We were almost off to a false start on our safari when Turkish Airlines inexplicably canceled the second leg of our arrival flight to Kilimanjaro.  Fortunately, thanks to Dawn/ADS, they were able to reschedule the entire trip – albeit 2 days later flying KLM Airlines.  Otherwise, we would have had to cancel our trip.  How lucky we were to still be able to go and have such an incredible experience.

Every destination on our safari in Tanzania was unique unto itself.  The Singita Sabora Camp in the Grumeti Game Reserves was a real luxury tent camping surprise.  We were surrounded by wildebeests that never stopped “talking to us”.  While there our every need was attended to.  Edward, our Singita guide, did an outstanding job showing us the wildlife of the Grumetu Game Reserve.

After this we were picked up by our ADS guide, Thomson Malekia who escorted us for the next seven days in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.  My wife and I have had naturalist guides in the Galapagas Islands and trekking guides in Machu Picchu and the Andes, but none surpassed the skills and capabilities of Thomson.  He was patient with us and all the animals and consequently we saw many more than we might have because they just kept coming into view.

Our accommodations at each of our destinations were unique and comfortable. The food was phenomenal and the hospitality extended us could not have been improved upon.  Thomson had an almost have a sixth sense as to where all the different animals would be and we safely saw them all up close and personal.

One afternoon we spent more than an hour in the middle of nowhere with a family of 5 cheetahs and just us! We watched them run and play and took incredible pictures of the entire family.  We saw the illusive leopards sleeping in trees, a stalking lion taking down a Thomson Gazelle for her pride, elephants with colossal tusks eating the crater flowers and the endangered black rhinos grazing on the crater plains.

Every evening we watched incredible Serengeti sunsets and the dawns were memorable as well – especially the sunrise viewed from the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater as all the animals were awakening.

On our final day when returning to Arusha, we stopped at the F.A.M.E. Hospital in Karatu,Tanzania which was established by Dr. Frank and others for the Tanzanian people where there is only one doctor for every 30,000 inhabitants.  As a physician, I was impressed with the quality of care they were providing their patients with such limited resources.  However, they had modern medical equipment and were connected through the internet for medical specialty consultations from most anywhere for their patients.

In summary, this trip was a true bucket list experience for us and we thank ADS for making it all possible! THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

Dr. William and Daphne M.
San Diego, California
Safari Dates: May 14, 2014 to May 24, 2014

The plains of the Serengeti have always been one of the images of Africa embedded in our minds. What a dream come true to be able to see and experience the Serengeti firsthand. As our plane descended into Grumeti airstrip we could see hippos in the river and herds of zebra, wildebeest, and buffalo grazing on the grass. Our guide Claude and our Toyota Land Cruiser were waiting there for us.

After a brief check in with the park officials, we were on our way for a half-day game drive in the Grumeti area. After viewing the zebras, wildebeest, cape buffalo, and impala up close, Claude spotted some lions in a distant tree. We were never able to reach his level of game spotting over the next six days. Lions are rarely found in trees in the Serengeti or most other places for that matter. After shooting some photos from a distance, Claude thought he would try getting the vehicle in closer.

While he maneuvered the vehicle through the grass I fiddled with my camera changing lens. When I looked up we were parked just outside the foliage of a tree, the tree with the lions! There were five lions resting comfortably in the branches and another laying on the ground near-by. All this within the first 90 minutes of arriving, any doubts or skepticism we had about the Serengeti’s game-viewing reputation was permanently removed from our minds.

The lodging arranged by Africa Dream Safaris was top notch. The food was good, well-prepared, and plentiful. You could dine with American-like cuisine or explore African dishes as you chose. The staff were attentive, polite, and truly interested in your enjoyment of the experience. We slept well and enjoyed some fantastic sunset views from our rooms. Usually, internet service was available in select areas, like the lobby, for those needing to stay connected to the outside world.

It’s really the game drives that define your safari experience and Africa Dream Safaris does it right. Our knowledgeable and friendly guide was great at sensing what we wanted to see, or really should see, and when we had had enough. He always asked of course, but you felt he already knew the answer.

Being able to customize the day’s itinerary was a real plus over shared game driving. The Land Cruiser is design to accommodate 8, so there is plenty of room to spread your stuff and get up when you want for a photo from the open roof. We could sit in the shade and yet had ready access to the rolled back roof. A cooler and snacks in the vehicle get you through the longer drives without growing hungry or thirsty.
Overall, a great experience we would definitely do again and certainly recommend.

