Tag: Retirement

A Friendly, Professional and Smiling Face At Every Step Of The Way.

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Posted on by Michael

Jambo Everyone! Our 12 day Safari started in mid February. Traveling with two of our good friends Dave and Linda, we flew into an airstrip in the Serengeti where we met our driver guide Simon. Game driving the rest of the day, we viewed animals and got to know Simon. Simon’s knowledge impressed all of us. We expected his animal expertise, but his knowledge of the birds was truly a plus.

Venturing out at both 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM for game drives, we saw animals every time. One of our best drives was when we saw a Cheetah stalk and kill a Thompson Giselle. After the kill, the Cheetah made a soft mewing sound and two Cheetahs cubs came running from their hiding spot in the tall grass up to “mom”. It was quite a site.

At one time we came within mere feet of Elephants as they were crossing the road. Another day a bull elephant made a bluff charge at us from about 10 feet. Simon knew it was a bluff, and expertly diverted the Elephant. The Elephants were always great to watch. Some of the herds were very large, while others were much smaller.

While in the Central Serengeti, Simon slowly drove into the middle of the migration and we sat and watched the Wildebeests and Zebras pass all around us. As it was the middle of the birthing season, there was a large number of babies. We saw a Wildebeest calf only minutes old with the placenta still hanging from the mother. The calf was already walking. Friends have told us about the migration and we have seen TV documentaries, but until you see it for yourself there are no words that can do it justice. Everyone should experience this fabulous site.

There were many prides of Lions to see and one day we saw two Lions stalk a Warthog. The Warthog won out this time and the Lions missed a meal that afternoon. Another time a Lioness was giving a hunting lesson to two older cubs. She watched the young Lions sneak up on a baby Wildebeest. The hunt was unsuccessful but the lions surely learned a valuable lesson.

The Giraffes seemed elegant the way they walked so tall and ate the tender leaves from the top of the trees. Tanzania truly chose the right animal for the symbol of the country. We saw so many animals but it’s impossible to mention every event, or even all the animal, there were just so many.

One viewing worth mentioning is when we came upon a pack of African Wild Dogs along the side of the road. There were 17 of them and they were all resting in the hot sun, certainly with full bellies. Simon told us they were rare to see and we took some great pictures. We also saw three Leopards all of which we’re napping in trees.

The camps we stayed at were great. The tented camps were our favorite. They gave us a real Safari feeling with an added bonus of wonderful food and a fantastic staff. The other camps were also very nice and we enjoyed them all, but our favorites were the tented camps. Special thanks to Jonas Of Seronera Sametu Camp and D C of Ngorongoro Lions Paw Camp.

Thanks ADS for a trip of a lifetime. We were treated with a friendly, professional and a smiling face at every step of the way. A special “Asante” to Simon for a Safari filled with a life time of memories.

Mike & Patti M.
Brooksville, Florida
Safari Dates: February 13, 2014 to February 23, 2014

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We Saw The Migration Filling The Plains Like Fish School In The Ocean.

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Posted on by Michael

After a well deserved retirement and a life time of enjoying the Canadian wilderness and wildlife we decided to go to Africa and experience the Serengeti. We knew we wanted to be in Africa when it was green and bursting with life. After reading and speaking with Dawn we booked for the end of February and beginning of March 2014. We shared our 11 day Safari with our good friend Judy.

Our trip was perfect from the moment we stepped on our KLM flight leaving the west coast of Canada to being greeted by ADS representative Faith at the Kilimanjaro Airport and whisked through Tanzanian Immigration. A few days later we met our fantastic guide Russel at Ndutu Airstrip where we were immediately taken on our first game drive and the “spotting” began.

We spent 4 nights at Ndutu Lodge in the South Serengeti, then 4 nights at Seronera Semetu Camp in the Central Serengeti and then finished off with 2 nights at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge and in the Crater. We also did a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park on our drive back to Arusha. The entire trip was amazing and a time we will never forget.

