Tag: September

We Saw 86 Different Species Of Animals!

January 21, 2015June 6, 2017 by Michael

My husband has wanted to travel to Africa and “see animals” since he was a small child. Visiting Africa was the number one item on his bucket list. After several months of research, he selected Africa Dream Safaris. The dream became a reality when we left Arusha September 30th.

Our 10 day safari was everything we dreamed of and more. Our guide Malaki ensured that we encountered amazing sights every single day! When we had seen the “big 5” on day 2, we wondered what the future days would hold for us. That was not a concern. We saw 86 different species of animals. We saw two leopards in a tree with a herd of elephants passing beneath them. Even on our last day on the return drive to Arusha we saw a female Gerenuk (Malaki had not seen the species in 5 years), and two cheetahs (mother and son) near the road.

Our most memorable sight was an amazing river crossing of wildebeest and zebra that lasted more than 30 minutes. Thundering wildebeest jumping off a cliff is an awe inspiring sight! The Serengeti is a special place. The Swahili definition of the word Serengeti (Endless Plain) is appropriate.

The camps were wonderful (6:00 am delivery of flavorful coffee to our tent exceeded our expectations). The people were extremely friendly and welcoming. The country is beautiful. A sunset with a Flat Top Acacia tree in the foreground is breath taking.

We would definitely recommend ADS. We had the trip of a lifetime. Dawn helped to ensure that we knew what to expect, and that we were prepared. Malaki made the trip so special – he was a wonderful guide who we will always remember. He had four engineers in the vehicle and he patiently answered our questions about the vehicle (fuel capacity, whether thorns from Whistling Acacia trees cause flat tires, etc.) as well as geography, animal habitats, etc. He helped us learn about the country, the people, and the animals of Tanzania. We have so many wonderful memories. Asante.

Mike and Susan H.
Columbus, Indiana
Safari Dates: September 30, 2014 to October 8, 2014

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Guest Review, Indiana, October, September

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Our African Dream Safari

AFRICAN WILDLIFE

December 11, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

Our group traveled from the U.S. to Amsterdam where we explored that city for two days and nights, and then flew on to Africa. We arrived at the Arusha airport in the early evening where the ADS staff met us and escorted us through the necessary processing into the country. They then drove us to the Mt. Meru resort hotel for our first night’s stay in Arusha, Tanzania. The hotel was luxurious and the staff upbeat, polite and accommodating in every way.

Our group of eight spent an extra day at the hotel/resort to refresh after the long trip. We began our safari adventure with a smooth bush flight to the North Serengeti. The flight gave us an aerial view of the African mountains, volcano craters, and the plains. The very first day of our adventure was unbelievable. My words will not do justice to the thrills and excitement we all felt repeatedly as we observed Africa’s wild life in the beautiful and natural Serengeti.

Our ADS driver guides, Ellison and Emmanuel, knew exactly where to take us to see the most animals in the least amount of time. They told us we’d need patience for good observations, but we didn’t have to wait long to see a Mara River crossing by a significantly large herd of zebras and wildebeests. We also saw some crocodiles in and out of the water, but no attacks during the crossing. What a thrill to see this magnificent event in its entirety so early in our itinerary.

On this first day we also saw lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos and cape buffalos. All of these sightings were up close and personal, made possible by our experienced and talented ADS driver guides. Each day brought new and different sightings. We observed the plains covered for miles with the migrating animals, and there were so many we almost came to think seeing huge herds of wildebeests and zebras to be routine.

Our accommodations at the Serengeti Bushtops camp on our first night in the bush were surprisingly first class. Both the facilities and the food were excellent. Plenty of hot water and electricity were available 24 hours in all of our camps. The staff was uniformly positive and service oriented. At Bushtops, I began my learning of a few Swahili phrases with Richard, a very outgoing and friendly member of the camp staff.

Awaking from a restful night in our tent, we discovered a few zebra wandering right outside. After a delicious full breakfast, our day in the wild commenced early and we spent all day viewing more and more of Africa’s wild creatures. One pride of lionesses numbered at least fifteen resting animals, and soon we saw two male lions atop the kopjes (a stony outcrop). We also spied a male leopard perched high on the kopjes. What a magnificent creature.

The next days were filled with sightings of more lions, huge numbers of giraffes (we saw a neck fight) large and small herds of elephants both on the plains and in the forests where the damage to trees was significant. Hippos were abundant in many pools and rivers and the antelope, gazelles, hartebeests, warthogs, hyenas and jackals became more abundant as we explored further into the plains. We even saw a black and white Colobus monkey running in a small forest, a very rare sight in this part of the Serengeti.

Our guides pointed out numerous birds such as vultures, storks, secretary birds, hawks and eagles. We even saw a huge owl. We saw ostriches, one that was performing a mating dance for a female, as well as flamingoes and many others I won’t name. And, we were able to drive very close to two resting cheetahs. As we watched, they ambled down through the brush to the edge of an open area filled with gazelles and antelope. They didn’t immediately give chase, but we knew they would sometime soon.

I’ve talked lots about our good viewing fortune, but I’ve reserved until now the one sighting in the Serengeti that all in our group treasures. As we drove past another kopjes, we spotted a black rhino meandering through the tall grass, only a short distance from our vehicle. We were able to see and photo this endangered creature from within 100 feet and closer as we followed her through the area. Many visitors don’t benefit from this sighting in the Serengeti. Ellison said this was only his second sighting of a rhino in the area after eight years as a driver guide. He told us there still are no more than 20 living in the area. What a thrill!!

During our eight days in the wild, we never ceased to marvel at the numbers and variety of animals that we observed. We spent two nights at the Migration Camp, also a very nice camp, and two nights at the more primitive Seonara Sametu Camp, still a wonderful camp. It was a thrilling experience to hear the animals visit our camps during the night. Our last bush night at the Lion’s paw camp was the most primitive, though the staff was always available to respond to our tiniest need and the experience was wonderfully wild, listening to hyenas howl and lions huff just outside.

Our final days were spent visiting Olduvai Gorge (site of the Louis and Mary Leakey discoveries of early humans) and the Ngorongoro Crater. In this conservation area, we saw more of the animals we’d been observing, though in the crater their behavior is less frantic than in the Serengeti. Here we observed lions, especially thrilled by two large males in open grass.

More elephants and giraffes were seen in the forest, flamingos and hippos in the salt lakes and the fresh water ponds, monkeys and multitudes of baboons, lions, and many more. And then again, we were fortunate to spot more black rhinos (they are more easily sighted in this contained ecosystem). We saw a mother and young rhino very close to our vehicle, and several sightings a bit further away in other locations in the crater.

Our last day included a stop and tour at the Foundation For African Medicine and Education (FAME) facilities in Karatu. This is a worthwhile charity providing medical care and education for Tanzanians. Our last night on Safari was at the luxurious Ngorongoro Manor lodge where the staff and facilities are all very first class.

We also visited Lake Manyara on our way back to Arusha and saw velvet and blue monkeys, waterbuck, numerous birds and fowl, baboons, hippos and flamingoes. Our last day in Africa was spent relaxing at the Mt. Meru resort before departing for Arusha and our flight back to the U.S. On the drive, our driver guide told us we were among the luckiest guests he has served, having seen all that we did, and now there is a clear sighting of Mt. Kilimanjaro fully to the peak. We stopped to take photos, of course, and then, back to the airport and the hardest part of the trip being…our long, long, return flight home.

But this trip, for any who ask, is the event of a lifetime. In every single aspect this is an adventure we are blessed and thankful to have made.

Linda and Ted S.
Huddleston, Virginia
Safari Dates: September 17, 2014 to September 27, 2014

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Guest Review, September, Virginia

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For Those Wondering If A Private Safari Is For You…

Photo Safaris

November 19, 2014June 7, 2017 by Michael

Wow! How do you begin to describe the incredible Tanzania safari we made recently with ADS. Everything from the beginning planning stages through to helping us make arrangements to get to Southern Africa for the second part of our Africa experience was handled in the most professional way. We particularly appreciated the patience and timely answers to our many questions.

We did have concerns that we would have some problems because my wife is an above knee amputee and her prosthesis requires several hours of charging each night. We need not have worried because every camp we visited was aware of her needs and arrangements had been made well ahead of time.

We were amazed at the amount of training that the guides have received. Our guide could answer nearly every question we asked from identifying an animal (including even the genus and species) to describing diet preferences and gestation periods. When we arrived we weren’t “birders” but after seeing the hundreds of different birds identified for us we have a whole new appreciation for the diversity of bird life in Tanzania.

For those wondering if a private safari is for you, the answer is a definite YES. It was so nice to be able to stop when we wanted, spend whatever time at a particular viewing we wanted, and never have to struggle to find a good spot to get a photo.

Pokea, our guide was absolutely great. If we told him “let’s go find a lion” (or cheetah, leopard, elephant hippo etc) off we would go and pretty soon we’d find ourselves closer to our animal than we ever dreamed we would be. Even Pokea was excited when we spotted a pack of Africa wild dogs, as he had not seen them in Tanzania for over 3 years. Our pack walked calmly within 5 feet of us.

What else can we say? We thought that this would be a once in a lifetime trip, but after our experience in Tanzania and with ADS, there’s little doubt that we will be making a return trip in a year or two. The pictures say it all. Enjoy!

Bill and Sue D.
Friendswood, Texas
Safari Dates: August 30, 2014 to September 10, 2014

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Guest Review, September, Texas

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A Private Safari – The Only Way to Experience Tanzania

Romantic Getaways

November 16, 2014June 7, 2017 by Michael

Our travels have taken us all over the world and this was undeniably the most stress-free vacation we have experienced thanks to David (our guide) and Michael and Lynn of Africa Dream Safaris. There was, however, one thing that ADS could not prepare us for — the mesmerizing beauty and tranquil peace of Tanzania.

First, we enjoyed superior accommodations, service, and food at the Mount Meru Hotel in Arusha before climbing into our plane headed for the Northern Serengeti. Our first glimpses of animals and terrain were from the plane…wldebeests, zebras, rivers, grasslands, and kopjes…an ostrich on the airstrip as we landed at one of the airfields on our way to Kogatende…we were ecstatic!!

Upon landing, David, our driver/guide, greeted us and we liked him immediately. He explained what we were going to do that afternoon and off we went…the adventure was to continue for 12 days. On a general note, David was an excellent match for us. He made us feel safe and secure at all times which was a major factor. He listened to our needs and responded accordingly and always with a cheerful smile and patience…no matter how crazy we may have sounded!! We set our own schedule each day and liked the ability to enjoy the activities/scenery that WE wanted and were not forced to succumb to a group decision.

