Tag: Pennsylvania

We Saw 84 Lions, 9 Cheetahs and 7 Leopards!

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Posted on by Michael

We’re still enjoying our safari ‘high’ and are very excited to share our adventure with you!

The trip you planned for us was a fabulous overview of all of Tanzania. We started at the Ngorongoro Crater, turned south to beautiful Tarangire, traveled through the central Serengeti, headed north to track the wildebeest herds along the Mara River and concluded our adventure in the Lobo game reserve.

After our group of ten arrived at the Ndutu airstrip, we were met by our guides Arnold Mushi and Thomson Maleki who were fabulous! They were always eager to find exciting animal encounters, eternally patient with our unceasing photography demands and full of detailed information about any animal/bird/reptile we saw. Arnold would frequently shout out, “How is everybody??” and we would enthusiastically respond! The bar was set extremely high right off the bat as we saw not only a lioness hunting warthog, but a group of ten lion cubs who came down to the water to drink right in front of us! Absolutely magical!!

Though a few of our days were long and we covered many km, when we arrived at each camp there were smiling faces, eucalyptus-scented cloths to wipe away the trail dust and a chilled beverage to refresh us! Each camp was more amazing than the last. Our ‘tent’ accommodations were absolutely top notch with all the comforts of home. Our favorites were Lion’s Paw at the Ngoronogoro Crater and Swala.

At Lion’s Paw, our sundowner was the perfect place to watch a beautiful sunset before we enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Jonas and his staff before we snuggled into our beds in the chilly air. The hot water bottles awaiting us were the perfect touch!

At Swala, we were delighted to have front row seats for a controlled burn of the grass during dinner and lions roaring virtually in our ears at night. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the crazy antics of an African Harrier Hawk as he hung upside down in a nearby tree. Chris and his crew were spectacular hosts.

Our stay at Seronera Sametu was highlighted by a ‘close encounter’ with a lioness who was stalking buffalo near camp. She popped up out of the tall grass and gave my husband and one of the camp guards quite a start! Very exciting!!

Our trek to LeMala Mara was chock full of African wildlife; the hippos crowding the hippo pools of the Mara River and seeing a lion family devour a freshly killed wildebeest were truly memorable sights.

Our final days were spent at the beautiful Buffalo Luxury camp. My daughter, a budding artist, loved that they had drawing supplies available in the lounge so she could put some of the amazing animals we saw down on paper. Our host, Chris, took us on a wonderful walking safari and even organized a hilltop sundowner for our last evening. The food was spectacular (loved those loaf-sized dinner rolls) and they even baked a birthday cake to help celebrate a special birthday for Kathi. Another truly memorable experience was the opportunity to visit a nearby Maasai village and learn about their lifestyle. They welcomed us warmly and we thoroughly enjoyed their melodic singing, jumping and dancing!

Our animal encounters were amazing! All in all we saw 84 lions, 9 cheetahs and 7 leopards along with countless elephants, giraffe, hippo, monkeys, wildebeest, Tomi’s and many beautiful birds. As a group, we took over 10,000 photos! Despite what we thought Africa would be like, it was so much MORE than we expected and the fabulous planning and attention to every detail sets Africa Dream Safaris apart. It was truly the trip of a lifetime!

As Arnold would say, “Every day is a good day… in the bush!!”

Thank you Sharon for putting together our adventure, we sincerely hope it is not too long before we can return to the magic of Africa.

Asante Sana!!

Chris, Mark, Mason & Kylie (Naperville, Illinois)
Mark, Kathi, Liz & Robby (Avondale, Pennsylvania)
Bob & Ruth Ann (Scottsdale, Arizona)
Safari Dates: July 14, 2013 to July 29, 2013

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Larry & Sandra Shober

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Posted on by Michael

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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Safari in Tanzania

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Posted on by Michael

If we had to describe our Safari in Tanzania in only two words those words would be ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC.

We began planning our trip a year and a half ago and just returned last week.  From our first initial contact with Africa Dream Safaris (specifically Dawn Anderson) and throughout our trip ADS was with us every step of the way.  ADS turned our dream vacation into a magnificent memory.  Everyone we came in contact with was extremely thoughtful and caring.  The people we met throughout our trip were amazing.  They kept our comfort and experience in the forefront of everything they did.  The accommodations were great and totally surpassed our expectations.  The food was outstanding as were the boxed breakfasts and lunches.  Our guide, Sitta, was absolutely fantastic and made our trip a great experience.  His knowledge of the animals and twenty-plus years of experience in the Serengeti allowed us to learn about and experience the animals in such a way that we will never forget our time we spent in Tanzania.

