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.
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
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
Our guests discuss what it’s like to travel with ADS and the awe-inspiring wonders of Tanzania:
After trying to “lay low” on my 65th birthday last July, you can imagine how excited I was when my husband surprised me with a trip to Africa. Africa….that’s a trip you only dream of. And, yes, it turned out to be just that!
ADS went beyond our expectations. From whisking us through the Kilimanjaro airport on day one until they dropped us off on our last day, they were there. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide, either. Francis was wonderful! He had telescopic eyes and was very knowledgeable. He soon became our friend.
Francis picked us up after our 1 1/2 hour flight on a little bush plane and we immediately began seeing animals. We saw gazelles, elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, impalas, baboons, ostriches and monkeys all within a few hours of arriving. And this was our first day!
We observed a mother lion with 2 half-grown cubs try to take down a young buffalo. The next thing we knew, the whole herd of buffalo chased the lions back. We stayed 3 nights at Mbuzi Mawe tented camp. This was our favorite camp. We sat by our tent and observed a giraffe, gazelles and deer in our backyard. The highlights came at night, though, when we’d lay awake listening to the lions roaring and elephants walking around outside.
It’s hard to point out specific events since they were all great. We enjoyed the hot air balloon ride; watching the migration; being welcome into a Masai village; observing the elusive Serval cat; seeing 5 black rhinos; and I could go on forever.
Thanks again to Sharon who answered hundreds of our questions and especially to Francis, who made us feel welcome and opened our eyes to a new world. We have made many new memories of a beautiful country filled with wonderful people and amazing animals.
Bill and Sandy F.
The Villages, FL
Safari Dates: January 20, 2013 to January 29, 2013
It was a tremendous experience. Well planned and I thought ending the trip at the Crater was a good choice. Having the Day Room was wonderful. We really appreciated the welcome gifts and the cake on the last night. Anglebert worked tirelessly to make the trip perfect. He wanted to tell you about seeing the Aardwolf fighting with the family of cheetahs. It was late at night (if it was up to Anglebert, he would never go back to the camp) so the pictures are not great but I am sending the best one we took. We would normally be the first around an animal and in minutes the vultures would show up. It was great when we could get out away from everyone like at the Gol Kopjes and the open plains around Ndutu.
I awoke with a start this morning. I wondered what all the noise was. I realized it was sounds of the city. A couple of nights before my wife and I were kept awake by the roar of lions and the alarm “barking” of baboons seemingly from our front porch. It was a week of quiet nights with beautiful stars.
The days were filled with game drives that surpassed our expectations. We are used to open spaces in Texas but it is interrupted by fences, gates, and cattle guards. To be able to travel miles and see no one and not to have to get out and open gates is a grand experience. We viewed massive herds of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles. All set to backdrop of vast plains and far away mountains. There were lions and tigers and…no, not bears, but cheetahs, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and cape buffalo. A couple of unexpected sightings were the Ardwolf and the honey badger (look up the video on Youtube).
The guides in all the letters are fondly remembered. Everyone believes he must have lucked out and got the best one from ADS. Unless they got Anglebert, they couldn’t have gotten the best. His ability to not only spot the animals but anticipation of what the animal would do next or where the animals next move would be is extraordinary. We saw some cheetahs late one night (Englebert will stay out from six in the morning to dark thirty), the next morning Englebert said “I think I know where they will be this morning”.
We drove out and as the sun made visibility possible, the three cheetahs were right beside us. Not only did he spot the animals, get the best viewing possible, but also put us where the sun would provide the best lighting for the camera. He was, as was everyone we met, unfailingly polite and patient. He truly became our rafiki yangu.
We stayed in three camps. Each was unique having its own architecture, style and views. All the camps were perfectly suited to the surrounding environment with as little intrusions as possible. What didn’t change from camp to camp was the quality of the meals. Each was served on white table cloths, complete complement of dinner ware and wonderful variety of food. The service was outstanding at each location at each meal. We were amazed that such dining could be found in the remotest of areas.
Lastly, I humbly suggest you learn a little Swahili. Your host will appreciate the effort and it will make the trip more fun. Also, stop by the FAME hospital. See the great work they are doing. They don’t have their hands out, they are just proud of what they are doing and want to share their excitement.