Animals…we had the privilege of seeing two adult black rhinos and a baby rhino, leopards including one in a tree with its kill, lions with cubs and a lion with its kill, a Secretary Bird killing and eating a snake, birds of prey, hippos, elephants, safari ants, buffaloes, wildebeests and zebra in three river crossings (two were mini-crossings as we nick-named them), cheetahs, dwarf mongoose, and oh my, the list goes on.

The Tanzanian terrain is gripping…flowing rivers, endless grasslands, rising kopjes, the great rift valley, the crater…and the sunrises and sunsets…inspiring.

David taught us about the animals and their connection to their habitat and importance in the chain of life. He also proved to be an excellent driver while maneuvering our jeep during a downpour and navigating through the mud and what seemed to be bottomless water holes.

Two highlights of our trip included visits to the School of St. Jude in Arusha and the Foundation for African Medicine and Education (F.A.M.E.) in Karatu. We were impressed with both and encourage safari guests to take the time to visit and learn about both of these worthwhile and inspiring educational facilities and programs.

We sincerely enjoyed all our accommodations…from the elegance and refinement of Serengeti Bushtops, Migration Tented Lodge, Ngorongoro Manor, and Swala Tented Lodge to the down-home comfort of Lion’s Paw and Sametu Camp. Each location had a personality and character of its own which we appreciated. The staff were always friendly and accommodating and attentive to our needs.

We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to enjoy a private safari…the only way to experience Tanzania. Life is grand indeed!

Margaret and Gerry B.
Lubbock, Texas
Safari Dates: September 25, 2014 to October 8, 2014

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Anniversary, Guest Review, October, September, Texas

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Absolutely Amazing Safari With Africa Dream Safaris

Bucket List

November 11, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

Every moment of our 10-day custom safari with Africa Dream Safaris was first class and beyond our expectations. We travelled with close friends from Calgary. Throughout the planning stage, Michael answered all of our many questions with great detail.

Our arrival and departure accompanied by with Faith and Tman were handled with ease. Both were so friendly, well informed and very helpful. Being expedited through customs in Arusha was super.

Words cannot express our gratitude to Anglebert, our guide, with the “eagle” eyes. He is such a kind, enthusiastic and knowledgeable man, who simply made our trip the very best experience imaginable. Every time that we were encouraged to get up early and be out on safari, we would see something exciting and amazing.

Anglebert had the answers to all of our questions about the animals and Tanzania – we simply could not come up with a question that he could not answer. His knowledge of the animals, the history and habitat is simply incredible. We would be driving along the rutted and bumpy roads, when Anglebert would pull over, get out the binoculars and calmly say, “just checking”. We would then head off in the direction that he had been looking to experience yet another breathtaking and amazing sight. Over the course of our trip, we enjoyed several meals together and had lots of laughs and giggles. By the time that our safari was over, we had all developed a very close and wonderful friendship with Anglebert, and all of us shed tears when saying goodbye.

We first met Anglebert at the Northern Serengeti airport after our quick flight from the Arusha airport. Within fifteen minutes of leaving the Serengeti airport, we saw several giraffes, wildebeest, zebras, baboons, impalas and an Agama lizard (brilliant blue and pink color). In the afternoon, we saw a large herd of elephants in the water, grazing on the trees, all within very close proximity to our vehicle. On the way to Lemala Kuria Hills, we saw ostriches, crocodiles and vervet monkies. By the end of Day 1, we thought that we had pretty much seen it all. We had no idea what was to come. Below, is a brief summary of some of the highlights of our days on safari.

An early Day 2 started out with our finding the very elusive serval cat within 5 minutes of our departure from the camp. A short while later, we came across 5 lion cubs resting at the top of a kopje. It looked like they were under strict orders to stay in place until their “moms” returned. We witnessed vultures sitting around a dying wildebeest, waiting for their meal. There were the very aggressive looking Cape buffalo, shy klipspringers, herds of Thomson gazelles, carrion storks and beautiful scenery.

On Day 3, we witnessed over 200,000 wildebeest getting ready to cross the Mara River (after waiting for a long time, we decided to move on to another area where they were building up, and then, of course, they finally started to cross at the first location, but it was a very short lived crossing as one of the wildebeest was taken down by a crocodile). As we moved on, we found a male and female lion sleeping peacefully under a bush. After some time, the female woke up, paced around the male causing him to also wake up. They then proceeded to mate – that was an amazing and very quick event.

Later on, we came across our first sighting of hippos – many of them in the water and on the shore. They are definitely a very smelly, but interesting, creature to watch. On our way to Migration Tented Lodge, we saw a male lion just walking along the side of the road – definitely king of the Serengeti. During the night, when staying at Migration, we could hear hippos bellowing and lions roaring.

Sadly, we saw the skulls of 3 elephants very close together, which would indicate that they were the victims of poaching. Our first spotting of a leopard came after our visit to the Retina hippo pool. Later that day, we had a better viewing of another leopard posed on a kopje rock. She spent some time watching a female lion hunting very close by.

When in the Central Serengeti, we viewed fifteen lions crossing the Central Serengeti at sunrise, with the head female in the lead and the male at the rear. They were heading to water. It was a beautiful sight. We were able to watch them for a long time, drinking water, playing and lazing around.

Shortly after that, we came across another 14 lions feasting on the remains of a freshly killed hartebeest. Several of them we so totally full, that they had virtually passed out, lying on their backs with their feet in the air. Another short drive away, and we found a cheetah posing for us on a large rock. She left the rock and roamed through the grasses, seemingly on the hunt. We managed to see several cheetahs over the entire trip.

Later on that day, we saw 4 lions on the hunt for a zebra. There was a very large herd, but their hunt was not successful. We were interested to learn that cheetahs are successful hunters 80% of the time, whereas leopards have a 50% success rate, and lions are only successful 20% of the time.

We also saw jackals, topis, impalas, banded mongoose, warthogs, dik-diks, kudu, waterbucks, oribi, a monitor lizard, crocodiles, eland, ostriches and many very interesting types of birds.

Another highlight was stopping at a Masai village: seeing the boma, watching their dancing, touring their village, being invited into one of their mud huts, hearing the 4-7 year olds, at their tiny school, reciting their numbers and singing a song, looking at the colorful shukas and seeing the beautiful beaded jewelry that the women and children create.

The scenery at the Ngorongoro crater was so varied – from a desert landscape to a tropical oasis. It also was beautiful at sunrise and sunset. We found two female lions with their very tiny cubs (3-4 months old) wandering down the road, with the babies playing in the grasses. The very hard part of that day was seeing a pack of hyenas hunt and kill a wildebeest. It is the cycle of nature, but so very hard to view. The pink flamingos reflecting in the water that they were standing in, was also an awesome sight. We saw a very rare caracal cat that day too.

Later on, we finally found our black rhinos, chomping on the crater grasses. They were still quite a way from the road, but finding them did complete our list of the “Big 7”. Our cameras had 200X zooms, where Greg’s camera had a 600X zoom – he was kind enough to share some of his super rhino photos with us.

On our second day at Tarangire Tented Lodge, Anglebert asked what we still wanted to see. Debbie, my dear friend, stated that she wanted to find a leopard in a tree. Well, after about 15 minute from the camp, we found a beautiful leopard posing on a termite mound (not in a tree, but close). After taking many photos of her, she decided to move to a grass mound, where we took many more photos of her.

On her route to the grass mound, she walked around our vehicle and right under another Africa Dream Safaris’ vehicle beside us (we got to know Dawn and Greg from Boston and their guide, Peter, while staying at Migration and Seronara Sametu). Then she headed off to scout out a tree – no success, she did not climb it.

We decided to go have our breakfast at a nearby picnic sight, and then go back to see if we could again find her. We did find her, and within minutes, she had picked her tree, circled it, sprayed it and climbed it with great ease – it was one of those “goose bump” moments. She took her time getting comfortable in the boughs of the tree (again many more photos taken), and finally laid her head down to take a nap. After a long time watching her, we headed down the road, and big surprise, saw a lion in the boughs of a tree, looking for something to hunt. Another short while later, we came across a fresh zebra carcass across the boughs of a tree (the leopard that had hunted the zebra was nowhere in sight).

Our last day of safari started with a wonderful breakfast at Tarangire Tree Tops Tented Lodge and ended with a very nice lunch with Anglebert at the Arusha Coffee Plantation. Lunch was a very special treat and great way to wrap up our memorable time on safari.

Our accommodations over the complete trip were excellent:

Lemala Kuria Hills was a 10/10 with respect to the beautiful location, luxury accommodations, the wonderful staff (Tabi, Diana and Moses), who were so friendly and accommodating, with fabulous meals and a very special “sunset” with cocktails, hor d’oeuvres and colorful cushions set up on a large kopje close to the main lodge.

Migration Tented Lodge was again a beautiful location, luxury accommodations and great staff. The meals were delicious. There were lots of hyrax running around the grounds – very interesting creatures.

Seronara Sametu Camp was a delightful “glamping” experience, where we thoroughly enjoyed DJ and JJ (JJ spent some time teaching us a few words of Swahili, which was a big surpise for Anglebert the next day). Sametu Camp felt like being surrounded by nature and gave us true sense of the Serengeti. The food was excellent. At night, we could hear the Cape buffalo munching the grasses right outside our tent. At sunrise, one definitely had to step carefully around the “buffalo patties” left on the pathway to the main lodge

Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw Tented Camp was a very similar experience to the Seronera Sametu Camp. We really enjoyed Edward at that camp, the sunset fire, great food and loved the great proximity of the Camp to the floor of the Crater.

Tarangire Tree Tops Tented Lodge was a tied favorite with Lemala Kuria Hills, with again a 10/10. Jonathon, the Manager, and John, our Server, looked after us all so well. All of the staff were very friendly and helpful. The luxury tents were beautiful with lovely decks to sit out on. The watering hole where zebra, elephants, waterbuck and baboons came daily to drink from was very entertaining. Dining out under the stars in a boma with a roaring fire and white linens and crystal was great. Dining out by the pool, again with white linens and crystal and great food were very much enjoyed.

The special last night, with “Karibu” (welcome) spelled out with red beads, and the African song and dance done by the lodge staff was wonderful. They also served us a delicious cake with “Goodbye” spelled out in the icing. At the end of dinner, we were treated to a night safari – there are lots of different and interesting creatures out at night – we especially liked the African kangaroo. Another big treat, at the end of each day, was being greeted by staff at the various camps with cold cloths and glasses of refreshing juice.

