Tag: Virginia

Babies, Birds And Bat-eared Foxes.

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Posted on by Michael

Wow! We just returned from our second ADS safari and it was every bit as wonderful as the first, and yet unique. Our first trip was in September 2011 during the dry season, and our second trip was this March during the green season. Which was our favorite? That is a subject for another blog!

Our professional driver-guide, Francis met us at the Seronera airstrip and made us feel welcome. He asked what we really wanted to see during our safari and after saying “everything” we made it a little easier for him by saying baby animals, birds and bat-eared foxes! Francis delivered. We saw baby cheetahs, lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos, Thompson’s gazelle, Cape buffalo, and wildebeest. The gazelle was about an hour old and could hardly stand up – in fact it fell down with its legs all akimbo.

We watched as a mother buffalo walked her hour old baby down a hill toward the safety of the herd. Every so often she paused to sniff the air for predators that could snatch her baby. Since there were many spotted hyenas in the vicinity, we watched her progress for over an hour, rooting for her to reach the herd. As she approached the other buffalo, she decided to graze a bit, chomping on the new grasses. Fortified, she and her youngster began the last steps of their journey and rejoined the herd.

We saw many young wildebeests that had been born in February and thought we would not see a new born, but then, as we watched tens of thousands of wildebeests stream from the woodland forests onto the grassy plains after the rains, we spied a tiny, tiny wildebeest next to its mother. The mother still had the placenta attached to her. It was amazing to see these newly born animals and their protective mothers, reminding us of our connection to the creatures that inhabit our planet.

We not only saw lots of new babies, we also saw playful babies. One morning in the marshes near Lake Ndutu, we saw a female lion trying to sleep. Her two cubs were more interested in jumping on her, tumbling with each other, and biting their mother’s tail. We watched for several hours as they pounced on her tail, gnawing on it until she turned her head and snarled her displeasure. At one point she decided to get up and go sleep by a slumbering male lion. As she stood and walked away, one of her cubs was still latched to her tail and it went swinging in the air! We laughed at all the antics. Later she nursed the two cubs and then they made their way to some bushes for a nap.

Another special lion sighting was when we saw a mother lion emerge from a cave in a kopje with her newborn lion cub that Francis estimated to be about 10-12 days old. Lions open their eyes at 7 days and this little one looked just a bit older, wobbling about and straying from his mother. In the same vicinity we saw two female lions caring for 5 cubs. One female was on top of a kopje encouraging the other female to walk the five cubs up from their sun bath in the grasses to the safety of the kopje. We watched the lion parade as they made their way up the red rocks, stopping for a drink, before reaching the top and resting in the shade of the bushes. Extravagantly tactile, the two females nuzzled each other and the babies.

Birds, birds, birds! We were enchanted as always by the resplendent, yet ubiquitous, Lilac-breasted rollers perched atop branches. We also saw the European roller which was spectacular in its colorings. Small Bee-eaters shimmering in deep yellows and greens were a highlight, as were the Rosy-breasted and Yellow-throated Longclaws, Tawny eagles, Greater Flamingos, Lesser Flamingos, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Yellow-vented Bulbuls, Firefinches, Fisher’s Lovebirds, and Silvery-cheeked Hornbills to name a few!

Finally, the Bat-eared foxes. Francis found two of these fleet-footed animals one evening as we headed back to Lake Masek Tented Lodge. They took one look at us and fled – our photograph shows two blurs in the distance. We were elated that we got to see them, albeit briefly. Were we in for a surprise! Our reward for all of the rain came the next day when we observed a Bat-eared fox family drying out and grooming one another on the plains after their den had been flooded. We happily watched them for about an hour. Again, we were moved by how tactile they were with one another.

This blog covers the three Bs of our trip – babies, birds and Bat-eared foxes. A separate “highlights of the trip blog” shares a more general overview of our amazing green season trip!

Lynn and Phil
Oak Hill, VA
9-21 March 2014

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Small Wonders

Family Vacations

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Posted on by Michael

Our safari turned out to be a different experience for everyone of our family members. For me; personally, our safari was a collection of small wonders and a big finale. I found wonder in being surprised by animals that had become almost too familiar to us as the days went by.

Antelopes were a plentiful sight. Just when I thought I had seen enough of them they turned up at the center of a wonderful moment. I was under their spell as they hesitated before jumping over a small creek; puzzled over another group as they surrounded our moving vehicle in a sudden stampede; and surprised at the sound they make (a loud hiss/growl) when they warned each other about the close presence of a predator.

I heard baboons “barking” to warn a heard of wildebeests and zebras about coming near the watering hole where three lions awaited. I saw hippos doing 360 turns; their bellies and stumpy feet floating above water as they rolled over. I locked eyes with a servile cat for a long time as he confused my moving swatter with perhaps a tasty bird. We played hide and seek with a bush baby during our night game drive.

The big finale was a close encounter with a black rhino. Unbeknownst to us, Claude (our wonderful guide) had dreamt about the black rhino the night before our encounter. It was our last day on safari and we descended the crater at 6 am. Claude kept saying that if we were going to see it, the area we were driving around was the spot. We had looked for a while and I was feeling my eyes were going to pop out as I pressed them against the binoculars to “see better”. Then I spotted it amongst a close herd of buffalos and zebras. We were the only vehicle around. The rhino crossed the road twice right in front and behind our vehicle, strutted in circles and stopped several times to look right into our camera. This was our moment. Only ours!

