What A Trip!!! The safari and all the staff, both in the field and off, exceeded our expectations. When we arrived in Kilimanjaro, we were met at the doors by Faith. She was terrific in expediting our entry into Tanzania.
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Tag: February
Our Dream Safari…..And it Was
We have been back about 2 weeks now and are still talking daily about some aspect of the trip and still going through the thousands of photos that we took. We have thought and thought about what we might say that would be different than what others have said about their experiences with ADS and have come to the conclusion that there is NOTHING BETTER anyone CAN say.
ADS is an outstanding, first class company to work with in every sense of the word. From our very first contact with Sharon, who actually helped us pull our trip together in about 3 weeks…YES 3 weeks!! We were planning on an October trip, but due to some extenuating circumstances the opportunity for a trip fell in our laps and with Sharon’s expert help we got it together–seamlessly. Of course that was just the beginning.
From the moment we stepped off of the plane ADS delivered on their promises. Everything you are told, you can rest assured will happen..above and beyond your greatest expectations! Our guide, Emmanuel was excellent, knowledgeable, and personable. We so enjoyed spending each day with him and learning from him. What a wealth of knowledge about the animals, the land and the people! He answered literally everything we asked and more. He knew where to find the animals and was willing to get us to them.
If all day game drives is what you want—you get them. If you want to chase cheetahs—you chase cheetahs. If you want to see a kill, you will see a kill. If you want to see a giraffe drinking water, believe me, Emmanual even found me one of those! I guess what I am saying, is that he literally did everything in his power to make this the perfect safari for us.
We ran into another ADS group and Emmanual and their guide, Reggie, would use their radios to talk to each other and let one another know what game they were seeing. This was an added bonus, as it maximized game viewing for us..GREAT TEAMWORK ADS! It was also fun meeting some other ADS clients and exchanging stories about our adventures.
We stayed at 3 different camps all of which were impeccable. The staffs were friendly and very accommodating and we really did not have a favorite place. They all were outstanding. At the 2 ADS camps the personal touch of being met each evening with a warm towel to wash your face and a glass of juice made you feel like you were coming home. Such a special “extra” they do for clients!
We must say that the Seronera Sametu Camp with Jonas and his staff was a wonderful place! We were the only people there for 3 of the 4 four nights, and were treated like royalty. The sunsets from here were unforgettable. Lake Masek Tented Lodge was our second camp. It too was amazing. Their chef, Veronica, is reason in and of itself to want to go to this beautiful camp. She is a character and an absolutely amazing chef! Our last camp was at Lion’s Paw tented camp and it was probably the most beautiful with its lush green surroundings. D.C. and his staff had a nice surprise for us on our last night, making it very special. I can’t imagine any of the other lodgings being any less wonderful…makes me want to visit all of them.
As far as the safari itself goes, we saw more in the first two days than we hoped to see in the entire trip, so we were thrilled with the outcome. There were so many highlights that it is hard to choose one or two. My husband is a passionate photographer and for him the thrill of photographing several chase/kills was a dream come true. He got some outstanding shots that we will treasure.
For me, to be in the midst of the great migration was phenomenal. I cannot think of another thing in nature that I have witnessed that has been quite so amazing. It was truly remarkable. We even witnessed a baby Wildebeest being born and timed from birth until it was up and running alongside of its mother to be about 17 minutes. Absolutely incredible–as Emmanual told us, it is Life on the move.
I could go on and on about elephants and baboons, and zebras, warthogs rolling in the mud, hyenas, jackals, hartebeests, vultures waiting to clean up a kill, lions mating, cheetahs hunting, leopards in trees, rhinos, hippos, birds, and oh so much more…..absolutely everything we dreamed about.
ADS is superb, flawless and reliable. Every member of the team in every way is there for the client. Their strength in my opinion is their customer service and attention to detail. Thank you ADS for helping us make memories that will last a lifetime. We will come back and without a doubt we will use ADS.
Richard and Toni O.
Rifle, Colorado
Safari dates: February 19-March 3, 2013
It Was A Trip Of A Lifetime
We have been back in the states for just over a week with Tanzania withdrawal happening big time for Bob and me. Flying into LAX at rush hour was a jolt of a homecoming after our weeks on safari where the biggest traffic jam was the million wildebeest descending on our safari camp our last days in the Serengeti.
Our guide was a living encyclopedia who must have 20/10 vision
Our safari adventure was a year in planning. We checked several tour companies, researched brochures and finally decided that we wanted to work with ADS. Sharon, our consultant, was so informative and worked with us to customize our itinerary. She gave us some really great advice, such as going with a backpack instead of checking through our luggage with KLM.
We left on our much anticipated adventure with a little “what ifs” and a lot of excitement. As soon as we stepped off the plane we were treated as VIPs. Our visa had been pre- handled, no luggage to collect and we were whisked out of the airport where the “meet & greet” staff met us and ushered us off to our beautiful Mt. Meru Resort. Everything went according to plan, there was nothing for us do. We took an extra day in Arusha where we toured the city and bought school supplies which we got to personally hand out to the children at a local school. The teachers and children were so appreciative, lots of smiles all around.
The next day we left on our Bush plane and then our safari began. Our guide was Ally – a living encyclopedia who must have 20/10 vision. He could spot a lion in the distance, a leopard in a tree dining on her fresh catch, a mother wildebeest who had just delivered her baby and warned us that a pride of lions were about to go after a buffalo who had separated from the herd to have her baby. He even found the exact spot where the wildebeest & zebras were migrating. He answered all our questions and seemed to enjoy every moment with us. His enthusiasm never wavered, he became our lifeline to the sounds and smells and panorama of the Serengeti. We visited a Masai village and learned much about the culture of these nomadic people.
Our camps and lodges were wonderful. The food was great. We especially loved the Masek Under Canvas Tented Camp & Lemala Ndutu Camp where we heard lions roaring at night, had a zebra outside out tent welcoming us in the morning & baboons racing all about. The bucket showers were a kick & the highlight were the “Bush TV”- sitting by the campfire at night staring up at a majestic night sky flooded with stars.
