Our family of seven including two grandparents, two daughters and three grandsons took a trip of a lifetime to Tanzania with Africa Dream Safari. The trip exceeded all expectations! From the excellent communications of pre-trip planning to completion. The only stressful piece about air travel was getting a Covid test 72 hours prior to arriving in Tanzania, which in fact was uneventful. The great part was everyone on our planes going and returning had tested negative for Covid.
We’ve just returned from 12 days in Tanzania with Africa Dream Safaris and it was overall one of the most memorable journeys we have ever taken. From the first day on the ground in the North Serengeti we were amazed at the number of different animals we saw including lion, giraffes, elephants, ostrich’s, and many more. And it only got better after that. We were able to witness a parade of hippos just outside of room as they arose from their afternoon nap and lumbered into the river.
In a word, perfect. Our guide, Pokea, had a 6th sense for where there would be animals and action. The first day we witnessed a crossing of the Mara River by wildebeests. From there, we saw everything from a lion kill to a leopard. We even had a close-up experience with cheetahs. It was beyond anything we imagined we’d see.
Africa. Dream. Safaris. Each word had its own special meaning for this trip of a lifetime. Millions of words have spilled across page after page trying to capture the true essence of the magical and mystical land called Africa. It may be a cliche but there is no better way to express that this experience was truly a dream come true and an epic journey across the vast plains of the Serengeti and down into the breathtaking beauty of the Ngorongoro Crater with so many memories made along the way. This safari provided the ultimate opportunity to explore, investigate and learn about the animals, the geography and the people in the best possible way – up close and firsthand.
We had a group ranging from age 8 to 80 and every single one of us in our family had a trip we will never forget. I wanted to commend your entire company for an amazing safari experience. The entire thing was planned and executed flawlessly from your incredible staff picking us up at the airport after a long journey and sparing us the two-hour wait in customs to the transport to the airport at the end.
Check! A word I was to hear many times spoken by our wonderful guide, Deda, from African Dream Safaris as we spotted animals and birds. A group of our close friends traveled to Tanzania for a 9 day safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. My friend Nancy and I came armed with pamphlets and books of the wildlife to document our sightings. Deda joined in by shouting “Check” as we marked off the animals in our list. Deda and Wilfred shared their expertise of the habits of the wild animals, and as a result of their patience and knowledge, our group was able to witness nature in action daily.
When we returned from our Africa Dream Safaris vacation in July 2018, we tried with great difficulty to explain to our friends and family the magic of our experience. We describe it with this analogy: “When you see a wildebeest at the zoo, you think to yourself, “Wildebeest…boring….let’s go see the elephants!” However, on Safari, it feels as though you have been transported back in time when you see thousands upon thousands of those very animals running straight toward your vehicle!
I’m not sure where to even start other than we had a fantastic safari. First of all, the tented camps and tented lodges were much nicer than we envisioned. The workers at all of our lodges, which many were local Masai, were incredibly friendly and always happy to help in any way. That also seemed to be true of all the Tanzanian people we dealt with from the hotels to the cultural center to F.A.M.E to the meet and greet staff and to any locals we met on safari.
When I booked this trip, I asked for Photography all the time and you did not disappoint! We were met at immigration and avoided a 2 ½ hour line and the following morning we were met by an individual named Precious. Sincerely she is Precious. She was the personification of a modern African women, smart, erudite and gracious.
From the moment we arrived in Arusha and were greeted by Joseph and Matthius, our trip was flawless, liberally sprinkled with surprises around every turn that would delight even the most seasoned traveler, and just simply, the most epic adventure.
My sister and I just returned home from our first African Safari and thanks to ADS it was an incredible experience! Never having traveled outside of the United States, we were a little apprehensive as we prepared to embark on this adventure. Early on in our trip, we soon realized there was no reason for concern. The invaluable advice from ADS and the numerous blogs had us more than prepared.
I have to say that planning this trip we were a little overwhelmed. Where to go, who to go with, where to stay, etc. Once we decided on the great migration and Tanzania it only got slightly easier! My wife and I have dreamed of exploring Africa since we were kids, this trip needed to fulfill a lot of expectations. Throw on top of this Kelly’s mother-in-law was going and needed some extra care, as well as 3 eager kids. After what seemed an endless research project, we ran into Africa Dream Safari. From the initial contact, we were very impressed.
My husband and I just returned from the trip of a lifetime! Through Africa Dream Safaris we traveled from Arusha to the Northern Serengeti, through the Central Serengeti to Ngorogoro Crater and onto Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park. We stayed in tent camps, lodges and hotels. The itinerary unfolded seamlessly.
A special thanks to Allie and Ed who just returned home from safari and submitted this picture stitch using google photo. The images were taken in the Central Serengeti with a Canon Rebel on sports mode. When on this setting, you can hold the shutter release down and the camera shoots at 3 frames per second until you let it up.
Allie & Ed – Safari Guests
The wildlife in Tanzania is absolutely breathtaking but the wonderful team at ADS really created the unforgettable trip. Michael helped us plan an amazing adventure and from the day we landed until the day we unfortunately had to depart we were in incredible hands. Mathias and Joseph met us at the airport and since we had an extra day we spent an afternoon with Joseph experiencing his personal insider tour of Arusha.
In the bush Ellison was our guide and friend. He bonded with our kids, was fabulous at finding animals, had an encyclopedic knowledge of the plants, animals and geography, and truly exuded a personal passion for the Serengeti. He also took us to places where we were the only people for miles around – just us, the unending plain, and the cheetahs.
There’s no way to describe having lunch surrounded by thousands upon thousands of migrating wildebeest. The only way to go is a private ADS safari and a guide like Ellison made for a truly memorable, once in a lifetime adventure.
This was also a wonderful family adventure. Our kids are 12 and 14 which are perfect ages to experience Tanzania. Cell phones were put away (and wifi access isn’t great) and replaced by cameras. Our family took 8,000 pictures!, most of which were taken by our kids.
The lodges were all terrific and unique – like the Mbalageti Lodge where the electricity turns off in the evening and your tented room is lit by candles. Or the family tent at Seronera Sametu Camp where you hear the sounds of nearby lions at night. Or having an elephant walk by your balcony when you’re having lunch at Ngorongoro.
Each lodge was unique and each new lodge became our kids’ favorite. One of the most memorable experiences for our kids was the visit to a Masai village where the cultural contrast really resonated (especially when they saw children their age tending herds alongside the roads).
Our trip was at the end of June, when the migration was in full swing in the west Serengeti and most of the baby animals are around 4 months old. We saw baby cheetahs, lions, hyenas, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, gazelle, elephants…and every day, when we thought we couldn’t possibly have a new experience, we discovered something incredible and unexpected.
Thank you ADS!!!
The West Family
San Francisco, California
Safari Dates: June 22, 2016 to July 3, 2016
Search By
Search By