The experience with African Dreams was truly the “trip of a lifetime” made so wonderful by firstly and mostly by Anglebert, a guide who could not be more dedicated, knowledgeable and personable. Anglebert is truly an incredible guide and a very special person. We also thoroughly appreciated the Africa Dream Safaris attention to detail, the little things provided, such as binoculars for each person, photo bean bags and a cooler stocked with beverages and snacks, the wonderful staff at each of our locations, the excellent cuisine, included and optional laundry service and just great overall service.

We would definitely recommend Africa Dream Safaris to anyone thinking of going on safari.

Asante sana!

Patti and Rob D.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Safari Dates: September 11, 2014 to September 20, 2014

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Canada, Guest Review, September

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Our Guide Could Spot Animals That Seemed To Be Miles Away

SAFARI STORIES

November 8, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

My husband Larry and I just returned from the most wonderful 10 day safari with our fabulous guide, Simon. He took such good care of us the entire trip and made sure we had a great safari. We missed the river crossing, but still saw thousands of animals. Simon could spot animals that seemed to be miles away. Our accommodations were absolutely fabulous and the food and service unbelievable. Our agent, Dawn, was so helpful and answered all of our many questions. Again we can’t say enough good things about ADS…they are the best.

Jane and Larry J.
Houston, Texas
Safari Dates: September 15, 2014 to September 26, 2014

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Guest Review, September, Texas

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Our Tanzania Safari – A Celebration Of 3 Retirements And A Birthday!

Bucket List

November 2, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

Jambo! We’ve recently returned from a trip of a lifetime, a number 1 bucket list item celebrating 3 retirements and a birthday. Thanks to ADS, the adventure was everything we hoped for and more!

Planning for the safari began 2 years before our trip. Since I retired first, the research and details became my project. After checking out several private safari companies, upon meeting with friends that had just returned from an ADS safari, and after speaking on several occasions with Dawn Anderson, we decided that ADS best met our needs. The four of us included amateur photography buffs and two elementary school teachers. Dawn was magnificent in meshing our varied interests and needs. She guided us through every step leading up to our safari.

We elected to travel directly to Tanzania and arrived tired but excited after nearly 30 hours in transit. Faith and Timon were there to meet and greet us, shepherd us through visa lines, and take us to the Mount Meru Resort. We elected to stay 2 nights in order to get some R & R and explore Arusha. The grounds and accommodations were lovely—We wisely opted to get massages. An unexpected surprise was a special dinner under the gazebo with a cake acknowledging the occasion of our retirements. Faith and Timon’s graciousness made our introduction to Tanzania so easy.

The next day we were off to take a short flight to the Serengeti. Francis, our driver/guide, was there to greet us and off we went to the Mara River. On our drive we saw nearly all the wildlife that we had come to see. Mara River Camp was a revelation. From being greeted by the staff with scented towels and refreshing juice to our luxury tents with comfortable furnishings and ensuite bathroom to incredible meals (prepared in a tiny kitchen), we couldn’t believe our good fortune. Conversing with the other guests was delightful. We spent the night listening to the voices of zebra, wildebeest, gazelles, and warthogs as they grazed along our tents and even peeked at them from our “window.”

Onward to the Lobo Valley to gaze upon open plains that are reminiscent of our mid-west. We reveled in its beauty and that of the giant granite kopjes where we spied lions and cheetahs napping. Our next lodging was at Buffalo Tented Lodge—our most luxurious accommodation. Its high elevation provided us with magnificent vistas. The meals were delicious—rivaling the best restaurants back home. The birthday girl was serenaded in both Swahili and English and presented with a yummy birthday cake.

A special highlight was the visit to a Maasai village. We were escorted by Seketo, the chief’s son, who also happens to be employed at Buffalo. Because of its remote location, we had a “private” tour that afforded us much time to see how the proud, hardworking Maasai live. Their homes reminded us of how the Native Americans constructed their homes. Children begin early to tend to goats and cattle or to their younger siblings. I enjoyed participating with the women in their traditional a cappella singing and dancing.

On the drive through the Central Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Highlands we observed in close proximity lions and their cubs and a trio of cheetahs stalking and taking down a zebra. Included were worthwhile stops at the Serengeti Information Center and Oldupai Gorge where James and Mary Leake spent many years uncovering the “Cradle of Mankind.”

Lion’s Paw Tented Camp is ideally situated because it’s nearest the entrance to the Crater. We loved its remoteness and the nice touches to make it warm and cozy—soft blankets (that we used on our drives), heater, and hot water bottles to warm the bed. It was one of our favorite accommodations.

Because of our location, we were one of the first to reach the Crater. In relative isolation, we saw 2 different lion prides – one of which comprised 12—a rare sight to see one so large. We saw lionesses working together to stalk prey and cubs playing mischievously. We saw hippos resting in the green marshland and hundreds of flamingos.

On our drive to the Tarangire, we incorporated a visit to the Foundation for African Medicine & Education (F.A.M.E.), another highlight of our trip. Dr. Frank Artress and his wife, Susan Gustafson, have made it their mission to improve the quality and accessibility to medical care in this underserved community. It is quite inspiring to see what they have built. They couldn’t have been more gracious with their time. To discover that they also hailed from California was quite a coincidence.

We ended our safari exploring the Tarangire and staying at Maramboi Tented Lodge. By this time, unlimited hot water was a real treat! At our final dinner, we were entertained by a singing procession of staff who presented us with a good-bye cake!

Finally, thank you to the ADS staff for matching us with Francis. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the terrain and wildlife and his ability to see and point out animals provided us with an excellent vantage point for viewing and photography. We enjoyed our daily debriefing, planning for the next day’s adventures, and learning more about him. He is a natural teacher and was an integral part of realizing our dream safari.

Asante sana,

Paula and Bob S.
Los Angeles, California
Safari Dates: September 2-16, 2014

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Birthday, California, Guest Review, Retirement, September

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Our Trip To Tanzania And Zanzibar

SAFARI STORIES

October 27, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

Our safari was everything we had hoped it would be and more. Every detail was worked out by Dawn. We went in a few days early because of flights and Dawn arranged for us to stay at the African Tulip in Arusha. The accommodations were excellent and Anuj, the manager, bent over backwards to meet our every request.

Within a few hours of landing in the northern Serengeti we had seen zebras, wildebeests, elephants, giraffes, lions, many kinds of antelope, leaving us wondering what was left to see. Each day, however, brought new animals and new experiences.

Michael, our guide was incredible, the tented camps were excellent as was the food. Michael was able to find every animal on our list and then some. The days spent in Zanzibar were spent unwinding, sharing the incredible safari events, and enjoying the beautiful Indian Ocean.

We were extremely pleased that we chose ADS to plan and execute this fabulous trip.

Gary and Virginia G.
Port Clinton, Ohio
Safari Dates: September 23, 2014 to October 2, 2014

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Guest Review, Ohio, September

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Our Safari Experience Was Exceptional In Every Way.

Bucket List

October 24, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

From our initial inquiry to the end of our Safari experience, Africa Dream Safaris has proven to be a company that knows how to make your trip a seamless experience of exciting and memorable moments. Michael and his staff were quick to respond to our questions, filling us in on so many details that even we were surprised when we simply had nothing left on our list to digest!

On our arrival in Arusha we were met by Faith, from ADS who quickly got us through immigration (so happy that we arranged this, as the line up was extensive) and on to our hotel where we spent the first evening resting from our 20 hour flight. The following morning was Day 1 of our actual Safari where we again were met by Faith who had the Land Rovers all ready for our drive to the local airport where the bush plane was waiting for our excursion to the Serengeti.

Flying over the land we glanced at the landscape and noticed dark spots, interesting looking crop circles and endless plains. Little did we know that the dark spots were indeed wildebeest (by the number), crop circles were the enclosures made of sticks, reeds and mud that surround the Maasai’s homes to keep their livestock in and the predators out, and of course the endless plain is “The Serengeti”.

Upon landing we were met by our guide, Anglebert who was to remain with us for the entire Safari. If you were wondering how effective this is, I can tell you that having the consistency, the reliability, and the sheer knowledge and enthusiasm that he provided truly made our Safari the best possible experience we could imagine. In fact, upon our farewell, the entire group shed a few tears for this special man, and he responded with a few of his own.

I should point out that our Safari was a custom journey. We traveled with our good friends from Calgary, Alberta and designed this trip based on the best areas to be in during September to view the Great Migration. We had a Land Rover equipped with a pop up roof and tented cover that was absolutely perfect for taking pictures and also keeping the sun off of your heads. Most of our accommodations were in the North and Central part of the Serengeti as well as the Ngorongoro Crater area and finishing with Tarangire. Our accommodations were a combination of luxury lodges and what we would call ‘glamping’ – an upscale form of tenting.

Each camp was a unique experience, but I will say that the staff made each experience most memorable. I truly believe that there is no other company that will create a custom venture for you that will satisfy your every desire like Africa Dreams. They know how to finish like a champion. The Safari experience is like no other.

After one year of extensive planning and having expectations of seeing “The Big 5”, we were overwhelmed from our first day upon seeing so many different types of animals that we had to keep journals just to remember the names and the slight variations. Anglebert had keen eyes for the wildlife, and also a knowledge about each animal – their lifestyle, hunting habits, as well as local population, and that kept us interested and wanting to learn more. The first question I am asked after saying that is “If you see all of this on day one, aren’t the rest of the days a disappointment?” Oh my goodness that couldn’t be the furthest from the truth – after all each day is unique – the wildlife you see is different, or in different situations, and provide for unlimited viewing, entertainment, and photo opportunities.

One of the most memorable moments (and there are many), was our first encounter with lions. The male and female were both relaxing under a large bush when after a few minutes the female arose from her nap and began to circle the sleeping male. This of course was designed to wake him, and waken he did, as he mounted the female within a few seconds from his deep slumber and performed his deed within fifteen seconds. If you didn’t have the camera ready, you would have missed it. When he finished he gave a wonderful growl which was mirrored by the female. How exciting to see nature, and truly the circle of life come to fruition with this beautiful couple.

All of the animals were enchanting, but the giraffe was so captivating. They come in a variety of color depths – from very light brown to almost chocolate brown spots. We came across many different shades in our travels, but my favorite encounter was a lone dark brown giraffe reaching high into a sausage tree with his blue tongue to grasp those tender green leaves. We quietly watched as he maneuvered around those large bulbous succulent fruits that drop from the tree and release seeds as the pulp rots.