A highlight of our trip was our visit to FAME where we got to meet Dr, Frank & Mama Susan and see first hand the wonderful work they are doing bring preventative care to the local people. We saw the new hospital and first class operating rooms and met many of the staff. We were truly inspired and applaud ADS for their sponsorship of something that is so needed in this part of the world.
And lastly, unlike other tour companies who are finished with you when the “trip is over”, we arrived home to a beautiful “Welcome Home” e-mail and beautiful postcard. We will never forget this trip…it may have been short, but the memories will last a lifetime. Thank you ADS, Ally, Sharon and Michael.
ASANTE SANA,
Gail B. and Sue P.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Safari Dates: February 5, 2013 to February 12, 2013
Leopards, Lions, Cheetahs, Hippos, Giraffes – To Name A Few
We just returned from 13 days (Jan 21-Feb 3) on a clockwise trip by land from Arusha to Tarangire (Swala), Ngorongoro (Crater Lodge), Lake Masek, then to Serengeti staying at the Four Seasons and finally Kusini Tented Lodge.
We were four couples with two great driver-guides: JP and Ellson. We experienced the amazing wildlife diversity (lions, cheetahs, leopards, hippos, giraffes—to name a few). And we were delighted with the abundance and variety of the birds (Tawny Eagle, Grey-crowned Crane, Secretary Bird, African Spoonbill, Kori Bustard, Golden-breasted Starling, Grey-headed Kingfisher, and Northern Masked Weaver).
Pictures were taken with a Nikon D600/28-300mm Nikkor and a Nikon D300S/18-300mm Nikkor lens. We found in most instances these zooms met our needs. We recommend bringing a GPS camera adaptor (we used Nikon GP1) because it identifies photo locations (see last picture).
We enjoyed the variety of lodging with various overnight visitors (buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and competing lions), the good food, and attentive service. One of our high points was seeing the migration both from our vehicles as well as flying out on our final day. Zebra and Wildebeest as far as the eye could see.
Dawn Anderson’s planning and pre-trip suggestions and answers to our many questions helped make this a wonderful life-time experience.
Mark D. and John O.
Altadena, California
Our Top 7 African Safari Highlights
We’ve been home from Tanzania for a few weeks now and we’re still talking about our experiences and continue to find ourselves “in the bush” watching the animals in our dreams at night. Our time in the Serengeti was amazing!
We had spent months thinking about this trip, reading reviews of different tour operators and considering various options. We are so glad we chose ADS. Lynn Newby-Fraser listened to our wish list and gave us good advice in the planning phase. Other ADS employees in Tanzania who were friendly, helpful and a pleasure to work with: Martias and Emanuel (Meet & Greet in Arusha), Jonas at Sametu Camp, Kidevu and all the private camp staff at Naabi Hill who did a wonderful job of taking care of us.
Our driver-guide, Arnold Mushi was truly outstanding. His knowledge of the Serengeti and his uncanny ability to spot animals (or predict where they would be) made all the difference. We were there in January, the green season, and the big herds of the migration were not where they would have been expected to be. But, Arnold was able to track them down for us. With all his experience in the Serengeti, he still hasn’t lost his fresh enthusiasm for each game drive.
We are also glad Lynn suggested adding the Grumeti Reserve to our itinerary. Our stay at Sabora Tented Camp was another unique experience. The choice to spend a few days in historic StoneTown instead of a beach resort on Zanzibar worked well for us also. We did a walking tour of the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and learned a lot about its varied history. We topped off our Zanzibar sight-seeing with a spice plantation tour, which was also interesting and fun.
While on safari, we especially enjoyed the pre-dawn and early evening game drives. Along with the increased animal activity, we got to enjoy spectacular sunrises and sunsets in some very different landscapes – the lush river valleys and lakes, wide-open plains dotted with kopjes, the magnificent mountains and Ngorongoro Crater. All beautiful. The morning and evening views of flat-top acacia trees silhouetted against the reddening sky were some of our favorite sights.
Choosing favorite experiences and favorite photos from our safari has been difficult – there are so many! But, here’s some of what we would consider highlights of the trip:
1. Watching a very large pride of lions in the Seronera Valley who were spooked by a couple of hot-air balloons coming in quite low. The lionesses were herding ten very small cubs away from this danger in the air with a lot of worried looks back and anxious noises to the cubs until the balloons were out of sight.
2. Driving slowly through the migration near the Simiyu River with the vehicle parting the tide of wildebeest and zebra. We will always remember the sounds they made – a sort of low-key grunting from the wildebeest and braying from the zebra.
3. Watching another large pride of lions climbing a sausage tree near the Moru kopjes. We counted five in the tree when we arrived. All lionesses and nearly adult-sized cubs. Then watched as more arrived and climbed up – two big males, another lioness and eight small cubs. The cubs piled on top of the last lioness, sometimes falling off, but usually climbing back up. One independent-minded little cub gave up on the crowd in the tree and settled under a nearby bush.
4. Watching beautiful birds: flamingoes on Lake Ndutu and Lake Magadi in the Ngorongoro Crater, yellow weaver birds at work in many places, lilac-breasted rollers, superb starlings, gray crowned cranes, Fisher’s lovebirds and many, many more.
5. Chasing after a couple of fast-moving honey badgers near the Barafu Kopjes and watching them dive into burrows in the ground.
6. Watching two hungry cheetah brothers in the Grumeti take off after a group of warthogs. One managed to bring down the last in the line of warthogs, but it got away from him and faced off with the cheetah. Face-to-face, those horns on the little warthog are pretty intimidating. All of the warthogs turned on the cheetahs and managed to chase them off. The predators became the prey.
7. Touring a Maasai boma and learning about their culture. They were gracious hosts who sang and danced for us and invited us into one of their dwellings. We also enjoyed visiting the children in their classroom.