Richard and Mary Morgan
Houston, Texas
Safari Dates: January 3, 2013 to January 9, 2013
Lunch with a lion, breakfast with a baboon, and dinner with a genet…those are just a few of the memorable moments from our totally amazing trip with Arica Dream Safaris. We are so glad that we chose Africa Dream Safaris for this “bucket list” trip. ADS came highly recommended by a co-worker who did a similar trip last year. To be honest, I thought his effusive praise for ADS and the wonders of the Serengeti were a little over the top. But I can happily admit to being wrong, from our first contact with Dawn (the most patient and responsive trip planner ever) to the final goodbyes at the airport, Africa Dream Safaris was absolutely the best!
I can’t thank ADS and our guide, Wilfred, enough for making this truly the trip of a lifetime. They delivered all of the things you’d expect – first rate accommodations, comfortable and reliable vehicle, flexible itinerary, but also the little touches that made the trip special – the lovely Maasai bracelets, gifts and champagne to celebrate our anniversary and the good-bye cake! We always felt safe and cared for – having Wilfred was like having an encyclopedia of the Serengeti at our disposal. Not only was he great at locating animals and getting us into position for great photographs, he would also share the most interesting facts about the animals, plants, and ecosystem. By the time we left, he was “Uncle Wilfred” to the girls and we truly hated to say goodbye.
From the first day in Seronera when we ate our lunch in the vehicle just a few feet from a huge male lion, we had one amazing experience after another. We took over 6000 photos and videos, but no images or words can convey the sense of wonder that the Serengeti evokes. I’ve wanted to write a review since we returned, but have been dragging my feet because I just don’t feel like I can do it justice. One of my favorite memories couldn’t be captured digitally. (I tried!) Our second night in the private camp (which should not be missed) I was snuggled in the incredibly comfortable bed watching a spectacular lightning storm that lasted for hours, listening to lions roaring just yards away from our tent. I had this huge grin on my face that just wouldn’t quit.
We saw so much more than we expected and yet you can never see it all. We’ll have to make a return trip to find the elusive honey badger, python, and pangolin! We saw a clan herd of over a hundred elephants, many incredible cheetah sightings (16 in all, including two hunts!), hyenas and lions with their kills, herds of wildebeest as far as the eye could see, and so many other amazing animals and birds I can’t begin to list them all.
While the “Big Five” were awesome, many of the highlights of the trip were smaller things – spotting the rare African wildcat, the yellow-winged bats, a double rainbow with an elephant at the end of it, and delicious fresh mango for breakfast. The animals are amazing and the reason we planned the trip, but we found the Tanzanian people to be equally wonderful. The stop at a Maasai village and a visit to an elementary school class in Arusha brought home both the differences and similarities of our cultures and lives.
The grin returns whenever I think of all the delightful people and places we visited. I’ve had a wonderful time sharing stories and pictures from the trip, here’s a link to some more of our favorites: http://www.pbase.com/teddi_and_roger/africatrip2013. Needless to say, Africa Dream Safaris has another huge fan!
Teddi and Roger, Randi and Rian Edington
Kent, Washington
Safari Dates: January 1, 2013 to January 9, 2013
Well, I hope you got decent reports on us as guests, because we sure had wonderful hosts! Francis is just a fantastic guide, driver and all-around wonderful person– we loved him! And boy, is he a great driver– despite the rains, he always got us back to the lodges/tents safely. The ADS meet and greet guys in Arusha were great, too, as was Jonas. Thank you for the Maasai club and necklace– so special and thoughtful– very appropriate for our 25th anniversary!
Asante sana!
Victoria Russell and Family
Los Angeles, California
December 24, 2012 to January 5, 2013
Our trip to Tanzania was everything we could have dreamed of and then more. It started off perfectly when we were met at the airport by the ADS team and were whisked through the process like dignitaries while everyone else was standing around waiting.
The next morning we took our short flight to the Serengeti where we met the BEST guide, Francis. Yes, we had the best guide! Francis made sure that we were comfortable, that we saw everything we wanted to for as long as we wanted to and he answered all our questions-and believe me-we had a lot of them. We wanted to know EVERYTHING about the animals, how and what they did, about the people we saw and met and all about the culture of the tribes as well as the people living in the cities.