The elephants come to collect the fruits when they fall and we have seen the fruits gathered by the Maasai and taken to the market to sell. These fruits can be up to 36” long and are reported to be poisonous unless it is baked or the seeds are roasted. I also hear that in African herbal medicine the fruit is used to treat a variety of ailments/diseases as well as aid in the fermentation of beer!! Who knew!

So many of the small animals are not as easily spotted, or easy to capture on film as they seem to be in constant motion, but early one morning our guide spotted two little ears peeking up from the grasses. A few moments later this beautiful serval cat popped his head up and we got what we call “National Geographic” like photos of this gorgeous cat. Servals use their long ears to detect movement in the grasses, then stand and pounce on their prey – usually a small rodent or frog. He is stunning in his natural environment.

Most every morning we were up at 5 am and after a large warm breakfast we were met by our driver Anglebert who would suggest that we be ready to leave by 6 to capture the best movement and the best lighting for photography and viewing. Not knowing what was in store for us this morning we dragged ourselves into the jeep and obliged. We drove through the long grasses, on fairly rutted road to capture the most stunning sight as the sun was just lifting through the horizon. Our leopard was perched on a termite mound for quite some time, offering incredible still shots for our cameras.

After getting absolutely perfect shots of him there, he began a short trek across the yellow grasses to sit for another photo opportunity, then meandered through the grasses to a tree in the vicinity and began circling the tree. Anglebert had told us to keep our camera focused on the tree, not the animal, so we were able to get shots of this magnificent creature clawing his way up the tree and then securing a comfortable spot to lay his head down and rest…the pictures can’t describe how beautiful he was as he lay so smoothly on that tree branch. Nature has a way of making each animal so unique that they have the ability to hunt and capture food for sustenance but also have the characteristics to keep themselves hidden from other predators…so beautiful.

I mentioned earlier in my writing about how the staff was so instrumental in making your evening at the camps so special. We had one jovial man by the name of JJ who upon asking what we might be having for dinner one evening he responded with a straight face that we were to have “Acacia Tree Soup” followed by “Cape Buffalo Stew”….then he laughed his face off and told us he was just joking! We had such fun with him though and he spent part of his evening teaching us all some Swahili so that we could surprise Anglebert with our knowledge.

We now consider Swahili our second language thanks to JJ who taught us several words that evening. We tested our words out the next day with Anglebert when I said in my loudest voice – “sismama tafadhali” which means stop please. Anglebert practically blew out the brakes when he heard me speak Swahili, then started laughing realizing that we really did pick something up while at camp that evening. Patti, (our friends we were traveling with) said “twende” – which means, let’s go – got Anglebert on the road once again – this time with a little smile on his face.

Lemala Kuria Hills was also a favorite – not only for it’s beauty in this natural setting, but also for it’s staff who with the guidance of Tabby, the resident manager, arranged for a special “sundowner” for us in the evening. She led us to a large “kopjes” formation (rock outcropping) where there were several large colorful pillows spread out for seating with ‘tables’ of wood stumps where we were to place our drinks. Here we were treated to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while watching the sun go down…absolutely stunning evening. So many of the other guests at the camp were envious of our private setting that they ended up joining us on the kopje. Moses was especially attentive to my husband who was spoiled with his favorite Jim Beam and seven up.

There are so many animal experiences which are worthy of mention, however our stop at the Maasai village was a highlight of our trip. I’m not sure how long these wonderful people will be able to maintain their traditional values and customs, but I feel very privileged to have been to see their “bomas” which are their traditional homes made by the women of the community consisting of sticks, grass and cow dung.

We were met by the Chief’s son who took us to a traditional dance where I was invited to dance with the women who presented me with a gorgeous beaded necklace – about 4” wide. The idea was to be able to flip the necklace up and down while jumping – this is much harder than it looks and I brought them all to laughing hysterically as I attempted to jump and flip the necklace with enthusiasm. (Note to self – this would be a great time to wear a sports bra).

Our guide Anglebert had talked about the Maasai with us before we met them, and told us about many of their customs, but seeing it in person is a life changing experience. The Maasai are nomadic people who live customarily in Northern Tanzania and Kenya. Their dress is very distinctive wearing colorful shukas (blanket like garments in a variety of bold colors) along with gorgeous beading around their necks and on their ears. The beading patterns that they wear are determined by age, so you can imagine how ornate some of the older women were.

The young girls are responsible for rising early (before their mothers) to collect firewood and water for their family. The older women are the creators of the traditional home (boma) which are only large enough for sleeping and cooking. We were told by the Chief’s son that the small goats are also welcome in the home. Inside the boma it was very dark with a small fire burning which kept the temperature to a balmy 100 degrees. We were immediately finding sweat rolling down our cheeks as he was explaining how the bomas protected them from the heat of the day.

The women and children work on beading most of the afternoon as a social time while the young men – ages 7 to 16 are taught to tend to the livestock and are found walking up to ten miles per day locating grazing areas for their animals. The wealth of the Maasai is determined by how many cows he has. The more cows, the more wives he can choose. When we finished our tour with the Chief’s son he mentioned that we might purchase some beaded jewelry from his wife – but if we purchased from one wife we must also purchase something from the other – otherwise he might be in trouble not providing for the other wife’s welfare. We left with some lovely bracelets – one from each wife.

Our final stop was at the Tarangire Tree Tops Tented Lodge – something that I have been looking forward to for years. This special camp is situated in the northern part of Tarangire National Park. From the moment you arrive you know you are in a magical spot. The large baobab tree which is in the center of the reception area is a sight to behold – running right through the roof, and measuring over 20 feet at the base. It is beautifully furnished with comfortable sitting areasand a large square fire pit in the center of the main building.

This camp has a water hole for animals right outside of the main building where every evening you can capture zebra, elephant, baboons by the hundreds, and waterbucks. Our dinners here were fine dining at it’s best – while sitting in a large ‘boma’ style area under a massive baobab tree, complete with white linen and crystal and a warm fire to add to the atmosphere.

On our final evening the staff made a special table with the words “karibu” (welcome) spelled out in leaves and seeds as we dined by the pool in front of the water hole. After finishing our meal we were to go on a night safari drive but before we left we were delighted with a serenade by all of the staff who presented us with a ‘farewell cake’ and danced and sang African songs around our table for several minutes. This lovely gesture by Africa Dream Safaris was certainly putting the ‘icing on the cake’ here! It brought tears to our eyes as we knew our Safari was coming to a close.

Our Safari experience was exceptional in every way. The overall agenda, the guide, Anglebert, and our seamless travel from airport to safari and back were all due to the careful attention of Africa Dream Safaris whom I believe are ‘specialists’ in making this a trip of a lifetime for anyone.

We met other Africa Dream Safari groups that we bonded with at several locations by an evening fire, at breakfast in the morning and on our Safari itself who had the same experience and were loving every moment.Thank you again for the ultimate travel experience, and thank you to Anglebert for sharing his love of this fabulous country. Kwaheri (goodbye).

Fondly,

Glenn & Debbie B.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Safari Dates: September 11, 2014 to September 20, 2014

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Canada, Group, Guest Review, Retirement, September

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We Crossed Rivers And Streams, Craters And Valleys, Kopjes And Plains…

Bucket List

October 20, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

To say we really enjoyed Tanzania and our safari is an understatement!!!

Thanks for organizing such a memorable safari experience for us. Everything went as planned which is a nice compliment to everyone who is involved in your operation. Now that we have completed our safari, we can really appreciate all the logistics that have to occur to make a great trip happen. Plus the local Arusha staff did a great job taking care of us too. Also, the small ADS book you sent was very helpful, as were the animal checklists at the back!

Arnold was an amazing tour guide, and a really nice guy. Besides being a guide, he did an outstanding job being a driver, mechanic, finding animals, organizing our picnics, and keeping the vehicle so clean. Did he mention we got a flat tire right in front of 8 lions? He really went above and beyond to fix that tire for us.

We saw many, many animals and will send you some pics once everything settles down. Arnold always got us a ‘front row seat’ so to speak, meaning we have some great pics and memories of animals up close.

We met the friendly and helpful local people who couldn’t do enough for us. We met some wonderful people who dedicated themselves to helping the students of St. Jude’s School. We saw animals, more animals, and even more animals. We were in awe of the animals’ lives and interactions with one another. We visited an amazing Masai Village. The scenery throughout Tanzania was beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset.

We crossed rivers and streams, mountains, craters and valleys, and kopjes and plains. The migration story was fascinating and we saw and learned about the circle of life. Our stays at the tents and lodges were relaxing and indulgent. Each of these elements alone were fascinating and worth a trip half way around the world, but the real safari magic happened when all of these pieces came together to create one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had in our lives. Thank you, Africa Dream Safaris!!!!

This was a life-changing experience for sure, and what an awesome time all of us had there.

Thanks again for everything, including the Masai blanket and the spectacular farewell cake and dance/ceremony at the hotel on our last night in the bush. If we know anyone else who is interested in a safari we will be sure to give them your contact info.

Asante sana,

Peter M. and Gary L.
Washington D.C.
Safari Dates: September 29, 2014 to October 9, 2014

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District of Columbia, Guest Review, October, September

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Migration Across The Mara River By Sharon Lyon

AFRICAN WILDLIFE

October 15, 2014November 28, 2018 by admin

Check out this extraordinary video taken by our very own ADS safari consultant Sharon Lyon while on safari in the North Serengeti on September 13, 2014.

Click below to play the video and make sure to expand to full screen.

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September

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Being Surrounded By Nature’s Glorious Creations!

SAFARI STORIES

October 12, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

Over two years ago my neighbor and good friend mentioned over a glass of wine that she’d always wanted to go on an African safari and sleep in tents in the wild African countryside. We were both newly retired and both wanted to do some traveling, so I jumped on the idea and started researching safari companies. It didn’t take me long to narrow the choices, and ultimately I contacted Africa Dream Safaris.

From our first contact, Sharon Lyon (aka Mama Simba) promptly responded to all my inquiries and worked with me to design the perfect safari for us. We soon found two more friends interested in joining us, so the four of us finalized all the details and dates, then waited anxiously for a year and a half for our dream to become a reality.

Our arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport was just as described. We were met by Faith, a wonderful, warm representative of ADS. We were whisked through the visa process and soon were on our way to Mount Meru Resort in Arusha by our driver, Peter. We also met Timon and Matteas, other members of the greeting staff, who made sure we felt welcome and informed of what would be happening as we started our African adventure. The accommodations at Mount Meru were luxurious and our scheduled layover day in Arusha was just what we needed to rest up for our trip to the Serengeti.