This was a trip of a lifetime for us and we have Africa Dream Safaris to thank for making it a smooth, seamless experience. If anyone reading this is still debating a safari with ADS, we would say DO IT! It was absolutely worth all the planning, expense and long hours of travel. We will treasure our memories of the Serengeti.
Asante Sana!
Will & Beth S.
Salida, Colorado
Safari Dates: January 20, 2013 to February 4, 2013
Tanzania Trip Diary
Jan 31, 2012
Leaving this evening at 6:20 PM to Newark on Continental. Hopefully left no hanging chads behind- we started packing 10 days ago and hopefully all last minute stuff was anticipated and dealt with. Too late now. Stayed at Fairfield Inn at Newark Airport. Nice room, lousy bed.
Feb 1
8 AM flight to Heathrow on Virgin- our first (virgin?) Virgin trip. Booked premium economy which is about half the cost of business. Seats are definitely bigger, pretty comfortable although they don’t retract much. Food was edible to good except for breakfast on route to Nairobi. Everything was on time, very smooth, although the connection took 45 min in Heathrow just because. We only have an hour on the ground on the way home, so it better be better then. Watched “Cowboys and Aliens”, “Horrible Bosses”, and the new “Planet of the Apes”. All are keepers. Turned off “Bad Teacher” after about 30 min—really dreadful.
Feb 2
Landing in Nairobi was on time- zebra grazing in the field next to the runway told us we were not in Kansas any more. Connected to Arusha on Precision Air; did not see Kilimanjaro because it was clouded in. After getting through the visa process, we were met by Nataaya from ADS for the ride to the hotel. They put us up in the Mt. Meru hotel, which is clearly an upscale, new hotel- very, very nice. We were in a beautiful suite. Hotel actually faces Mt. Meru, which at 15K ft is the second highest peak in Africa. The countryside is just littered with (hopefully) extinct cinder cones and craters. Nataaya went through our itinerary in detail, and gave us a cell phone and list of contact info. The cell phone had some international minutes in case we wanted to call home, but we had brought our international phone along so never used it. But we thought it was a very nice touch.
Feb 3
Nataaya and Charles picked us up at 8 AM and took us to the regional airport where we boarded a small plane for the flight to Serengeti. The drive took us through southern Arusha, which according to Nataaya is about a million in population and growing fast. I could spend a lot of time here just watching and taking pictures of the people on the streets- lots of colors, smells, hustle. Flight was about 45 min- went right over Ngorongoro crater, saw Massai villages on the rim but not much else- pretty barren looking from 2000 feet. The flight was quite smooth, very clear day. We landed near Ndutu and met Arnold (full name: Arnold Yahaya Mushi) who will be our guide for the rest of our stay. Arnold has been a Serengeti guide for 12 years, 5 with ADS. He is a big, sturdy bear of a guy with a big smile and a loud but pleasant presence. We headed straight into the bush – saw zebras, tommies, grants, dik-dik, giraffe, and at least 2 dozen birds especially eagles. And lions— we came on a pride feeding on a fresh wildebeast kill. The pride had two groups of cubs, with the 4 youngest around 6 months or so according to Arnold, who we watched as they crossed the road in front of us with full bellies quite evident to get a drink in the lake.
And cheetahs- we found a mother with 4 very young cubs (2 months or so), clearly on the hunt. We watched them for quite a while and I took a gazillion pictures and an hour of video- all this before lunch! We stopped at the Lake Ndutu lodge for lunch, where we will stay for 3 nights (cabin 7). Food wasn’t bad (although it was overall the worst of all of the places that we stayed on this trip) and Serengeti beer wasn’t bad either. That evening back in the lodge we were entertained by lovebirds in the bushes outside of our cabin and in the evening the resident genet cats appeared in the lobby. The genets are beautiful small nocturnal cats not much bigger than a typical tabby but much sleaker and with gorgeous spotted coats. I suspect that some of the scratching and sniffing noises at our door at night were these little guys.
Feb 4
What a day. We were up and out at 5:15 am and on the road before 6. Watched the sunrise over the plain and saw golden jackels, tommies, other critters en route to Naabi Hill. We got our permit and entered the park.
Migration! It really is something to see. Also lots of non-migrants- elands, cape buffalo, oryx, Coke’s hartebeast. But the highlights of the day were 1. The leopard hunt- what a show; and 2. Lions hunting zebras in the tall grass.
The leopard was hunting a group of impalas in the shade of a tree about 40 yds from our car at about 11 o’clock. The leopard was across the road from the impalas, a little to our right, about 20 yards from us at about 2 o’clock. We watched as he/she worked her way along side of the road, looking for a place to cross without being seen by the impalas. She came to within about 15 ft of our car and positioned a shrub between her and the prey to screen her crossing. This was amazing to watch- she belly-crawled inch by inch across the road to behind the bush; took her at least 10 min to get across. Once there she started around the bush away from us, but apparently thought she might be seen so came around to our side (10 ft in front of the car!!!) and started creeping up on the herd. She got to within about 25-30 ft from the herd when some bozo pulled his car around off the road and came pretty close to running over the leopard. He also spooked the impalas, and the leopard tried to grab one that ran by but missed. Lots of pissed off guides and tourists.
The lion hunt was possibly more successful- we will never know because they went out of our sight before the lions got close enough to attack. We were driving along when I spotted a lioness peering above the grass to our right. Arnold stopped, and we saw what she was focused on a group of 4 zebras crossing the road about 100 yds ahead of our car, going right to left. She made a little noise and two more heads popped up, and after a few seconds they all started moving. What was apparently the leader crossed the road in front of us, while the other two crossed right behind our car, using the car as a screen. We were able to see them do a pincer maneuver as the zebras trotted off to our left and eventually away down a little slope and out of sight. We could see the lions moving very quickly through the grass- the black spots on the back of their ears really stand out. Whole show lasted about 15 min before the lions dropped out of site too.
Little more info on Arnold: wife is Brenda, daughters Cynthia and Sylvia. They live in Arusha; Arnold is working to build a new house for them. He told me that he is using material from termite mounds, which makes great bricks.