Walt and Sheila M.
Redondo Beach, California
Safari Dates: May 2, 2014 to May 10, 2014

So, I am not sure there are words to describe just how magical this trip was for the four of us. Africa Dream Safaris set up an 11 day trip that spanned from Singita Sabora Tented Camp in the Grumeti Reserve, to Crater Lodge at the South of Tanzania. From the moment we landed at Mt Kiliminjaro Airport, we were greeted and guided with the utmost professional staff throughout our stay.

Our guide, Thomson, was knowledgeable, attentive, polite, protective and a delight to be around. We invited him to dinner with us every night and he was pleased to spend even more time than he did all day every day in our Landrover! When we left, we felt like we had made a new friend.

He worked tirelessly even while we slept, he cleaned out the car for us! He spent hours and hours searching for every species of animal we could wish for. Our list at the end of the safari was 2 pages long. Far beyond any of our expectations. The first two hours of landing in the Serengeti, we were stunned at what would come to be one highlight after another. Each day, each resort, we kept saying “how could it get better than this?”, but it did.

Singita is something everyone should be so privileged to see once in their lifetime. It is the ultimate of service, food preparation, organization and without a doubt the best staff we have ever seen. When you walk into the hot drawn bath and chilled champagne as you pull up from a fabulous tour of their private reserve, you actually start to giggle. The fact that the entire resort is tented, is the last thing you think of as you drink from Waterford crystal goblets. The bbq under candle lit trees was stunning and surrounded by the entire migration of wildebeest.

Four Seasons was a welcome “lodge” experience after we spent one night at Seronera, which is really a tented lodge. Jonas, the manager, is adorable, but be ready for a shower really from a bladder of hot water that they fill upon your request! At the Four Seasons, the Masai warriors surround you and make you forget there are structures around you instead of tents.

The food was perfect and the pool with elephant watering hole was like having a safari come to you and walk in front of you for hours on end, without getting into your car! A nice break and again, perfect service, fabulous suite with private plunge pool and elephants/baboons/zebras/a lion/and various gazelle walking by your deck at all hours of the day and night. Truly beautiful.

Mbalageti Lodge, the next stop at the end of a very long dirt road, was again a “magical” setting with a very gracious staff. Sitting for meals on the pool and deck area above the expansive Serengeti plains was literally like being in the movie Out of Africa. The Presidential Suite would have fit an entire family with room to spare. The views were astounding and Thomson knew all the places to look for our requested animals of the day.

We chose to fly back down to Crater Lodge, which entailed one phone call to Africa Dreams and a beautiful Cessna Caravan came right on time to get us and take us southward. Thomson drove down to meet us and we promised to wait for him for dinner. The flight was perfect and to see what we had previously toured on land was a real learning experience from the air.

Crater Lodge was like walking back in time to some sort of castle. We felt like Hansel and Gretel when we arrived. The magical drawn baths with rose petals and setting throughout the property is something we could only envision in a Hollywood movie set.

The crater itself was a blanket of yellow flowers, with all the Serengeti animal friends we had seen on dusty roads all week, suddenly standing amidst gorgeous color. Who would have dreamt that we landed in a totally different environment with lakes, water, greenery and plush forests.

Day 9 and we felt like we were starting another vacation entirely. New set of cold climate clothes and an eating area that was certainly patterned after some famous castles in Europe. How could we go wrong? You just kept pinching yourself as each day went by, that these places are literally and figuratively in the middle of nowhere and are as perfect as anyone could make them in a huge city.

On our flight back to the States, we talked about how we slept with animals no more than 25 feet from our bedrooms every single night of the Safari. Different animals in each resort, some near the decks, some next to the tents, some just below your room. All the noises you imagine occur on a Safari. Endless music to our ears.

We saw lions, leopards, hippos, monkeys, baboons, giraffes, wildebeest, gazelle, buffalo, water buck, hippo, buffalo, elephants, zebra, flamingos, cheetahs, crocodiles, birds of every color, dick dicks, hogs…and the list went on and on. We had picnic breakfasts and lunches all over the Serengeti that were each as amazing as one could ask for, in settings that were magnificent. The food in each lodge was superb and anything you requested was brought to you with a smile.

Thomson took us to see FAME, the medical clinic, which was very interesting since we had a doctor on board! What a story that was to hear!

Thank you Dawn, for helping plan the perfect adventure through Tanzania. We cannot wait to come visit again. Now we understand what our friends had said about Africa being “life changing”.

It is a magnificent area that we hope stays able to sustain the animal life as it is for years and years to come. To see such an unspoiled beauty is very special to those who live in the USA. We saw so few people through our stay, we felt very special to be able to visit such a natural beauty.

Stacey B and Manny B.
Mammoth Lakes, California
Safari Dates: May 14, 2014 to May 24, 2014