The following morning we boarded our bush plane. We made several stops before we arrived at our airstrip meeting location, which gave us the opportunity to see more of the Serengeti from the air. Before even landing we had seen Wildebeest, Warthogs, Ostrich, Zebra, Elephants, Giraffe, and Gazelle.

We were greeted by our guide, Francis, whom we had been assured was “the best”. It proved to be true! His knowledge, expertise in spotting animals, love of learning, and passion for wildlife conservation became obvious very soon. He had a wealth of knowledge to share with us, a wonderful sense of humor, and endless patience accommodating our photo ops. Within the first two hours of our game drive we had seen 15 more species of animals and birds. What a magnificent day it was!

Our first night at the Mara River Camp was more than we expected. The “tents” were clean, comfortable, and the convenience of the attached bathroom and shower facilities were a welcome surprise. We dubbed the shower “the talking shower” after staff remained outside our tent to inquire whether the temperature of the shower water was acceptable. We enjoyed our “talking shower” at two other camps during our 8-day safari.

At all of the camps – Buffalo Springs Tented Lodge (very luxurious!), Seronera Sametu Camp, and Lion’s Paw Tented Camp – the hosts and staff were welcoming and made our stays with them very memorable. J. J. at Seronera Sametu Camp teased us that there would be no dinner because the hyenas got in the kitchen and ate all the food! Edward at Lion’s Paw Camp gifted us with Massai names.

Each camp was unique, however all had excellent chefs with staff that served elegant meals. Morning “wake up calls” were accompanied by coffee served in our tents. Evenings at the camps presented the opportunity to share stories of the day’s game drive, make new friends from throughout the world, and added to the wonderful memories of this trip of a lifetime! And we were able to fall asleep to the “music of the night”, the lions, hyenas, and other animals communicating throughout the night as we peacefully slept.

Our visit to the Massai village, Ololosokwan, was a highlight of our trip. Our Massai guide, John, was eager to help us learn their culture. The Massai people were warm and friendly, allowing us to go inside one of the houses and see how they live. We had the opportunity to watch them dance and to dance with them. We felt quite drab in our safari clothing compared to their wonderful, colorful native clothing! After completing the tour we were given the opportunity to see their beautiful hand-made crafts and to barter for any we wished to purchase. There was no pressure to buy, but how could we possibly resist such beautifully crafted items to take home as souvenirs!

After our eight days of game drives, seeing all of the animals we could possibly name, including THREE black rhinos, and witnessing the iconic Mara River crossing of the Wildebeest and Zebras, it was time to say goodbye to our new friend Francis, and fly to Zanzibar for three days of sun, scuba diving, and relaxation.

This extension of our trip at Ras Nungwi Resort was a chance to experience a different African culture on the island of Zanzibar and also to briefly see the largest city in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam as we prepared to fly home. Our leaving was bittersweet, as we didn’t want to leave such a fabulously scenic country, rich with diverse wildlife and warm, friendly people!

We will share with friends and family the pictures and stories of our time in Africa, but will never be able to adequately express the impact of the sights, smells, sounds, and feelings of being surrounded by nature’s glorious creations!

Sarah S.
Boise, Idaho
Safari Dates: September 25, 2014 to October 6, 2014

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Guest Review, Idaho, September

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Lions Are Just As Magnificent As You Ever Imagined.

SAFARI STORIES

October 8, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

I have wanted to travel to East Africa since I read about animals in Tanganyika. As it turns out, 61 years later I made it to the independent county of Tanzania. My wife and I saw everything we hoped to see. Dawn Anderson gave us perfect advice on how to pack, where to go to see what we hoped for and wonderful advice on a rest period before returning home to the U.S. Zanzibar is a great rest and relaxation delight.

Our guide, Ally, had as he termed it, binocular eyes! What we thought was a lion in the distance he calmly glanced and told us it was a group of dry grass. Ally could look left, right, up ,down, shift and talk on his line to other drivers all at the same time! We missed nothing. The great migration was a sight to behold with thousands of wildebeest and zebra crossing all at the same time.

We saw what everyone terms the big 5, but we fell in love with “Tommies” and warthogs and elephants. Who knew warthogs loved to roll in the mud? Who knew just how cute young Tommie’s are! And our guide knew of a certain river spot where hippos enjoyed rolling on their back. Elephant moms are the best and our guide showed us several examples of that fact. Lions are just as magnificent as you ever imagined, both male and female. Their roar could be heard for miles and as you hear that, you can fall asleep with a smile on your face and wonder what the next day will bring.

The camps were great and the people even better. I have never met people as friendly and gracious as the Tanzanian people. Everyone greeted us with a warm smile and “Jambo, Jambo”. They are so proud of their country and its beauty. As you go through the Serengeti you will not see a single piece of trash or sign that a human had been there. This is land that belongs to animals and they allow us to pass through.

We would enthusiastically recommend ADS…they delivered on every single promise made. With special commendations to Dawn, our extraordinary guide Ally, and Faith, who held our hand through passport-visa check points and fully briefed us on our first day and debriefed us on our last day.

A wonderful trip ended with tearful good-byes to our new friends and thoughts of some day returning.

Dan and Emilie W.
Calabasas, California
Safari Dates: September 18, 2014 to September 29, 2014

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California, Guest Review, September

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My Day-By-Day Safari Journal – September 2014.

AFRICAN WILDLIFE

October 2, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

Day 1: Welcome to the Jungle
Thursday, September 11, 2014

Thursday morning we were up at 5:30 followed by breakfast and the trip to the Arusha airport where we boarded a 12 seater puddle jumper and flew to a red clay tarmac in the middle of the Serengeti to pick up six others tourist. Next we flew to an orange dirt tarmac near the Tanzania/Kenya border. Thankfully, I have yet to get sick since I’ve eating Bonine like Tic Tacs. I mean, I get car sick riding to Boston and now I’ve volunteered to fly for 24 hours, then get on a very small plane, to which Greg at one point said, do you feel how thin the air is? Do you notice the lack of oxygen? I quickly glanced up to see there was no place for the oxygen mask to come down. But good news, I did not get sick! Our female, solo pilot, Niaoma, was awesome!!

We step out and meet Peter who is to be our tour guide and from now on known as our BFF for the next 10 days. One comment about luggage, ADS provided excellent advice about packing including the reminder that ‘fashion’ has no place on safari so it is hysterical when we get off the plane to see this huge, over-sized, must be checked suitcase. I look at Greg and we both thank ADS after we stopped laughing. We leave the airport straight for the bush and an exciting day of scouting.

Now, I’m going to try to be truthful in these reports, but as many of you know, I’m not above letting the truth get in the way of a good story as Greg is famous for saying. On that note, our first (Greg’s) official African Safari sighting was a plain, ordinary, everyday lizard. Luckily it gets better quickly. For future reference, the story will start with my first official spotting of the hippos in the water since this is much cooler! We’ve seen tons of hippos and I’ve come to love them!

Peter asks what we want to see and Greg leads with the rare Black Rhino. Peter expects something like this but refers to the idea as ‘no pressure’. A few minutes later I bring up the honey badger and Peter almost wrecks. Now he says’ he is feeling the pressure’. After driving for a couple hours in which we see Elephants, Crocodiles, huge numbers of Impala, and Giraffes, Peter makes a comment about ‘much less pressure’ and then we realize that there is a mama Black Rhino and her baby under the tree up ahead. Completely awesome!

Soon, five or six other vehicles show up but the rhinos are lounging in the shade so we move off in the distance and have our first ‘bush lunch.’ This is great—picnic lunch in the Serengeti, two days ago we were at work. When we finish, all the other vehicles have left so Peter gets us much, much closer to the rhinos. This is the first indication that Peter is very, very good at his job! The numbers of Black Rhino are tiny. Only 50 of these in the world according to the picture I posted on Facebook (or as Greg regularly corrects me, 50 in Tanzania) and we’ve seen 2.

From there, day 1 comes with more awesome animals: Guinea Fowls, Thomson Gazelle, Zebras, Wildebeests, Vultures, Waterbucks, Baboons, Warthog (from here forward known as Pumba [think Loin King]), Rock Hyrex (kind to elephants but we are calling gerbils, look up a picture), Hartebuck, Mongoose, Brown Eagle and of course, the ordinary Lizard.

Around 5pm, we arrive at camp to check out our “2 person tent” on reserve. Hopefully you’ve seen the pictures on Facebook. This place was awesome. We had an attendant the whole time, named Samwell. He escorted us back and forth so that the animals would not attack us. He prepared our hot showers, woke us up with a cheery voice and brought hot coffee to our tent. They did laundry for us and served us hot delicious meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When we were out touring, they prepared box breakfast and lunch for us. Evenings started with a camp fire so we could watch the sunset and the local animals followed by an all camp dinner (~12-18 people, 3 courses) then off to bed.

The coolest part was being awoken each night with Zebras and Wildebeest looking in the screen window. They ate right outside our tent both nights. Literally, they were three feet away. We woke up at midnight and two am. It was so quiet we could hear them biting and chewing the grass. Now, for those of you who may be wanting to have this experience in the future, I’ll share a word of advice. Pay particular attention to where you step the next morning after the Zebras and Wildebeests come to visit in the night. We awoke the next morning (day 2) at 5:30 for a 6:00am departure to be on Safari by sunrise. Flashlights were helpful and we both agreed that day 1 was quite a start.

Day 2: Cry Me a River
The Hunt for a Migration River Crossing
Friday, September 12, 2014

First, we want to wish Dave Cooke a very happy anniversary. We tried to send you a text but it would not go through. We were thinking of you all day and love you very much! Next, we want to acknowledge that today is Gentle “Spirit” Tew’s 3rd birthday. I updated Facebook with looking awesome in her pearls. Her Grandmother and Aunt Ruru who are so graciously staying at our home to spoil our two beloved babies while we are gone posted a FB video of them eating their birthday steaks. They are lucky babies.

Now Day 2 was a hard day in the bush. You know you can’t have an agenda or a schedule when it comes to the animals. We woke early for a sunrise scouting tour and it was beautiful. We are currently in the dry season which, since we are in the north, is when all the animals migrate south. All the talk around camp is to see a river crossing so that is primary purpose today. So here is what it looks like, you drive around looking for a large group of Wildebeests, Zebras, Elephants, etc who are standing on the edge of the river.