Signature joke: Why is a giraffe’s head so far from his body? Because it has a long neck. Caught this one (with embellishments) on video.
Other typical Arnold quotes: “Don’t sleep! Don’t sleep! Don’t sleep!” and, “Is everybody happy?” and “Going fishing, fishing, fishing…” and “How is Everybody?”—constant chatter, great fun. Our contribution to the joke pool: How can you tell how many wildebeasts/zebras are around? Count the legs and divide by 4 (Arnold liked it- I hope is using it with his newer clients).
Feb 5
Long, dusty day in south Serengeti. The rains were late, so everything is dry and all of the animals ready to drop calves are looking for water and food so the herds are moving north to the rivers. Even though the animals were moving out- we still saw some great stuff. Arnold heard a couple of lions in the night, and he found them on edge of the lake- two young males, probably brothers. We also found the cheetah with her young cubs- same group, and she and the kits had clearly fed. Got some great videos of the family group playing and horsing around. It was very cool. Also found 3 fresh kills, already turned over to the vultures and hyenas. Arnold spotted a bunch of white feathers along the road and stopped to investigate- it was a white stork kill, and he spotted a lammergaier on the ground about 100 yds away. Apparently storks are their favorite prey. Arnold got quite excited, because they are quite rare (the lamergaier, not the storks), and he planned to report the sighting that evening. Other critters we saw:
Baboons on twin breast peaks
Daika
Hoopoe
Yellow-crested woodpecker
Lots of eagles
Bee eaters
Spotted eagle owl, spotted by Usha in an acacia.
Feb 6
Up very early to meet our ride to the balloon, Usha’s birthday. Company is called Serengeti Balloon tours, pilot was named John. We rode with a couple from Chicago, Tom and Xiang Adolfsson, and Hawa-san from Japan. It was a bit breezy so we launched astronaut style. We stayed low over the trees, with lots of eagles and rollers flashing below. Got a pretty good look at elands, although they still kept a good distance. After landing, we had the customary champaign and an excellent breakfast. On the way back we spooked some ground owls- tawny colored with darker brown head and wings (African grass-owl). Arnold then picked us up at the meeting place and we headed for the marsh. Lots of lion activity- several kills, fat and lazy lions, cubs, beautiful light. We came on a pair of lions mating and watched for a while- Arnold said they will go at it every 10 min for 2-3 days. Whoa. We spent the rest of the day crusing the area west of Ndutu including Hidden Valley. Everything is absolutely bone dry and dusty. Arnold was very concerned, because normally even in dry times hidden Valley has water. Not this year.
We ended up at our private camp, our lodging for the next two nights. Talk about blowing away expectations! The staff was Nema, Kelvin, Praygood and Gerald (chef). Kelvin had set a couple of chairs and a small table next to a small wood fire, which he started when we settled in. There we watched “bush TV” to the west and a truly spectacular sunset with a glass of wine in hand and some peasant conversation with Nema and Kelvin both. Gerald fixed a great meal and baked a birthday cake, and Arnold gave her a Massai necklace which is now on our wall at home. I think Usha had a pretty good day all in all.
Feb 7-9
Lots of catching up to do. We’ve been too busy (or tired) to journal the past few days so I hope I don’t forget anything. 2nd and last day at the private camp was just as wonderful as the first, and if we could afford it this would be the only way we would stay next trip. Early in the morning we came upon a family of bat-eared foxes who had not yet settled in for the night. They pretty much ignored us, running around and under the car, playing and putting on a good show. By 6:30 AM, however, they were tucked in their holes. Also saw several lion kill sites, and got some great pictures. We saw 3 leopards in the same tree with what looked like a Grant’s gazelle hanging in the branches. Probably a mother with two fairly mature cubs. On the evening of the 7th chef Gerald fixed us a traditional African meal- okra, plantains, stews, sweet potato, lamb, chicken, rice. Info on the private camp staff: Nema is a delightful young lady with a bubbly personality and just the best smile. She is a treasure. Kelvin is quiet, attentive, tried very hard to make us comfortable. Gerald is a fine cook and has a very good sense of humor. Praygood was extremely shy, so we didn’t have much of a chance to speak with him at all. Overall, very nice group. We left our tip with Nema to distribute to the rest of the staff.
On the 8th we drove to Mbuzi Maue lodge. Passed a hippo pool en route and almost passed out from the smell- we did not linger since Arnold told us we would be seeing more hippos later. The lodge was decidedly more upscale than Ndutu; Arnold had forewarned us that we were going to run into a different clientele here. Good news is that this group generally liked to sleep in and have a sit-down breakfast so we were out on the road hours before them each day.
Two memorable episodes during this 3 day stretch: 1. witnessing the birth of a wildebeast, and 2. lion pride using our car for a nap. Just an amazing day, with another gazillion pictures. The wildebeast- I spotted a pregnant mom along the road with a pair of forelegs sticking out back- pretty clear sign that she was in labor, don’t you think? We kept an eye on her from a distance, and when she wandered off with a couple of wildebeast attendants under a big shrub we gave her about 15 min and then worked our way around for a look. The baby was on the ground and just a couple minutes old. We watched while it struggled to its feet, fell a number of times, tried repeatedly to nurse, and after 20 min or so was finally able to stand and walk. After about a half hour we left mom and baby alone once the baby was relatively steady and feeding. Later on as we were driving along the river we saw a pair of young lions in a tree about 40 yds from the road and stopped to watch. It was about 11:30, and Arnold suggested we get out our lunches and watch for a while. After a few minutes big, battle-scarred male popped up from the tall grass and walked right past the car, where he lay down about 15 yds to our left and repeatedly stuck his snout into a clump of grass followed by some hilarious faces and grimaces- Arnold thought he was smelling the urine of his females looking for one in heat. After 15-20 min the two in the tree came down, and were joined by a couple others who also popped up from the high grass- we couldn’t see them until this point. They all wandered over to our car, which they must have decided was a good shade spot to avoid the mid-day sun, and lay down. One lioness just settled her head on the running board and all of them went to sleep. We had 5-6 lions under and on the car, and were stuck there for a good hour or so while they got in their noonday siestas. Got a really great photo of the lion resting its head on the running board reflected in Arnold’s outside rear view mirror. It was a really cool experience, and we were all glad that none of us had a serious need to go pee at that time.
