 3 nights at Ndutu Lodge in the South Serengeit, 2 nights in the Crater at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge and 2 nights in Tarangire at Kikoti Tented Lodge. All the game viewing was great but nothing can compare to the Serengeti currently. Here are a few pictures I have taken.

 

Mating pair of lions on the shore around Lake Masek, South Serengeti.

The wildebeest Migration at Ndutu, South Serengeti.

 

Elephants in  Tarangire National Park. It is their breeding season.

Down by the big marsh at Ndutu we came across these two brothers.

Here is a cheetah who was chased up a dead tree by a group of wildebeests. This was in the Kusini Plain, Southwest Serengeti.

It was early morning on Kusini plains (southwest Serengeti) when this pregnant lioness hunted down the full grown wildebeest. It was amazing!

These giraffes seemed to be posing for a picture. This was on the outskirts of Moru Kopjes between Olubaye Mountains and Mbalageti river circuit in the Central Serengeti.

More giraffes near Rongai hills in the Central Serengeti.

A spotted hyena trying to drag the whole wildebeest column. This was in the Eastern Serengeti.

Buffalo in the Ngorongoro Crater.

One of the highlights for many of the guests going on safari with me is visiting with the Maasai people that live in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area or NCA. The NCA is situated just outside of the Sernegeti National Park. This is esepcially true for my younger guests who seem to get a lot out of the experience by learning about the Maasai culture. The Maasai live a traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle that remains mostly unchanged. I have included here some photos I took on my most recent safari. I encourage all guests who are interested to stop at one of the villages in NCA to learn about the Maasai.

My name is Thomson Malekia and I am a guide with ADS. I have returned home from my latest safari with my guests Karen and Brad D. from the U.S. We experienced many wildlife highlights during the course of our 6-night safari in the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Here are some of the highlights and also a few pictures I took with my little pocket camera.

– My first picture above is of the famous Marsh Pride. The territory of this pride consists of a broad stretch of the Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek woodlands in the South Serengeti. The pride is frequently found near the small marsh at Ndutu where they den their cubs and hence the name of the pride. It was my guests dream to see a big pride of lions like this and we enjoyed the sighting for quite some time. The cubs were very interesting to watch while they wrestled each other.

– Watching several lions in a sausage tree. Lions frequently climb trees in the Serengeti during the green season to escape the flies that can be a nuisance to them. It’s always enjoyable to watch these large cats attempt to climb. They are not nearly as skilled climbers compared with leopards.

– A large colony of Banded Mongoose. These animals feed mainly off of insects in the Serengeti and forage in large groups.

-Wildebeests bulls fighting in the Olubaye woodlands

-A large herd of elephants around Moru Kopjes

-A pride of four female lioness sunbathing in the middle of Serengeti plains surrounded by a sea of grasses stretching from horizon to horizon

-Greater Flamingos feeding at Lake Ndutu.

-Giraffe drinking water at the small marsh at Ndutu

– Three cheetah brothers stalking wildebeests. With all the young wildebeest calves currently on the Serengeti plains, cheetahs and various other predators are having a relatively easy time capturing their food.

– The great migration surrounding Matiti Hill in the South Serengeti.

Many Thanks,

Thomson Malekia
March 27, 2013

Beautiful Ngoitokitok Springs, Ngorongoro Crater

The great migration in the South Serengeti

Three cheetah brothers stalking wildebeests

Giraffe drinking water at the small marsh at Ndutu

Greater Flamingo feeding at Lake Ndutu

A pride of four female lioness sunbathing at the middle of the Serengeti plains

Large herd of elephants around Moru Kopjes – Serengeti.

Wildebeest bulls challenging to each other

Lions in a sausage tree