Once momentum comes, they all technically are supposed to cross. Simple, but not easy. Here is the problem. Apparently Wildebeest are not smart – at all. And they run in herds in the hundreds without a leader. So this is what our day looks like: We see more than 500 Wildebeests on a peninsula looking down at the river. Their friends who have already crossed are on the other side of the river cheering them on. More Wildebeests are marching in line behind them bringing the elephants. They just sit there. Finally about 25 Zebras are making their way up the shore of the river towards the peninsula. They too are looking at the river. I personally start cheering the Zebras to show some leadership and help out their Wildebeest friends. Well, one lone Zebra swims across the river. They came back and forth and run down to the edge of the water ALL DAY LONG. It was such a tease. The rest never crossed that day and we have spent the whole day sitting there watching. Spoiler Alert: All that time in the truck gave me plenty of opportunity to elaborate the story of our seeing a real “river crossing” based on that one Zebra’s effort. I have to admit, I was going to count it! But luckily, Nature smiled on us the next day and we have more to share on day 3.

On a different note, I want to share with you some of our new knowledge about going on safari. First, you know how they always say “If you don’t know how deep the water is, don’t cross?” They have not heard this in Tanzania. We are in a Land Cruiser and our driver just plows through rivers all the time. The first time he got out to check the tires and glanced at the river, but only once. And they have another philosophy that the dirt paths are merely suggestions. If cutting straight across the ditch, rocks, and aardvark holes will get you there faster, go for it.

Once we received a call that there was a crossing further down the river at another spot, so us, along with 6 other trucks fly to the other location as fast as possible. The problem was that we spooked the Wildebeest herd on this side of the river and they started to run as we were all racing to the crossing. I’d put money on our driver against any NYC taxi or NASCAR driver. He was awesome and I’m happy to report, no Wildebeests were harmed in our soon to be failed attempt to see a crossing.

Finally, since we are talking about the truck, I have to tell you about “checking the tire pressure”. This is what you say when you have to go to pee. Except for one station and the airport, there are no bathrooms in the bush. The bush is the bathroom. So, Greg and Peter are always going behind the truck to check the tire pressure throughout the day. I think it is a guy thing to mark your territory everywhere you go. Needless to say they are fitting in with all the animals.

Day 3: I Will Survive
Wildebeest River Crossing
Saturday, September 13, 2014

Hopefully by now you’ve noticed that my subject lines are song titles or parts of songs that I kinda know the words to. As you can imagine, not only is there limited cell service and wifi, there is also no radio in the truck when you are out on safari. There is only a CB radio that the drivers use to talk with each other. Never to let a radio, talent or not really knowing the correct words to a song stop me, I’ve taken to singing songs that go along with whatever is happening . . . hence the subject lines. Hopefully you’ll recognize them but I’m happy to provide live examples for those who may be unaware of any referenced lyrics.

I also might add that I am singing these songs solo since Greg, who is sitting right beside me and I know can hear me, just closes his eyes and puts his head down when I start. Joe Gray, we are missing you and Kaye on this trip. I’ve been thinking about our awesome duets of Sound of Music songs as we traveled across Switzerland a couple of years ago. We were the definition of joyful noise!!

Day 3 and we are up early to try our luck again with a river crossing and then travel to the next camp. We show up at the river just down from the camp site and sure enough there is a large herd of wildebeest and zebra on the other side. They are moving around and looking at the river so we think there might be a chance although we remember yesterday. Sure enough, they all begin to move down to the peninsula and down the bank toward the river. Yep, you guessed it—then they turned around and went back up the bank. Think Ground Hog Day, the movie, so we set back up and get ready to be patient when about 50 wildebeest from our side of the river decide they like their friends on the other side so they cross the river. We are ecstatic! Greg, our photo-journalist, is lighting up the digital camera and we hope capturing the moment to share with you. (FB photo of the day shows this).

I have to tell you a river crossing is apparently one of the biggest deals you will see during the migration period. We are beyond happy to be one of the lucky few to see one. On top of this, there were no crocodiles around and not one Wildebeest was lost in the crossing. This is gruesome business as we learned later that night at dinner. Apparently wildebeest stampede each other or drown in the river. Of course, they are fighting currents and crocodiles. One of the other camp guests saw two crocs at their crossing and described in detail the long struggle of the adult and baby wildebeest which the crocs eventually won. I was worried about having nightmares after just hearing about it. I’m happy to report that no wildebeest were injured in our river crossing!

Now it is time to search for lions. Peter isn’t worried and sure enough we find some displaying typical lion-like behavior (according to Peter) – this means lying around doing nothing but looking cute. Two lions and one cub. We are happy so we move on toward the next camp. Little did we know that this was a 3-hour race across the open plain. Along the way we did stop for a few sights including the angry hippo if you are on Facebook. Apparently he did not like Greg hanging out of truck snapping pictures.

On our journey across the plain, we notice all the carnage everyone. For example, we see a huge number of vultures having a party only to discover it is over a dead lion. Skeletons (fresh and old) litter the landscape!

We finally arrive at Migration Tented Lodge and, wow wee, is this place nice. 24-hr generator provides charging power to the room and this tent has double vanity and hot water on demand. A bit more like a hotel since dining is private but you find hippos grunting in the background, gerbils (known locally as rock or tree hyrax) running everywhere, and a Cape Buffalo (one of the big 5) grazing in the backyard at midnight. This is starting out great!

Day 4: I can see for mile and miles…
My bush name is Eagle Eye
Sunday, September 14, 2014

We thought we’d start this letter off with some insight we’ve learned from Peter, our guide.

– Animal life is tough. For example, if you are a male cape buffalo, at some point you are no longer needed in the herd so you are kicked-out by the young males and force to join a ‘bachelor group’. We have renamed them the Grumping Old Men group.

If you are an impala, then your goal in life is to acquire a harem. This is a large group of female (10-40) impalas with one male. So while the male is at the top of his game he spends the next three months chasing after females trying to run away from the harem and mating those he can catch which leaves no time to eat. Meanwhile, in the ‘boys club’ (a group of only young male impalas), days are spent eating and training to determine who is going to out maneuver the head of the harem because the head guys has lost his physical conditioning from lack of food. The day comes when a member of the boys club and the head of harem fight, the tired weak former head, is now left by himself to defend his territory alone and hopes a female or two come back. Very sad!

– Two rules of the jungle: (1) Run first, ask why later. Usually the answer is, I saw you running so I ran too. (2) See before being seen. This should be self-explanatory.

– When meeting a wild animal, don’t run – you’ll look like prey! Instead stand as tall as you can and look as big as you can. Unless you are meeting a cape buffalo in which case you want to lay on the ground so they can’t scoop you up with their pointy horns or head butt you!

– If you ever get lost in the bush, eat what baboons eat and you should survive. And all cactus are poisonous, including their red berries and some will blind you if their milk gets in your eyes. We’ll share more words of wisdom later.

Game drive today was in a new area of the North Serengeti with has much more water and more trees, i.e. a denser woodland area. The morning begins with me spotting hyenas, Peter spotting lions, and me spotting a serval. (This is a beautiful small cat that looks like a leopard). At this point Greg mumbles something about pressure since Peter and I seem to be on the top of our game and Greg hasn’t seen anything. Peter starts calling me “Eagle Eye” (my bush name now moving forward) and even states he doesn’t have to worry about missing an animal out of the left side of the truck because I’m looking.

Wait until you see the lion pictures. Peter took us right up to them!

More search leads to another lion spotting and then the last remaining member of the Big 5 – the leopard. He is perched in a tree but seems ready to move and sure enough climbs down and walks right at us. Hoping these pictures turn out great! The rest of the day was spent looking at and for animals. I should mention our awesome lunch. Three course picnic, camping chairs, and a spectacular view with gazelles, zebra, giraffe, and elephants all in sight!

Our tented camp tonight is like a resort. It has double vanity, leather club chairs and a hairdryer. It also has a pool and individual dinner times available. It is really nice and hard to believe we are in bush.

We were reminded today that we are in the jungle and anything goes. To date, three male elephants and two male zebras have exposed themselves to us and everyone else around. We also watched a gazelle mount another as they were walking across the plain with the herd. Back at the lodge after a long day of game driving, just before dinner 11 or 12 elephants strolled across our backyard. (Videos on FB) We can’t wait to see who visits tonight.

Fast forward to the end of the day and Peter and I have spotted all kinds of animals. As is customary in the bush, we often acknowledge the difficulty of the spot and the skill it takes by telling each other “Well Spotted”. Greg unfortunately has spotted an enormous and quite obvious elephant walking in the road ahead of our truck and a plethora of lizards on rocks. We throw him a bone of “Well Spotted” on the last rock. At least he takes excellent pictures.

Speaking of pictures, consider yourself forewarned . . . Greg is out of control. He has moved away from trying to capture the moment with one perfect picture to just holding down the button throughout the entire episode. It takes 2 pictures to capture a leopard taking one step. One day he came back to the tent with 1682 pictures. If you ask to see pictures, you should either plan to visit for a couple of hours or be very specific about what you’d like to see like “Your top 10 pictures from the trip” or your “best shot of the black rhino” etc. 🙂

Day 5: You’re going to hear me ROAR
Big Cat Diaries
Monday, September 15, 2014

We are up early as we are leaving the luxury accommodations (Migration Tented Lodge) in the Grumati Valley for a tented camp (Seronera Sametu Camp) in the Central Serengeti. This will be a long drive but before we leave the Valley, Peter has a special treat planned. Here is a good place to mention our interactions with Peter…I think he likes keeping us in suspense. He never tells us much about his plans for the day and we don’t quiz him like other people do their driver/guides. We have come to really trust Peter’s instincts and plans so basically each day is a big surprise.

After a bit of a drive, we stop to ‘check the tire pressure’ and Greg says “isn’t this the place we saw the Leopard,” like he knows where he is. The Tew map instinct has been a little confused on this new continent but he is starting to figure things out. Peter says no but over in that direction is the place and I am hoping he is back in the tree. After a short drive, we see the tree and sure enough the huge Leopard is there finishing breakfast (looks like a Reedback, another medium sized antelope).

Greg starts shooting pictures and after a bit the cat decides to get down and walk around…I swear it seems like it is showing off for us. We are the only ones in site, no one else around and this is great. So often cats just lay around and sleep—Peter refers to this as typical cat-like behavior. Sleep 22 hrs, hunt/eat 2 hrs per day. Sleeping involves looking up, rolling over, stretching, then back to sleep (there will be pictures of this behavior later). According to Peter, this Leopard’s behavior is a special treat and we feel blessed. Anything else the day offers will be bonus. On the way out, I spot another Leopard but he is shy and runs away quickly so we don’t see much of him.