We also saw more leopards, and a baby warthog with parents who had apparently escaped a predator attack with several cuts and gashes on its rump. We had dinner back at Mbuze Maue with two couples from Pittsburg and Seattle- nice people, who were blown away by what we had seen. Fortunately I had downloaded my pictures to an ipad and had it along to show them the photos or I am not sure that they would have believed us. On the walk back to our tent (#9) after dark we spotted a giraffe feeding in a tree about 20 yds from our front flap. Never saw that in Kansas.
Feb 10
We were up early as usual, before sunrise. Saw 4 hyenas and a pride of lions laying in the road- we waited a good 20-30 min before they finally moved enough so we could pass. Arnold spotted two cape buffalo males, which he called “retired generals” because they were old and had been run out of their herds. Saw several elephants, a group of spotted hyenas and later black-backed jackels, banded mongooses (mongeese?), rabbits, etc. Lots of nightjars in the road- all before dawn. Today was hippo day at retina pool. The river has shrunk down to a few pools deep enough for the animals, who were jammed in. The smell was so intense that Usha held her breath for the duration of the visit and her skin turned brown. Arnold’s too.Water conditions in general are really bad- the herds have all started north away from the usual breeding area in the short-grass savannah to the south. Arnold is worried that it will be a very bad year.
We saw a lot of new birds- hammerkop, grey-capped social weaver, red throated frangolin, many more. We stopped at the lodge and saw some cliff springers in the yard (didn’t have my camera), and a pair of rock hyrax in the rock right next to our tent (got a good shot).
Arnold joke: how do you tell a male zebra from females? Males are black with white stripes, and females are white with black stripes.
Feb 11
Arnold let us sleep in a bit today and have a sit-down breakfast at the lodge. First thing in the morning we saw a pair of von der Doecken’s hornbills outside the tent. Today we drove to Ngorongoro and Oldupai. En route we found a leopard in a tree, who was very cooperative and came across the tree to just above our car. We watched him as he spotted a small group of tommies and went in pursuit. The tommies fooled him just as he was sneaking up by slipping behind some tall grass, and the leopard just sat there for a while trying to understand what happened. It was actually pretty funny.
Oldupai was cool, although the museum is very small for what must be the most famous archeological site in the world. We spent a couple of hours there and ate lunch while we listened to a lecture on the history of the site. We then went on up to the rim of the crater. The Ngorongoro Serena Lodge is just plain stunning- one of the most astounding architectural designs I have ever seen. Our room has a small patio which looks out into the crater. Spotted a sunbird in the tree outside of our room (purple banded? Not sure but I have a picture) and several other small birds. Frangolins on the ground below. That evening we watched a show by a local group of musicians/acrobats who were really good.
Feb 12
Full day in the crater. Its really had to fathom the crater until one is down on the floor. Animals everywhere- it is really a unique and frankly weird place. According to Arnold hyenas are the dominant predator in the crater, with lions following them around to scavenge. So many cool things- warthogs laying in a puddle along the road, hyenas, zebra males fighting, many birds including crowned cranes and flamingoes. And rhinos- saw two from a great distance and three more much closer (although still a ways away). The density of wildlife in the crater is difficult to grasp- there is just so much.
That evening at the lodge we were entertained by local massai performing a traditional dance. It was quite a show.
Feb 13
We left the crater behind and headed south. First to Lake Manyara where the Rift Valley escarpment is very clearly evident. Saw hippos on the move, flocks of storks, pelicans, blue monkeys (forgot to mention that we had seen vervet monkeys along with baboons in the Serengeti, so this completes our monkeys list). Went on to Tarangire NP. While stopped at the entrance, Usha saw what she thought was a yellow bird fly by and followed it back into the trees. Turned out to be yellow-winged bats, which are quite rare and a good find. Got a few good pictures. Tarangire is quite different landscape from the Serengeti, with many more trees including baobabs and huge euphorbias along with the acacias. Lots of elephants, giraffe, buffalo, many birds. We stayed at Kikoti Tented Camp, which is a wonderful resort just outside of the park. Very, very nice.
Feb 14
The highlight of this day was being surrounded by what must have been at least a thousand buffalo. This was probably the first time I felt a little uncomfortable. We also found a pride of lions under a tree, and it was clear that these lions did not have the same tolerance for our car that the Serengeti prides had. At one point I turned around and noticed that a little brown bat had gotten one of his toes caught in the mount of the antenna at the back of the car and could not get free. We don’t know how long he had been stuck back there- could have been all day up to this point. I used a towel to get hold of him and lift him up a little until his toe came free and he flew off. That was clearly a first for Arnold too. The tsetse flies were particularly bad in Tarangire- these critters are just plain evil, and bug repellant is useless. They make no buzzing/whining noise like most flies; instead they just seem to appear from nowhere and usually you know they are on you when you feel the bite. We headed back to Kikoti mid-afternoon for a late lunch and a little rest. Later we went for a walk guided by Thomas, who is a Massai on the Kikoti staff. We walked about a mile or so to Kikoti Rock (Kikoti means “meeting place” in Swahili; this was a traditional Massai meeting spot), which we climbed and sat watching the sunset. Below were go-away-birds in the trees. The sunset, which was our last sunset in the bush, was really gorgeous. That evening we invited Arnold to join us for dinner and had a great time. Entertainment was provided by a guitar-playing Massai in traditional dress who had an interesting repertoire, including “Ring of Fire” among others. He seemed pretty pleased when I called him the Massai Johnny Cash.