We spent 7 days in the Serengeti and every time we thought it couldn’t get better-it did. We also visited the FAME hospital, which was a great experience. We visited the Shanga project which we felt privileged to do.
There are so many stories we could tell but I guess the most memorable for me was one morning in the Southern Serengeti. I knew there was a possibility that I might see a “kill” but I really didn’t want to. This one morning we saw a group of zebras heading down to the water to drink. We drove nearer to the water to watch them and when we approached we saw several hyena waiting to attack when they got close enough. We stayed where we were, between the zebras and the hyena, till the hyena gave up and left and the zebra were able to get to the water and drink. (see pictures)
The hot air balloon ride was great and don’t be worried about it if you are afraid of heights. The folks that do it are wonderful and put out a fabulous native breakfast afterwards. There is a great velvet monkey story that we will leave for Francis to tell. Our hero!
We loved the accommodations. The tented lodges were so much more then we expected. The people everywhere were wonderful but Mbuzi Mawe was, by far, our favorite. The people there welcomed you as if it were their home.
If you’re thinking about going-DO IT NOW!!
Nancy & Lenny Max
The Villages, Florida
Safari Dates: January 20, 2013 to January 29, 2013
Sharon,
We are back in Arusha. Don’t know how we got so lucky to have our other trip cancel and stumble onto you. The best trip ever! People were awesome and whenever we mentioned your name a smile would enter their face! Thank you thank you for everything!!!
Jenny and Phil Greger
Woodlands, Texas
Safari Dates: January 10, 2013 – January 16, 2013
It’s Super Bowl weekend. Excitement is in the air. Bobby had gone back to Florida to start planning another safari with Sharon, possibly challenging Mt. Kilimanjaro in October. I am finally rested enough to start organizing pictures and videos taken on the trip. Reflecting back, worlds apart from my current reality, Tanzania, the scenery, the animals, the sound, the smell, the color, and the people. Each frame and clip transport me right back to the magical land; its primordial essence and life force.
Bobby and I booked the safari with ADS two months before our departure. Unlike Bobby, who talked to everyone and their brother who’s ever been on an African safari, I barely read the handbook and got all the gears just a few days before Bobby and I met at the airport.
I wanted to have a firsthand and empirical experience of my African dream safari so I went on the safari without much preconceived notion or expectation. And boy was I elated and amazed by the entire voyage! Our guide, Russell, was AWESOME! Game drives were exciting!! All the tented camps were great. The food was delicious and everybody we met along the journey was wonderful!!!
Since we got back a week ago, I started reading all the other fellow ADS travelers’ “bush reports.” Ha! Our safari was just as brilliant as they had all described! Out of all the memorable moments forever etched in my heart and mind, I think my biggest amazement was that, not unlike human beings, how lonely and vulnerable a wild animal can be once being “kicked out” of its own group, and how collaboration helps survival, with the exception of the solitary female cheetahs, of course.
Two special sightings I’d like to share here are both with cheetahs.
When Russell pulled the car close to a pair of young male cheetahs feasting on their early morning kill, the poor little wildebeest was more than half eaten. Nearby, 30~40 vultures were waiting, and they waited patiently. As each cheetah took turn feeding on the best part of the meat while his buddy on the lookout over the next hour, more vultures landed from above and inched in on the cheetahs as if they knew the cheetahs were almost done. Their patience finally paid off as one of the cheetahs began to walk away. The flock moved in swiftly before the remaining cheetah left. Annoyed, the cheetah turned to the scavengers to chase them away as his buddy joined in to fend off the birds as if telling them THEY were the boss. Wow…what an ugly sight! Within the next 20 minutes, vultures fought off each other to grab a good bite. They squealed, and they fought. I now have a fresh understanding of why calling someone a vulture is such an insult!