We head for the Central Serengeti which, we believe, will offer lots of cat sighting possibilities. We believe this by collecting clues from Peter—he never comes right out and says this but drops lots of hints. The drive is long and bumpy. They call the bumpy roads an “African Massage” free of charge included with the safari package. I’m being massaged about 12 hours a day but the area is beautiful so it is fine.
Lots of animal sightings along the way including some very smelly Hippos, Greg gets an amazing shot of an African Fish Eagle in flight.

Lunch is at the picnic/Hippo pool area. We get a lesson about one of the Small 5, the Lion Ant. Peter’s range of knowledge is great and Greg loves all this talk. Just like the Big 7 and the Ugly 5, there is also the Small 5 (we may have to consider a Small 7, but based on measly response from my plea of a Big 7, this may need to wait until we get some momentum). The Small 5 include: Lion Ant, Buffalo Weaver (bird), Rhino Beetle, Leopard Tortoise and Elephant Shrew (mouse with a trunk).

On the way into the camp, we spot another Leopard on a set of Kopji’s (Swahili for head since this big rocks look like heads) displaying cat-like behavior. Three Leopards in one day. We met a couple at the end of their safari still looking for a Leopard, so we feeling quite lucky. Moments later, we see what appears to be a very hungry Lion. We track her for a while as she prepares to ambush a Zebra…after about 30 minutes she pounces but comes up empty. She quickly returns to the river valley and a small Zebra wonders into the same creek. We think for sure this will be dinner but she misses again. I personally think this is God doing for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. I wanted to see a hunt but did not want to see a kill. I wish I had a chicken or something to give to the hungry Lion but I’m glad she missed on tonight’s dinner. I’ll sleep better for sure, but I do wish I had a raw chicken or something to give the Lion.

With no other animals in sight we leave for camp, a delicious dinner with the other safari teams and then bed.

Day 6: Up Up and Away in my Beautiful Balloon
Bucket list item checked, and still alive to tell about it!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Today was a big day! I’ve always wanted to take a hot air balloon ride but have been too scared to actually do it. They aren’t safe and I’m scared of heights – not a good combination. But every Fall they launch in my area to watch the trees change colors and as they pass over my house, I think, “one day”. Well, no more! Greg saw fit to change all of this and we are both taking our first ride at sunrise over the Serengeti.

Now, I know this isn’t a good idea. First, he wouldn’t let me read the disclaimer you have to sign before taking this ‘high risk activity’. He told me don’t read it, just sign it. And I did. I appreciate the advice many of you gave me, including the best from my father-in-law, James, who said, sit at the bottom of the basket, tuck in the crash position, don’t stand up, don’t look out and whatever you do, don’t lean over the side! Now, my father is probably not at all surprised that I didn’t listen. I stood up, looked out, videotaped several scenes and even leaned – just a little. Then, I almost died in the crash landing!! I’m not being dramatic, it is true.

The flight was delayed because it was too windy. It has be less than 12 mph winds before they let you go. We waited about 15 minutes, the winds died and we race off. Normally a flight is 45-75 minutes depending on wind speed. Our flight was 42 minutes. The pilot said when we landed we were traveling 17 knots. He was so happy – it was one of his fastest landings ever. Ugh. You have to sit down and hold on the basket while you land. The pilot was excellent at telling us what to expect, telling us to keep our heads down, expect another bump, expect the drag, this is all normal he is saying. I’m not sure what is going on but apparently my crash position and scared to death look have Greg worried. He keeps telling me I’m fine and I just remember thinking this is what it feels like when your plane crashes and I keep saying (I’m not sure why) no, no, no, no, no. Then we stop, our pilot tells us to stay calm and keep in place to make sure the wind doesn’t pick up the deflated balloon and our basket for another drag. There is a tremendous cloud of dust (we are travelling in the dry season) and we are covered, I mean really covered from head to toe, in red dirt dust.

After we get out, and realize we are alive, we did make, I think, that was awesome!!!! I’m so glad we did that!!! This is why I love Greg. He continually pushes me out of my comfort zone, has me experience breath taking adventures and I’m still alive to talk about it. You can see a picture of another balloon landing and a few of our pictures on FB. My only recommendation is that if you have neck or back problems, you should skip this activity. I was sore for about a day but am recovering now.

Also, before I end I need to give Greg another kudo. Believe it or not, he was the lone person in a balloon of 17 people to spot the lion laying on the field by the river. He may be getting his mojo! All the other passengers in the after balloons can thank him as well because our pilot called them and they actually went over to get a closer look.

As if a hot air balloon ride and English breakfast out on the Serengeti isn’t enough to make this the best day ever. We also spot the thus far elusive Cheetah. She is sleek and beautiful and apparently hungry. We are lucky enough to take awesome pictures (warning to you again regarding Greg’s picture taking enthusiasm) of her scanning the horizon.

She starts walking and comes right up to our truck. She was so close that the picture we posted on Facebook is from my iPhone. Then we got to see a beautiful thing . . . her mosey on out to the herd of Thomson Gazelles (also known as Tommies or Cheetah food) and start walking around looking for a weakling. The Tommies are nervous and running in every direction. She keeps calm and keeps walking. Sure enough, she spots her prey. A baby Tommie laying in the field clueless as to what is going on. The Cheetah, need I remind you, the fastest creature on earth, takes off running with the herd. In no time she passes several adults Tommies at full-speed almost as if they were standing still. She sweeps the baby up and kills it instantly. She then walks back to a shaded area to enjoy dinner.

Later that afternoon, we get to see a pride of about 14 lions who also just enjoyed a kill of one of their favorite meals, our guess is Wildebeest based on the leftover hoofed leg. Thankfully we did not see the kill or the eating of the kill. We came across 14 fat and happy kitties laying under a tree. It was hilarious to see. Their stomachs were so big – they looked like beached whales next to the river. They were sleeping on their backs, stretching, fully content and displaying serious cat-like behavior. Peter says this is what overindulgence looks like. It was great!

By now you know we love Peter. He is such an awesome guide. Here is an example. As we are watching another set of three lions and three cubs who are part of the same pride as the 14 lions above, Peter is scanning the horizon with his binoculars. He then says, “Hmm, I might see something out there under that tree”. So we wrap up and head towards the horizon and the tree. On the way Peter says he thought he saw something that might have been a foot. No kidding, we get to the tree and there are the 2 male lions in charge of this pride right under the tree, fat and happy haven also just eaten some of the Wildebeest dinner, and one is sleeping on his back with his foot in the air. Now we also have great pictures of male lions with full grown manes.
This by far is my favorite day of the safari. We leave to head back to camp, watch the sunset, eat dinner and then to bed for another adventure tomorrow.

Day 7: In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle, the Lion Sleeps Tonight
Love is in the air
Wednesday, September 17, 2014

This morning starts with the most awesome sunrise yet. Greg loves sunrises and sunsets so getting up early everyday has offered many opportunities. Sametu camp has a great location for sunrises so I find Greg outside in the chair with his camera prompt on a table to take still pictures in the limited light. Wait til you see these pictures, they are very good.

This is another travel day so we start rather early with breakfast at camp then an off-road route to look for Lions. We see our first group of Hyneas with cubs—we quickly remember that all pups are cute and this appears to also hold for one of the Ugly 5. One male and one female Lion are spotted (of course by Peter) so we go over to have a look. These are referred to as ‘honeymooners’ because when a female Lion is in heat the oldest/strongest male goes off from the pride to mate for several days. We don’t see any action as it appears they are tried and near the end of their time together. It is fascinating to watch this lion behavior.

Just off in the distance is another male lion; this pride seems to have three male leaders. This male is basically watch guard in case anyone shows up to cause trouble for the honeymooners. He is within sight of the honeymooners but at a good distance for privacy (if they care, which I don’t believe they do). Just around the corner is the third male with several females and cubs. The day is off to a fast start with 12 lions sighted before 7am.

Driving along leads us to another Cheetah on the hunt for food. She seems to be on a plain mostly by herself and a few Zebra (not Cheetah food). They are watching her to be sure she remembers she doesn’t eat Zebras and sure enough, she shows no interest in them. We watch her for a while; then check on the full, happy cats from yesterday, then return to the Cheetah. Her food is far away in the distance and since we have a long drive to the Crater left, we decide to move on. Along the way to the Crater, we encounter 3 more Cheetahs bringing the total to 6. After we spot the fourth one, Peter says something about ‘promises keep.’ It turns out that along the way he said he hoped to see 3 or 4 Cheetahs, again other groups had seen none and several guides asked Peter if he had seen any up North since they were leaving the central without seeing any Cheetahs. Peter is so funny! Within minutes we find the other two Cheetahs (5 and 6, likely mother and her cub) and before Peter points out the cats, he says ‘bonus time’ then shows us the two Cheetahs on the kopjis under a tree.

Lunch on the top of a kopjis where the Serengeti National Park ends and the Ngorongoro Conservation begins. The difference between the two is that no human live in the national park but Maasai (the local, indigenous people) live within the conservative area. This is a long, bumpy, and dusty trip to the Crater. After all the paperwork, we descend to the Crater floor in hopes of finding Flamingos for Greg’s Aunt Ruth and more Black Rhino for Greg. The Crater is the most likely place to see the Black Rhino since there are 23 in this confined region. We are in the crater for 10 minutes when Peter does it again. ‘Do you see that black spot in the distance.’ We both look and think, well maybe. Peter heads that way and sure enough, two more Black Rhino in the distance bringing our total to four. One big difference between the Crater and the North Serengeti is that we must stay on the roads here so we can’t get a close-up look at the rhino. We are all happy to have the pressure removed since sighting Black Rhino’s was the major objective for tomorrow morning. With this sighting down, we are free to see what the Crater offers tomorrow morning.

The camp (Lion’s Paw tented camp) is the only camp located inside the crater but it is on the rim at the other side from where we entered so we make our way across the floor of the Crater and up the other side. We are glad to be at our home for the night since this was a long but exciting day. It was cold on the rim (high elevation) and this is the first time we have a heater in our tent. We are looking forward to tomorrow’s adventure.