Feb 15
Spent the morning in the park before we headed back to Arusha. The route home (about 2.5 hr drive) took us through a few good-size villages and towns. We stopped at one for a cold drink and to eat our box lunches. BTW- every day we pooled all of our leftovers from lunch and breakfast, which were always more than we could eat, and whenever we passed a Massai village we stopped to give the food to the kids. We always had chocolate bars, yogurts, fruit, chicken, other stuff depending on the day, enough to give something to 6-8 children.
Once we got to Arusha Arnold took us to a gallery which sold tinga tinga paintings and we bought a few. Arnold then took us back to the Mt. Meru hotel, where we were thoroughly de-briefed on the trip by another ADS staff member. We were both very impressed by the interest in getting fresh feedback. They put us back into the same suite; we had a nice dinner and a restful last evening in Africa.
Feb 16
Arnold picked us up early- I think it was around 6 AM- and took us to the airport, which is a good hour’s drive outside of Arusha. We (I) almost made a really stupid mistake right up front. The Precision Air flight from Arusha to Nairobi required that we check our bags (by the way, this time Kilimanjaro was beautiful). I just had them checked to Nairobi instead of all the way to Newark, thinking we could pick them up in Nairobi and carry them on since they were just a couple of roll-aboards. Stupid. I almost had to apply for a visa in Kenya to get our bags and go through customs and security to get back in to catch our flight. Fortunately, Kenya airlines staff were very helpful even though we weren’t flying with them, and they sent one of their bag attendants through customs to get our bags off the carousel and bring them back to us. If this had been in the US, they would have just taken the bags out back and blown them up. Good thing we had a 3 hr layover so we had time to work all this out. Other than this little self-inflicted fiasco, flights home were on time and uneventful. Except that I made one more stupid mistake, which was to buy some African liquor in Nairobi duty-free. It was confiscated when we went through security in Heathrow to make our connection. I was informed that I could check it in my luggage, but recall that we had a short layover on the way home and missing our flight was a poor trade for a bottle of booze. I hope the airport security folks enjoyed it. We stayed in the same hotel in Newark when we got to US and flew to KC next day.
There are a lot of things about this trip that were memorable. We saw well over a hundred lions, hundreds of thousands of wildebeast and zebras, hundreds of elephants, giraffes, buffalo, antelope, etc. etc. At least 10 different species of antelope, dozens of leopards, some really spectacular visits with cheetahs, so many birds- at least a hundred new species, maybe more. We put our trust in Arnold’s hands and he delivered the best trip of our lives, and we have traveled a lot. Arnold really made the trip memorable- he entertained us, taught us, kept us awake and alert, and was just a joy to be with. I also credit him with at least 50% of the success in capturing some really outstanding, professional-quality photos- we showed our pictures to a professional photographer who is a friend, and he was frankly blown away. Arnold got us into position, I clicked the shutter. And ADS is a class act, start to finish- the best service we have ever had from a tour agency, starting with our US agent (Dawn Anderson) and continuing through all that I have named earlier. I give their name out all the time to friends who are thinking about Africa in their future.
Can’t wait to go back.
Michael and Usha Rafferty
Olathe, Kansas
February 2012
Ron, Pam, Don & Angie
Our safari certainly was an African Dream Safari. The preparation we received from ADS ensured our visit would be comfortable and worry free. We were impressed by the guidance we received with regard, how to pack, what to bring, tipping advice, emergency contacts, and a “did you remember to . . .” checklist just before our departure day. ” The staff at ADS was always easily accessible and available to answer any questions we had regarding our trip. All of the ADS staff from planning to completion were extremely warm and friendly and focused on meeting our needs. Even after arriving 20 hours late, a smiling ADS representative was at the airport to greet us and quickly processed us through our entry into Tanzania.
The next day, after a fascinating flight to the Serengeti, we were greeted by our driver-guide, Ellson. Ellson’s knowledge of the East Africa animals was exceptional. Not only was he knowledgeable, he knew exactly where we might find them; and we did! On our adventure, Ellson helped us identify more than 120 different species of animals and birds. We came home with many exceptional photographs including the rare Serval cat and African wild dogs.
The food and accommodations throughout our trip far exceeded our expectations. Our group most enjoyed our “Private Luxury Camp”. The camp was set up in a beautiful, very peaceful location. We could watch herds of cape buffalo and gazelles in the distance from our “front porch.” At night, we could hear the hyenas laughing and one visited our campsite. On the second day of our stay there, we had our very own “camp giraffe.” This Private Camp is our most memorable part of this great vacation.
We were very happy we choose your company and highly recommend it to others. Your attention to detail and concern for us having the best experience possible was demonstrated by the entire Africa Dream Safari staff. We can’t thank you enough for the trip of a lifetime.
Asante Sana and warm regards,
Ron, Pam, Don and Angie
Midland, Michigan
February 2012
Trip of a Lifetime
We’ve been back now for about three days from our safari and still can’t stop talking about it or waking up thinking about everything we saw. Words simply can’t describe how amazing it was. When people say a safari is a “trip of a lifetime,” I now know what they mean. We saw animals and sights that I thought I would only ever see on Planet Earth or National Geographic. Yet, there we were – parked within a few feet of lionesses noisily growling and feeding together – or next to baby elephants playfully charging each other.
Two things amazed me most on the safari – the volume of animals we saw and the close proximity we got to them. On a ten-day safari we must have seen 20 cheetah, 50 or 60 lions, herds of 50 or more elephants, 5 leopards, several rhino, and countless giraffe, ostrich, zebras, warthogs, and wildebeest. We also saw babies of everything, which we could have watched for hours. One morning, we sat and watched two cheetah cubs jumping and playing for at least 30 minutes. They would stalk one another through the bushes, leaping at each other and rolling in the dirt. Once in a while the mom would get in on the action and run at them playfully. We got very close to almost all of the animals. Looking into the deep, amber colored eyes of a lioness lounging next to our jeep was something I won’t forget. Nor will I forget being within about 50 yards of a herd of 46 elephants who turned and all stared at us when we pulled up, circling around their babies – before relaxing and going back to eating and playing while we intently watched.