We saw every animal and more than we had hoped for. We saw sunrises and sunsets with the Southern Hemisphere night sky dazzling with new wonders. Most importantly, to all three of us, was having and taking the time to watch animal behaviour. We saw cheetahs patiently hunting, lion cubs playing with each other and squabbling over a trophy wildebeest tail.

We saw the MIGRATION and hundreds of thousands of animals filling the plains like fish school in the ocean. We saw elephants protecting their babies and baby elephants chasing birds with their limp baby trunks. We saw female lions roaring and growling at a male looking to mate. We saw dung beetles looking for love and laughed at Hippos in a pool claiming pond real estate. We saw a family of Egyptian Geese squawking at a Crocodile in an attempt to have it move, which surprisingly the Crocodile did.

We experienced a large herd of Elephants travel through and past us without a sound, it was a moving and spiritual moment. We heard the lions and hyenas outside our tent as we safely lay in bed at night. We saw and learned so much it was both a wonder and truly satisfying as by seeing and understanding what animals were doing we somehow became a part of a very special time, place and dance. The Serengeti charmed all of us and took a piece of our hearts.

Russel was truly a man of the Serengeti and was able to teach us so much about the animals, birds and insects who live there and their way of life. We learned and saw so much we will never forget. Thank you Tanzania, Russel and Africa Dream Safaris.

If anyone reading this is contemplating a trip to the Serengeti, our recommendation is do it. You will have no regrets and your memories will be cherished for the rest of your life. African Dreams made this happen !!!!

Lion Man, Sweetie and Leopard Woman
(Scott, Annette and Judy)
Victoria, BC
On Safari February 23 to March 5, 2014

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Our Top 7 African Safari Highlights

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Posted on by Michael

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

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Our Retirement African Safari

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Posted on by Michael

Sharon – The safari vacation through Africa Dream Safaris exceeded our expectations. The accommodations and food were over the top. We were surprised to receive welcome gifts at the beginning of the safari, a retirement cake and song for my husband after our second dinner (this vacation was a retirement gift from his former employer) and at the end of our stay we were honored with another song and cake after dinner that welcomed us to come back.

Everyone we met was genuinely friendly. We couldn’t have had a nicer and more informative guide. He was able to locate so many animals for us. In fact, we were able to see and photograph the “Big Five!” When we passed other vehicles crammed with people, we felt very fortunate to be on a private safari. We have travelled to many destinations, but this one was absolutely the best!

Donna and Michael Harper
Glen Carbon, Illinois
June 2012

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And best of all my dream came true!

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Posted on by Michael

It has been my dream for years to go on an African Safari, but the only roadblock to fulfilling this has been my hesitant husband who does not like to travel too far from home and is reluctant to be too far from a golf course. However, with some cajoling and my volunteering to do all the planning, I finally convinced him it was probably in his best interest to accompany me to Africa.

I searched long and hard to find a reputable company and talked to many people in the DC area about their experiences. Some had good experiences, but not all of them. However after lots of hours on the internet and conversations, I zeroed in on Africa Dream Safaris. ADS came highly recommended to us by three couples. And they were right. We definitely picked the best Safari outfit in Tanzania. Perhaps the best testimonial to our complete satisfaction is seeing the enthusiasm on my husband’s face each day before we started and the excited conversations we had at days end when we recounted all that we had seen.

Plans from the beginning to the end were perfect. We lodged in three different locations and they were all were unbelievable. From the time we landed at Kilimanjaro until our return trip to the states, ADS took excellent care of us. Our Safari into the bush was like a movie – every day was a new adventure. Even though our guide briefed us what we were doing each day, we never knew what we might encounter. And thanks to our wonderful guide, Francis, we were never disappointed.