Day 8: Wanted Dead or Alive
Hyenas are terrible predators!
Thursday, September 18, 2014

The goal for the Crater is to be the first group onto the floor for sunrise and black rhino sightings. We make it down in time but the sunrise is only average; however, the lion cub sightings are spectacular. First we encounter a group of two lions and three small cubs. The cubs are quite rambunctious—running, playing in the mud, ‘attacking’ each other and their mother. This is awesome! After a time we move on and Peter stops the vehicle and asks ‘do you see this’ looking over the side at the dirt. The man is tracking lion footprints in the dirt road while driving. Really! Greg asks how old the footprints are and Peter guesses not more than 2 hrs. It turns out the answer is about 20 minutes since just up the road are two more lions and three more cubs. These cubs are a bit older but just as playful. This is great fun and the cats here are more accustomed to cars so they walk right up to the car. First the cub comes to investigate, then momma comes over to make sure everything is okay. She decides to taste the spare tire of the vehicle in front of us, amazing! That spare tire cover now has several holes.

After many great pictures and lots of heart-warming fun, we go to see something that Peter thinks everyone should see—that is a kill. There is a pack of Hyena tracking a Wildebeest. When we get there, they have him down in a creek and are finishing the job—this is very unpleasant. Greg points out flamingos in the lake on the other side. Of course this is life in the jungle and in reality the wildebeest and others serve as food for the predators but it is still unpleasant to witness firsthand. I try to sing Circle of Life but it just isn’t helping. The problem with Hyena is they don’t know how to kill their prey. They disable it enough to stop and then start eating. The wildebeest was crying out for help until eventually he died. I was looking at flamingos but I could still hear. Needless to say, I start crying. We have to leave and the mood is quite dark for the next hour. Hyenas are #1 on the Ugly 5 list and this is now my least favorite day on the safari.

Luckily we move on and see many adorable zebra, elephants, and hippos at the morning watering hole. More game drive and then a trip to the top of the hill inside the crater. The crater was formed many years ago when the volcano collapsed and this hill is the former top of the volcano. The sight of the whole crater and all the animals is magnificent. Peter says it looks like there will be no black rhino this morning but we don’t mind since we saw the two yesterday. Anyone who sees 4 black rhino on one safari should be very happy. On the way out, we stumble into two more black rhino—for us, they appear to come in pairs. Again they are in the distance a bit, but Greg is about tickled pink—6 black rhino sightings!

We leave the crater for the trip to Lake Manyara and Tarangire. This makes for a very long day. There are apparently ‘tree climbing lions in Manyara National Park’ but we don’t see them. We do see the blue monkey which is a new animal sighting and Greg gets a nice picture of flamingos for Ruth. Lots of other animals but the trip here is quick since we still have to get thru Tarangire to the lodge. On the way to the lodge, we see an elephant with its head inside this BoaBoa tree. These are huge trees which very high water contain in their wood so elephants, who eat all kinds of things, like to eat this tree during the dry season. Peter says this is the first time he has ever since the elephant while eating the tree. After a couple of minutes, a small baby elephant wonders over and the big adult scoops out the kindling for the adolescent to eat. Elephants are well known to provide outstanding care for their siblings and this is a demonstration for us!

We are glad to arrive at Kikoti Tented Lodge after a long day of animal sightings and driving. This lodge has a ton of wood accents including a spectacular bar with animals carved into the woodwork. A quick dinner and off to bed before another early day tomorrow.

Day 9: On the Road Again
Like a Rock
Friday, September 19, 2014

Today we wake-up call at 5:30 and have breakfast boxes to go so that we can get into the park early. As we start the drive along the swamp, we encounter countless elephants, I mean countless. They look like a herd of wildebeests in the distance but, no, they are elephants. Peter refers to this park at this time of year as ‘elephant city’ and now we know why.Moments later Peter spots a leopard lying on a termite mound.

Over the last couple of days, we have been basically traveling with another Africa Dream Safari group (four Canadians from Calgary) so Peter calls them on the radio and we wait for them to show up. Since we are out early and no one is around we do off-road to get a close look at the cat. The pictures are truly amazing! Like our previous leopard experience, this cat decides to get up and move around. We now appreciate how big that first male leopard was. Compared to this cat, the first one was huge. This cat is not shy and slowing walks toward the other SUV. Greg has a great picture of this. Then the cat does something that amazes even Peter, it walk right up to our vehicle and, instead of going around it, goes right under it. Apparently the Canadians have some awesome pictures that we hope to get when we return to the States. As it comes out the other side of the vehicle Peter is stunned but the cat has more to offer. She looks and seriously considers jumping on the vehicle. For my sake, thankfully, she decides not to do it. I probably would have tried to pet her – she was so beautiful. Of course both Greg and Peter are disappointed! She continues her meandering so we go off to have breakfast.

She appears to continue her straight line down the side of the swamp toward the breakfast location so when we finish we go back to look at her. She is sitting in the shade under a bush but when we get there, she decides to get up. By now, we think this is just for us. It is about two hours later and now 14 other vehicles are here so getting up early paid off. This cat is full of tricks. She decides it is time to climb a tree. As she moves from the bush, Peter says she is going to climb the tree and sure enough she does. This is a rather big tree so you can imagine she has several options but she decides to climb the side of the tree facing the road so we get to see the full experience! Our interactions with those two leopards has been a real treat and a true highlight! Later Peter mentions how rare it is to see a leopard climb a tree since most of the time they are originally spotted in a tree and might climb down if you are lucky.

Shortly down the road we see a young male lion trying to impersonate a leopard. It is lying in a tree scanning around for food. Nothing is in sight and it seems to be displaying typical cat-like behavior so we move on…this is crazy, who would think that lions are now slightly boring! We plan to have lunch back at the lodge and rest a bit (hence you got some updates via email).

Since my husband is one of those people that always wants more, he would like to see all three big cats in one day. Having seen the leopard and lion by 9am, there is hope that a cheetah will full-fill this request so we spend the rest of the day looking for cheetahs, African wild dogs, and two rare antelope. We don’t see any of these but we do see a tremendous number of elephants (and zebra, tommies, impalas, wilderbeest, cape buffalo, baboons, birds) and exceptional landscape. We also saw several baboons climbing up a huge kopji for the night. It was awesome. They were very fast. At one point a young baboon is on the ground screaming and her mother comes down to let her jump on her back and get carried up. While is she carrying one child on her back, she is encouraging and nudging with her head another little baboon who is halfway and has stopped. Noodle, we’ve decided that if you could carry Greg or I on your back, we’ll go rock climbing with you!

We then head home to have a lovely dinner at the lodge. For dessert, the whole staff joins in a song wishing us a farewell and safe travels since this is our last night on safari. This is lovely!

Off to bed for the last night sleeping in the jungle. It was been tremendous.

Day 10: Circle of Life
Back to Reality
Saturday, September 20, 2014

Today is a bitter sweet day. We are excited to wake up and see what the day has in store for us in the bush but also sad that this turns out to be our last day on safari. Unfortunately, response to my plea for support of the Big 7 did not produce any funds so Greg and I have to end our magical adventure. The only good news is that I hear several of you are saving money for your own safari – Greg and I are willing to go with you when you get this arranged. I also hope that the silence is more a reflection that you too are passionate about the Big 7 and you are talking about it every chance you get! I’m sure our grassroots effort will be viral by the time I return.

Peter lets us sleep in this morning and we have a 6:30 wake up call, breakfast and on the road by 8:00. We drive around in the tall grass looking for Cheetahs, two rare Antelopes, and the almost extinct African Wild Dogs. We don’t find any of them but are entertained by Dik Dik (small Antelopes), Elephants, with two more indecent exposures from the males, and Giraffes. We also saw a few Lions laying under trees but they were inactive and far away. After lunch, we leave for our 2.5 hour drive back to the hotel.

Peter drops us off at the hotel and we say our good-byes. Greg is going to miss Peter, I can tell. We are met by our Africa Dream Safari hostess, Faith, to make plans for dinner, getting to the airport, etc. We take showers, I take a 30 minute power nap, and then start to unpack the safari bags and get out the business suitcase. We have a delicious buffet dinner outside on the patio overlooking a golf course while listening to Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and John Denver music and then go to bed. Our wake-up call tomorrow morning is 2:45am so we can get picked up at 3:30am for our hour drive to the airport and catch our 6:00 am flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.

This letter’s theme song is from the Lion King, The Circle of Life, and I’ve sang this song multiple times, daily! It started when I had to ask Greg to kill the jumping spider in our tent the first night — it turned out to be a poor cricket. Singing continued every time I saw a carcass or predator on the hunt, lion cubs or male animals looking for love. And it ends now with our own journey – our vacation ending and heading back to reality and work – it is the Circle of Life. Again, I want you to know that you have all been with us on this journey. I thank God for giving me all that I have, I thank IBM and UMass for providing us the means to do what we do, and I thank my family and friends who show me by their example how to love unconditionally, walk with humility, be of service to those around you and live life to the fullest.

Dawn “Eagle Eye” and Greg T.
South Deerfield, Massachusetts
Safari Dates: September 10, 2014 to September 20, 2014

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Guest Review, Massachusettes, September

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We Were Fortunate Enough To See Four Crossings – The First Being A Herd Of Elephants!

SAFARI STORIES

September 19, 2014June 6, 2017 by Michael

We had no idea what “A Trip of a Lifetime” could mean until we went on our African Dream Safari! From the first moments we landed in Tanzania and met Faith and Tman, we knew that ADS was first class. Faith and Tman made us feel right at home, and provided us with so much information and direction that we never felt a moment of concern. When we mentioned that we hoped to see the local coffee plantation on our extra day in Arusha, Tman took the lead and arranged the tour and drove us around the city and to the plantation, letting us drink in the sights at a leisurely pace.

(To see my website I created for this trip, click here: www.freidesweb.com/Safari2014 )

In Farther North, we met Malaki, who would be our guide and our leader for the next 8 days as well as our great friend for life. Within minutes of departing the airstrip, we pulled up to a riverbank and were immediately viewing a tower of giraffes, a pod of hippos, and a herd of zebras (yes, Malaki was a great font of knowledge, giving us these and many other terms throughout our trip).

We were fortunate enough to see not one but FOUR crossings – the first being a herd of elephants! Even Malaki had not seen an elephant crossing, so we were all in awe of this event. The part of a safari that you just can’t explain to your friends is the emotional impact it has on you. After the sheer beauty of the animals and landscapes and the warm yet humble welcome at the Maasai village, you feel as though you are a different person.

The camps that our ADS Consultant Dawn chose for us were perfect! The staff was so warm and welcoming, providing us with our every wish during our stay. They truly are ambassadors, not only for Tanzania, but for ADS as well.

We are so glad that we chose to trust African Dream Safaris with our trip. The personal touch and genuine care we received from the first email to Dawn to these post-safari contacts have been truly wonderful.

Jim & Stuart F.
Miami, Florida
Safari Dates: September 1, 2014 to September 8, 2014