Then one day we came upon a slender female cheetah hiding in the tall grass of the open plain. She appeared to be hungry and weak. We watched her in the car over our box lunch rooting for her to get some lunch of her own with perhaps a weaker prey coming through her hideout spot. Without the usual ease and grace, the girl cheetah paced, lied down, stood up, patrolled, dug the ground then sat upright. Appearing alert and a bit nervous over the vultures overhead, the three of us in the car all wondered what was going on. As an hour passed by without much action, Russell suggested that we’d moved in a bit closer before moving on. As soon as we parked the car directly in front of the cheetah blocking her view, she actually became relaxed and fetched out something and began to eat. Much to our amazement, the cheetah actually had a small gazelle hidden in the bush. With this bigah-ha, Russell explained to us about the cheetah’s behavior that we’ve observed in the past hour. Instead of devouring on the fresh kill, for over an hour, the cheetah was trying to fake the vultures so they don’t attract the hyenas to loot her food away. And once we parked the car in front of her blocking her from the hyenas’ view, the cheetah felt safe enough to start dining on the baby gazelle in a hurry. WOW, we had just witnessed a harsh reality for the survivor of the fittest on the Serengeti Plain!
Aside from all the wonderful safari activities, Bobby and I had so much fun competing to see who could spot the most animals without Russell’s help. We even managed to learn all the Swahili names of all the animals encountered along the way. I won, of course. And Bobby was a good sport. But think Russell was actually the one who got entertained the most in our 9-day-long expedition!
All in all, the trip to Tanzania was simply mesmerizing. I am grateful for Bobby and thankful for ADS for making my African dream safari a reality. Wishing all who hear Africa’s calling would come to this magical land and experience its enchantment for themselves at least once in a lifetime. Surely, I will be back.
Aloha,
Judy Peng and Bobby Snyder
Los Angeles, CA and Highland Beach, FL
Safari date: January 17~27, 2013
Did you ever, in all your travels, have a trip from leaving the house to returning to the house without a single hitch? Well, we did, even including air transportation. Now who ever heard of perfect on time flights?
Sharon, your itinerary sold me on the deal and after dreaming about this for around 50 years, I had some pretty high expectations. Well, ADS met them all. Unfortunately for ADS, in terms of its evaluation form (which frankly was silly), it was impossible to exceed my expectations. How can anyone exceed an expectation of perfection? After all if we stay at a five star hotel it should be perfect, and it was. But why quibble about a form?
Everything went as smoothly as promised–from arrival at Arusha to final departure from Arusha. And in between: Wow. Our guide, Ally, was fantastic. He seems to have binocular vision: he spotted animals at five hundred yards while driving along on twisty, incredibly rutted roads. He really took good care of us. He was very knowledgeable, very solicitous and an easy conversationalist. And topping all that, he understood and laughed at my dry sense of humor. What a pleasure!
We saw all of the so-called “big five” and everything else to boot. We saw a bunch of lions feasting on a freshly killed cape buffalo (we might have missed the kill by less than an hour). Most interesting experience? We were twenty feet away from a new born gazelle, maybe five minutes old, struggling with its first few steps and learning how to suckle; unfortunately, something went wrong with those shots, we’ll see. All lodges were great and food was fine, even the picnic packs.
We’ll follow with selected photos. Have no doubt, everyone we talk to will know how great Sharon Lyons and ADS are. By the way, my granddaughter Alix did her own blog, meant more for her college friends but very interesting (http://alixinafrica.wordpress.com/). She had the same fantastic time that we did.
Bob Litke
Somerset, New Jersey
Safari Dates: January 8, 2013 to January 16, 2013
ADS is the best! I know this sounds contrite but the way they handled every aspect of our 12 days, was just outstanding! We booked with much excitement and as time got closer to the “big trip” our apprehensiveness rose. There was no reason to be apprehensive, because Dawn at African Dream Safaris had planned every detail to work out beautifully! Arrival in Arusha, being met right after coming off the plane, and being whisked though the passport/visa lines, was quick and efficient and impressive. Mt. Meru Hotel was fantastic and very hospitable and a great choice for beginning and ending our safari.
The animals were fantastic, to say the least, but our driver, Omary seems to know exactly where to find them just by watching the birds in the air or the trees, or listening to the sounds of the zebra’s barking when they fear the lions in the area. We had a small rain storm come though daily, so we also want to comment on the muddy roads or paths that we traveled. Omary was a very careful driver and never got us stuck. He also was very attentive in cleaning the vehicle inside and out each night, so we started our adventure each morning in a nice, clean vehicle.