If I were asked to describe Africa Dreams Safari to someone, I would answer with three words: creative, organized and efficient. Our particular trip was created by the ADS staff after talking with us and asking probing questions to ascertain what we wanted to see and do and then offering proposals to us until we reached an agreement on an itinerary. From the planning stage until we returned home, ADS had organized their staff to meet our every need and “then some”. Everything went like clockwork and we marveled at their efficiency. As a matter of fact their efficiency was the factor that turned my husband’s reluctance around 180 degrees.

Our accommodations were awesome and all possessed a staff that was friendly, courteous and eager to please. We looked forward to mealtimes as the menus were varied and the service excellent. The food was well-prepared and tasty. In fact, the entire evenings were delightful. Two of our three locations had views that were spectacular. We had never witnessed sunsets so beautiful. And who could forget looking up and observing thousands and thousands of stars in the heavens, something truly special for us city-dwellers.

Both my husband and I agree that without a good guide, our safari would have suffered considerably. We were blessed to have Francis as our guide and no one could have asked for a better one than him. His knowledge of the area was vast and he kept us informed throughout each day. His excursions were well thought out, yet he was flexible to alter his planned route if we wanted to remain longer at a particular site or skip one completely.

Each morning he would be waiting for us, packed and ready with all provisions for the day. He would announce what was in store for us that day and what he hoped for us to see. He was careful to explain what he could do and what he could not do and we always felt we were in good hands. He was very patient with us and very mindful of those of us who were not feeling well and needed frequent rest stops.

Francis possessed uncanny eyesight. He could see a small speck of a sandy brown object at 500 yards and tell us what animal it was; he was never wrong. He seemed to sense the animals’ presence before we saw them and he would patiently wait for us to get the perfect photograph. We saw a leopard, a rare sight. We heard hippos snort and sing to each other. We were able to hear the hyenas laugh as they fought over a kill. We learned much about elephants and their love of family. At times we thought we were in Jurassic Park when we watched those stately giraffes walk.

Francis became more than a guide – he became our friend. On our last night with him we invited him to dinner and then afterwards we put on a skit for him depicting our idiosyncrasies on the trip. We all had great laughs that night.

We were sad we had to leave this beautiful country with the most awesome wildlife, but as we said our goodbyes, we knew in our hearts we took a bit of Africa home with us. Our memories and our photos will always keep this adventure with us. And best of all my dream came true!

Diane and Skip Perrine
Annandale, Virginia
May 2012

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Going in May was Great

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Posted on by Michael

What a fantastic adventure!!!

Just as promised, we were met at Kilimanjaro Airport,and whisked through immigration. Soloman had us on our way to Arusha’s Mt Meru Resort in no time. We were pleasantly surprised walking into our spacious, luxurious suite. A great introduction to the quality of things to come.

Omar met us the next morning for a trip to Arusha National Park. What a neat experience and pre-safari introduction to flowers, birds and wildlife. We highly recommend a day spent in the park prior to safari.

Jumping ahead, I think going in May, at the end of wet season,was great. The countryside was green & full of flowers – no dust or bugs. Yes, some of rivers were at flood stage & roads impassable, but we certainly did not lack for birds & wild life.

We felt we were in excellent care and accommodations from arrival to departure. Enough good things can’t be said about the staff – Dawn, Soloman, Omar, Ellison- our safari driver/guide and the personnel at all the tents & lodges. We would like to clear the air on bringing snacks. You definitely do not “hurt” for food! The box breakfasts & lunches are of high quality and more than you will ever eat.

We also highly recommend the private classic camp. The service & food were outstanding. Lions on the road out of camp while still dark on an early morning game drive – what more could one ask for?

Africa Dream Safaris – you’re the best!

Thank you.

Bob & Edith Henry
Forks, Washington
May 2012

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I Took Over 3,000 Safari Photos

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Posted on by Michael

I want to take the time to thank you so much for developing such a great itinerary. We loved the Northern Serengeti. If we were to only do one area it would be the Northern Serengeti. And as you mentioned having some rain was fabulous.