If anyone is ever considering going on a safari to Tanzania there is no need to do any further research on which company to use.  Just contact Africa Dream Safaris and prepare for a trip of a lifetime.

Brian and Sondra Gessner
Coopersburg, Pennsylvania
October 2011

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The Most Breathtaking and Thrilling Experience

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Posted on by Michael


My husband and I have traveled all over the world both separately and together and our safari through Africa Dream Safaris was by far the most breathtaking and thrilling experience. As you know, we planned the safari 1 year prior and while we got excited to read about other ADS client’s safaris we were anxiously awaiting our chance to make our memories.

After all the anticipation and dreams of Africa, we realized shortly after arriving that everything we envisioned was going to be surpassed. From the second we stepped off the plane in Kilimanjaro to the time we left mainland Tanzania our trip was carefully planned, well thought out and not a detail was missing.

Our guide was the best! He was warm, knowledgeable and had a keen sense of where the animals were headed. We were continually impressed by his ability to navigate the extreme terrain and spot animals all while being in engaged in a conversation with us. We were in awe of the animals and the ever changing landscape. Our encounters with the wildlife were so close that we could hear them eat and breathe and that is something we will cherish and long to hear again.

Our accommodations throughout were unrivaled in service, detail, comfort and natural beauty. The feeling that comes with waking up and seeing zebra and wildebeest grazing near your tent is one that must be experienced because the description will fall short. How do we explain what it’s like to have two male lions roaring at each other for territory outside our tent or what it’s like to flash your light outside and see two cape buffalo staring back at you? How do you describe what it’s like to sip on a beverage while looking out into the bush and in one view see elephants, zebra, antelope, vervet monkeys and waterbuck? Our encounters and experiences are too many to list in a simple email but hopefully we have conveyed the pure joy that we felt and our deep gratitude for the experience.

Africa has a scent, fresh and crisp but at times combined with the smell of red earth and animal musk, other times combined with dung and spice, earth real and raw.

We long to delight our senses in Africa again.

Asante Sana,

Karina & David Reuter
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 2011

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Like Meryl Streep in the movie “Out of Africa”

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Posted on by Michael

As soon as my friend Barbara agreed to go to Africa with me we began researching our options for travel.  After talking with several travel agents and doing our own research we decided to go with Africa Dream Safaris.  There were two main reasons for this:  1) They are with you every step of the way.  This was very important to me as this would be my first trip overseas.  2)  They provided for a private safari.  We would not be at the mercy of a group of people who may not have wanted to keep the same schedule as us.

Upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro airport we were greeted by friendly staff and escorted to a VIP Visa line.  I’m sure we were comfortably enjoying a light dinner and wine at the hotel while others on our flight from Amsterdam were still waiting to get their Visas.

The next morning we were on a plane heading for the Serengeti.  I imagined that the flight might be like Meryl Streep in the movie “Out of Africa”, but it was a cloudy day so no animal sightings.  But… as we came down for landing, we crossed over a pond and we saw our first animals – hippos!!  We were so excited, but that was only the beginning of what was to be the most incredible 8 days.  Imagine actually driving through herds of elephants, zebras and wildebeests.  Seeing leopards lazily sleeping in trees, and a pride of lions just beside your jeep.

One of the highlights of our trip was watching as a mother cheetah taught her cubs how to hunt.   When in the midst of thousands of wildebeast and zebras we felt like we were in the middle of a National Geographic photo spread.

Our accommodations were great.  We loved the tented camps.  I think our favorite was the Tarangire River Lodge.  There were only two other people staying there that night (just another reason to go in the off season).  In the morning, we viewed a herd of elephants from our deck.  As with all other places that we stayed, we had great food and heard lions and hyenas and other animal sounds all around us, all night.  At the Mbuzi Mawe camp we were greeted by a giraffe not 20 feet away from us as we were escorted to breakfast.

Let me also say a few words about the people of Tanzania.  They are so friendly, helpful, gracious people.  We felt right at home wherever we went.  And high praise for our guide, Simon.  He has X-ray eyes.  He could spot animals before we could get them sighted in our binoculars.  We had so much fun with him, and he took extra steps to ensure that we had a great experience.

Sadly, our trip came to an end.  We will never forget this experience.  Thank you Africa Dream Safari, and Asante Tanzania.

Denise Burchill and Barbara Johns
Allison Park, Pennsylvania
May 2011

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