We watched some drivers zoom by us and we appreciated his controlled speed and attentiveness so we didn’t miss the hidden animals. It made the trip more relaxing and we still had the option of telling him when to move on or stay longer. We can’t say enough about Omary’s knowledge and experience in the area of game driving.
All the accommodations we stayed in were wonderful, but the very best was the “Kusini Tented Lodge”. The staff, food and accommodations were fantastic. We especially loved the wonderful evening drinks and social on the “welcome rocks”. The overstuffed bean bags to rest upon and appetizers being served while watching the sunset after a day of seafaring, was just fantastic. We loved the high standards that managers, Deb and Chris, from the UK, provide to all their guests. Each meal was served on beautiful white china from England and the food was just outstanding! We wished we would have had a 3rd night to enjoy there before moving on to the Ngorongoro Crater. Our 2nd favorite lodge, was without a doubt the “Manor at Ngorongoro”, which has wonderfully appointed individual guest cottages and beautiful horse stables. We also wished we could of added a day there to tour the coffee plantations by horseback.
We can honestly say without a doubt, this was a fantastic adventure! You hear so often the negatives of the world but Africa Dream Safaris was truly a wonderful organization to travel with in every way!!
Thanks again to Dawn of ADS , Omary our driver and the rest of the camp staffs for a fantastic memory making trip.
Jean and Don Erickson
Stevensville, Michigan
Safari Dates: December 30, 2012 to January 8, 2013
When we started planning our first big vacation about a year ago, even before we decided on a destination, we called it our dream vacation of a lifetime. Eventually we narrowed it down to the Serengeti and by a twist of fate ended up using Africa “Dream” Safaris. ADS planned our dream vacation and our guide, Raphael, made it come true.
When we arrived at the airstrip in the Serengeti on the first day about noon we expected to get settled and oriented. Instead we saw more that first day than we expected to see the entire safari. And each day’s adventures seemed to exceed the previous day. The number of sightings of so many different animals was impressive, and I won’t go into detail, but what stays in our memory the most is the vista of migratory animals (wildebeests and zebras) as far as the eye could see in all directions. The Serengeti was beautiful and would have been (almost) worth the trip even without the animals.
Our guide, Raphael, was remarkable. Often we were the first and sometimes only observers at the most interesting sightings. Even when we weren’t the first, Raphael anticipated the animal’s movements and had us in the best position. He was knowledgeable about all the animals, providing insight and answering all our questions. He seemed to enjoy the sightings as much as we did.
I cannot imagine what the safari would have been like without ADS. With Dawn’s guidance we were well prepared. We worked hard to learn all we could and get everything ready and packed within the luggage limits. That was actually part of the fun and anticipation of the trip. Each day we were on the road around 7 AM and returned about 5 PM. All of our lunches and all but two of our breakfasts were on game drives. We are 68 years old and had no trouble standing up to the rigors of the twelve day (ten in the field) safari. But anyone deciding to go on a Serengeti safari should make sure they really want to do it. We did, and it was a dream come true.
We have included some pictures, but pictures cannot do justice to the vast magnitude of this unique area of the earth and the great migration phenomenon.
Stephen and Mariglyn Glenn
Friendswood, TX
January 2012
We just returned from our incredible Safari to the Serengeti. I started the trip with very high expectations from reading and seeing all the information ADS provided. Much to my satisfaction, my high expectations were met and even exceeded in every category.
From the time we landed until we left we were guided and briefed every step of the way. There are times when marketing paints an unreal picture to promote sales. Not the case with ADS. We found no exaggerations in any of the information. In fact it was very thorough, we were prepared, thank you.
To try to describe the Serengeti and all the animals bankrupts my vocabulary! All my life I’ve seen pictures, stories and video of the Serengeti that were great but it’s not like being there where you can feel it, smell it, hear it, and become part of it. There are no words to properly describe it for me.
I’m sure your guides are all good but we had Arnold and I don’t see how you could get a better one. He knew where to go to find the animals and anticipated our every need. He was pleasant, knowledgeable and fun. “Hakuna matata!”
Our camps were all different but each had a charming character all of their own. They also had very efficient and friendly employees.
I am extremely pleased that we chose Africa Dream Safaris for our “someday” adventure.
Larry and Sandra Shober
Berlin, Pennsylvania
January 2012
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