Our favorite lodgings were the Serengeti Bushtop and the Camp in the Central Serengeti called Seronera Sametu Camp (not to be missed). Seronera Sametu Camp was located right in the middle of the migration (just an unbelievable experience). The friendly Buffalo Springs camp provided the unique night game drive which allowed us to see a lot of the night critters. They also had a daytime game drive where our guide could go wherever he wanted and we found lots of critters up close.

Swala Camp had a unique setting and a group of unique animals. They had excellent service and we enjoyed it also. I can’t say enough about our guide. We got to meet some other ADS travelers on the way and of course the conversation eventually gets around to how great your guide is. I’m happy to say we didn’t meet anyone with ADS that didn’t think they had the greatest guide. Thank goodness we chose a company who has extremely knowledgeable guides. Ours was a ranger for 17 years college educated, worked on the rhino project and knew the area like the back of his hand.

I also want to thank you for such a descriptive itinerary that was so accurate. We had talked to many people who had gone to Africa and each of them said to bring books to read in the camp during the middle of the day. We soon learned that African Dream Safari provided a much different experience. We usually went from 6am to 6pm. We got to see Africa.

Being a photographer I got to take over 3,000 photos. Now I’m hard at work at selecting the best. Having only four in the vehicle was great. When we looked at some of the other crammed vehicles I was so happy we were not with them. They would have made taking photos very difficult.

In summary we thank you and thank you some more. Your knowledge and wisdom in putting an itinerary together gave us an unforgettable trip.

Thanks,

Jim and Pat Whitticom
Montrose, Colorado
November 2011

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We Didn’t Expect To Get So Close

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Posted on by Michael

We began our ADS safari with an extra day in Arusha to recover from the 24 hour airline trip. We spent several hours in and around Arusha which was a wonderful introduction to life in a large Tanzanian city–an unexpected bonus! Another unanticipated perk was a private dinner for us in a gazebo on the hotel grounds–as in “The Bachelor”! When checking out of our hotel to head into the bush, the desk clerk told us, “You will see much more than you expect.” His words were prophetic–we simply couldn’t envision the amount of wildlife we would encounter.

As our bush plane landed at the Kogatende airstrip, zebra and ostrich scattered. We met our ADS driver, who as the days went on would begin to feel like a family member. We were disappointed too learn that we wouldn’t be able to cross the Mara River into the Lamai triangle, as scheduled, due to high water. When we parked near the river and saw a Land Cruiser (not ADS) which had been swept off the ford lying on it’s side in the churning water (home to hippos and crocodiles), we had to admit that the itinerary change was a good one. Later that day we were fortunate to see two wildebeest migration crossings (one containing about 700 animals).

Each day was an education as we saw additional species of animals and an ever-changing landscape. Like many tourists, we looked forward to seeing big cats and we were not disappointed. We saw many lions, numerous leopards, and a number of chetahs, and we saw all three species with kills. An outstanding aspect of the big-cat viewing was that we saw them right up close!

We got great pictures even though the only photo equipment we took was a little point-and-shoot pocket camera. What you see on game drives involves a certain amount of luck, but our skilled ADS driver was able to take much of the chance out of it.

We typically spent 8-10 hours a day in the Land Cruiser (our preference) so there was ample time for conversation. We enjoyed chatting with our driver about many topics including Tanzanian history, tribal culture, and language. Of course he had an encyclopedic knowledge of wildlife and delivered great sightings on every game drive.

Although we’re generally healthy, we had some specific travel issues which ADS addressed in a very personalized way. From the moment we landed at Kilimanjaro to the time we ended our vacation, ADS staff members supported all aspects of our experience. Even a jacket I misplaced on the third day of the safari was waiting for me when we got back to Arusha!

P.S. Our safari was a “notch up” for us in terms of adventure travel. We spent the 10 days prior to departure worrying about mosquitoes, malaria, our ability to tolerate anti-malaria medicine, food borne illness, etc. We could have saved ourselves a lot of worrying. We basically had no problems and the food was excellent!

Ronald and Nancy Goodman
Ankeny, Iowa
September 2011

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