We chose to stay at tented camps, all of which were fantastic. We loved to be able to hear the animals at night. Our favorite accommodation by far was the private camping. We pulled up to the campsite in Ndutu – beautiful green grass and acacia trees and two tents – set up just for us. Having dinner and sitting under the campfire with drinks afterwards looking up at the stars while hyenas whooped and lions grunted in the distance was almost surreal. Rama, the camp manager, was perfect in anticipating our every need and we had a great time talking with him each day. We also very much enjoyed the Kusini and Ngorongoro Lemala Camps. At Kusini one night while sitting at the campfire sipping wine and stargazing with the camp managers, we could hear two large prides of lions within a kilometer of each side of the camp roaring. At Lemala, a hungry elephant hung out behind our tent all night eating from the nearby trees. Absolutely incredible!
Finally – and most importantly – I wanted to comment on our guide. His experience, expertise, and warm personality absolutely made our trip the amazing experience it was. He had almost 20 years of experience in guiding and it certainly showed. He knew in-depth information on every animal and bird we saw and made the drive and viewing more interesting and exciting because of it. He also didn’t just drive and try and spot animals as it seemed like drivers from some other companies were doing – he was constantly working with other drivers to see what was out there each day and find the best areas and animals for us to view. As a result, we got to see everything we wanted, and much more.
Thank you to Dawn and Africa Dream Safaris for an incredible trip that we will never forget. We hope to see you again soon – Dave and I are already thinking about a return trip in a few years for our anniversary!
Moira and David Funcheon
Chicago, Illinois
February 2011
Our 20th Wedding Anniversary
We wanted to take a minute after we returned from our safari to thank you and the entire ADS Staff for their part in our safari experience. It is hard to know what expectations to have on a trip like this. We have travelled to various parts of the world but had no real idea of what to expect on our trip to Tanzania. We had planned this trip to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary and believed it would be an “once-in-a-lifetime” type trip. As the trip got closer and closer, our expectations and excitement continued to grow.
I am glad to report that from the moment we stepped off the plane in Kilimanjaro and met Salma from ADS, every expectation we had was surpassed by the ADS Staff and our experiences. On Day 1, we flew to Seronera and met our guide. He was easy going, knowledgeable and by the end of the afternoon, we felt like we’d known him for years. Within 10 minutes of leaving the airport strip, we were in the middle of a herd of 15+ elephants and 15+ hippos. We were stunned by how close we were to the animals and their care-free, natural behavior even though we were just feet away.
Later that evening, after we finished our day (having seen much more after the elephants and hippos) and were having dinner at the Mbuzi Mawe Tent Camp, we talked about all the testimonial emails from previous clients of ADS and how they all seemed to make sense now. While the trip was expensive, with one day completed, we both agreed it was already worth it. We had six more days of our safari and each one was just as good as Day 1 (if not better). It is still hard to believe that you can get VIP treatment while on safari!
Included are two of the many photos that we took:
1. CHEETAHS WITH KILL; while we were in the Ndutu area, we came across 4 cheetahs. We watch and followed them as they stalked, hunted and finally killed a wildebeest. After the kill, we were within feet of them as they took turns eating and resting.
2. LION WITH KILL; again in the Ndutu area, we came across a female lion with her 3 cubs. We watch and followed as she hunted down a baby wildebeest and took it back to her cubs.
Again, thank you for a great experience. We will recommend you to all who will ask!!
Sincerely,
Bill and Sarah Vieth
Evansville, Indiana
February 2011
Quote of the Week: Jim Childress and Barbara Payne
From the dramatic migration of the wildebeests and zebras, to a cheetah running down a Thomson’s Gazelle, a leopard high in an acacia tree with her cub, a herd of topis chasing a caracal into a kopje, and an amazing natural parade of the grazers and predators of the Serengeti, our trip was fabulous. With our guide’s help, particularly with his willingness to make it a priority, we were also able to identify 240 species of birds. He taught us to say, “ndege tu”, so that when other guides would ask what we were looking at, we could say “only birds” in Swahili.
ADS did a great job of both making it easy for us to negotiate the details of travel in Tanzania and of delivering a trip that was personalized to our tastes. The private luxury camping was a highlight, and the sound of three lions roaring through the night all around our campsite is something we will not soon forget.
Jim Childress and Barbara Payne
February 2011
Quote of the Week: Deyanne & Bill Nesh
Well, unfortunately, we’re back in the States and have adjusted to the time change. I say ‘unfortunately’ because we had such a wonderful time on our safari that we didn’t want it to end. Prior to booking this trip, I had done all my research (for months) and decided to use Africa Dream Safaris. Three of my friends also wanted to join us on this trip. They put down their money on my say so alone. I did feel a little pressure. I read all the testimonials sent before our safari and loved them. But they almost sounded too good to be true. I was only hoping that our trip would be half as good as all the ones I was reading about. Well, I needn’t have worried.
This was one of the most amazing trips we had been on. And I don’t say that lightly, as we have done some extensive travel to many remote areas of the world. I feel like I’m just repeating what all the other testimonials have said before, but it’s all true. Our guide was incredible. We saw the big five plus more animals than I can name. Just when we thought there was nothing left to see, there was. Every day brought a new experiences, new animals, new adventures!
In the Crater, our guide kept us away from all the other jeeps, while still finding all the animals. We were the only jeep on the road, when two Black Rhinos crossed the road right in front of us! We saw a pride of lions, cubs, single male lions, the elusive leopard, cheetahs so close you could touch them (but, of course, we didn’t), baboons everywhere, serval cats, hyenas coming out of their den with babies. The list goes on and on.
Besides all the animals, our guide took great care of us, doing everything he could to make our trip the trip of a lifetime. A highlight for me was the Private Luxury Camp. The crew there was sensational! We loved hearing the lions and hyenas at night as we slept in our tents, to say nothing of being woken up with a fresh cup of hot tea and coffee in bed. The food was incredible and we loved the entire experience. The entire trip, start to finish, was better than we ever could have hoped for.
I can’t thank you and your entire staff for giving us such wonderful memories! You know without a doubt the trip was incredible when our three friends, who came on this safari with us, are talking about going on another safari with other interested people, and, of course, using Africa Dream Safaris. Why mess with perfection! Our sincere thank you to everyone who made our trip a dream come true!
Deyanne and Bill Nesh
February 2011
Quote of the Week: Dennis and Joanne Airoldi
Our Africa Dream Safari experience far exceeded our expectations and we had very high expectations. From the first meeting at the airport with the VIP service through the last good-bye on the way home we felt very comfortable that Africa Dream Safaris had everything planned. While a safari could have been a stressful experience, since we were far from home and in such a different environment, Africa Dream Safaris made our safari a relaxing enjoyable experience.
Our guide was amazing at spotting animals and he gave us tips on how to spot animals ourselves. Since most animals have a unique silhouette, when we were looking for a certain type of animal our guide would tell what shape to look for. More importantly, our guide had the knowledge that allowed him ot place us in the right place at the right time. I had hoped to be able to see a lion or cheetah kill during our safari. On our first day we saw a lion pride stalk and kill a mother Cape buffalo. When we returned in the morning 15 spotted hyenas surrounded the kill, a few male lions and jackals picked at the scraps. We also watched cheetahs stalk zebras, gazelle and wildebeest. This was very interesting since they failed to get in position to attack the zebras and missed on their first attack on the wildebeest. They were successful with the gazelle and the second wildebeest. It was good to see that the predators don’t always win. Over the course of our safari we saw 5 lion kills, 2 cheetah kills, 1 leopard kill and 2 vulture kills. I was glad that we were able to watch both lions and cheetahs in the complete process of the predator and prey confrontation. It was very interesting and we were able to get very close and get some amazing pictures and video.
My wife is an avid bird watcher and our guide seemed to know every bird we saw. While bird watching was not our primary goal we saw numerous unique bird species while looking for larger animals. During one 3-day period my wife saw over 60 different birds. The variety of bird life in Tanzania is truly amazing.
During our safari my wife and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary. The staff at the private luxury camp was able to bake a cake for us over a campfire. The staff at this camp did an exceptional job. Our guide brought us to a Maasai Boma (village) where some of his friends lived. My wife and I will never forget the experience on being in a Maasai hut with a Maasai warrior on our anniversary. The people were amazing and spent time with us discussing their way of life. In many aspects it was like going back in time, their knowledge of the world was very limited. They asked us where we lived and had no knowledge of America. In order to try an determine how far we had traveled they asked us how long it would take to walk to America. It was a very special anniversary.
We have been on numerous vacations and normally towards the end of a vacation you start to look forward to getting home. On safari we wished we could stay much longer. When asked if we would do it again our immediate response was that we would go back tomorrow. Every day on safari was special and different; you never knew what was waiting just around the corner.
Dennis and Joanne Airoldi
February 2010
Quote of the Week: Fred and Lynnette Dubendorf
We have just returned from out two-week trip to Tanzania with Africa Dream Safaris. To say that the trip was life-changing is actually an understatement. Where can we start to try to convey the whole experience to those who have never been?[…] Our guide was unbelievable! We finally decided to call him “eagle eyes” because of the astonishing way that he could spot wildlife. He was able to spot lions even though they were sleeping in tall grass; he spotted a cheetah and pointed it out to us and it still took us several minutes to see it with our binoculars. One morning he spotted a leopard even though the sun had not even broken the horizon and it was quite dark. His knowledge of the animals was equally impressive as he told us to keep our camera on a lion that was preparing to arise from a nap and would probably yawn three times so that we could get a photo with his mouth wide open. Most days we started our game drives at 6 am and didn’t end until late in the afternoon, and the whole time he would answer all of our questions, be constantly on the lookout for animals and birds and was conscientious that this was an experience of a lifetime for us. If we wanted to start a day later or end the day sooner, he was equally obliging. […]
To those who are considering booking a trip with Africa Dream Safaris…You will be glad that you put your trust in them to take care of what will most definitely be an experience of a lifetime. We confidently, and without any hesitation, give Africa Dreams and their staff the highest recommendation that is possible.
Fred and Lynnette Dubendorf
February 2010
Quote of the Week: Howard and Marsha Seltzer
We just returned from our Safari and had to take a few minutes to let you know how thoroughly pleased and delighted we were with the trip. Beginning with our initial contact with ADS and the home office, through our final minutes at the airport awaiting our return flight home, everything was as advertised, perfectly arranged, and well beyond all of our expectations – and our expectations were high. From our initial encounter with the “visa meet & greet staff” which whisked us past the long lines and out the door to our waiting van, to the flight into the Serengeti where we met our guide / driver, to the game drives and tented camps, every turn was a new and wonderful experience.
Our guide was absolutely amazing in his ability to spot & identify the animals and we saw 4 of the “big five” on the first day. We were “family” within a day of meeting him and he was willing and able to do anything we asked, including long game drives everyday with boxed breakfasts & lunches for picnics in the bush. It was perfect. Another ADS feature we noticed was the selection of vehicles. The roll-top Land Cruisers were far superior to the other type of open top vehicles we saw. Ideal for game viewing, both all around us and above in trees. I must admit that we were skeptical about some of the advanced reading we had done, especially regarding the incomprehensible numbers involved in “The Great Migration”, but we are skeptics no more.
We visited “The Great Migration” several times, including one day when we parked in the midst of the moving herds and enjoyed our boxed picnic lunch – from the comfort and safety of our Land Cruiser – and for 45 minutes watched in awe as the Migration passed before us. We saw it, but is impossible to grasp. The line of animals on the move stretched from horizon to horizon. Another highlight that we must mention was our hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti –extraordinary. Again, thank you for an adventure that was unlike any we had in the past and one that we would hope to repeat in the future.
Howard and Marsha Seltzer
February 2010