Did we see the big five? The ugly ones and the small ones? Of course we did. For me; however, it was the small wonders like the ones I described above that stayed with me the most.

I savored every minute of our 12 hour drives with Claude. He was our wild life teacher and our window into Tanzania’s people, economic aspirations, and culture. I came back to the tented camps every day with my face covered in dust and with a feeling of having conquered the world. Every animal sighting felt like an accomplishment. Every little one of their movements filled me with joy.

Here are a few pictures. Erick reminds me they are not our best pictures. I say he is right but they are the best reminders of my small wonders.

Thank you Lynn, Claude and ADS for making possible my collection of small wonders!

Ana and Erick C.
Alec and Adrian C.
McLean, Virginia
Safari Dates: June 27, 2013 to July 4, 2013

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Mal d’ Afrique

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Posted on by Michael

Mal d’Afrique, or that restless urge one experiences after spending time in Africa to make a return visit, had crept into our souls after our first safari to Kenya and Tanzania in 2007. We found our conversations involving, “…when we return to Africa…” and “…next time….” So it was that we mentioned our desire to return to Africa to our friends, Rick and Jeannine, and a plan was cemented for a return in 2012. We investigated dozens of safari companies, but Africa Dream Safaris came very highly rated. We just cannot adequately express the significance of the choice to opt for a private safari but were clearly reminded of that choice each time we passed the packed caravans of safari vehicles from other companies.

Our adventure began exactly five years to the day after our first safari but could not have been more different. From the moment we landed in Arusha and were whisked through the visa process and customs before most people had even retrieved their bags to the final moments when our driver dragged us kicking and screaming back to the airport, every detail had been thought out by ADS.

Our planning began one year in advance when Lynn, our safari planner, contacted us. Lynn’s enthusiasm for everything Africa and her experience with providing her clients with details before they even realized they needed them, made our planning so easy. She provided us with valuable information to help us better prepare for this wonderful adventure. Her monthly and later weekly updates were eagerly awaited.

Perhaps the absolute highlight of our trip was not the sights, sounds, and smells of Africa that flooded our senses every waking moment—and even some unwaking ones when lions roared throughout the night. Rather, it was our amazing safari guide /driver, Russell. He never ceased to amaze us with his knowledge of wildlife. Not only did he know the habits of the “big five” and where to locate each of them (yes, he did find us a rhinoceros!), but he also pointed out marching army aunts, tiny bejeweled birds, and pug marks on the dirt tracks, each of which became a lesson to us. He was tireless in response to all of our needs.

After a day of jet-lag recovery in Arusha and a sight-seeing tour which included a visit to the ADS sponsored Shanga crafts workshop, we flew from Arusha to Katenga airstrip in the northern Serengeti. During our flight we observed thousands of migrating wildebeests, which looked like lines of tiny ants from the air, and had to be cleared from the runway before we could land. Russell was awaiting our landing and quickly piled us in our vehicle to rush to the Mara River area where the herd would make their crossing.

Our timing was amazing as we arrived to see wildebeests as far as the eye could discern bottled up on the river bank awaiting that urge (or maybe it was a push) that would propel the migration across this challenging crossing. Within minutes of our arrival, as if they had been awaiting us, the first animal crossed followed by the rest of the herd. For the next hour we watched in amazement as the flood of animals made the perilous jump into the dangerous rocks, hungry crocodiles, and swift current to cross. We had a private front row seat to this amazing event of nature. Little were we to know that this would set the precedence for the next twelve days as Russell always managed to have us in the right place at the right time.

We enjoyed the variety of accommodations from lodges, to tented lodges, to the private luxury camp. The tented lodges offered an opportunity to experience a unique mixture of lodge type accommodations and outdoor camping while the lodge at Ngorongoro offered entertainment and high-end accommodations. Yet it was the private luxury camping that ADS provided that was far and above our favorite.

Plopped down in a scenic location surrounded by wildlife and catered by a professional team and equipped with all the comforts of home, it really did put an entirely new perspective on the term “camping out.” Never did we feel closer to nature than listening to the snuffling cape buffalo, the whooping of the hyenas, and the rumbling growls of lions not too far in the distance. Our butler, Kdeva, a Masaai, awoke us with a gentle “Jambo” and a cup of hot Tanzanian coffee and made sure we had plenty of hot water to wash up. We were glad that we had included this in our agenda.

So many photos; so many memories. Words cannot do justice to the sights, sounds, and smells of Africa. The playful cheetah cub practicing his attack skills on a cardboard box, a pride of seventeen lions and lionesses ravaging a cape buffalo carcass, the wild dogs of Tarangire bullying a zebra, and a huge flock of gaudy emerald green yellow-collared love birds flittering across the grass are all images that dominate our thoughts.

Did we cure our Mal d’Afrique? No, we have been back less than a week and we already find our conversations involving, “…when we return to Africa…” and “…next time….” Yes, we are already dreaming of our third safari with Africa Dream Safaris, of course!

Bob and Diane Brodel
Hampton, Virginia
July 2012

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And best of all my dream came true!

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Posted on by Michael

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Diane and Skip Perrine
Annandale, Virginia
May 2012

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Grateful to See So Much . . .

Romantic Getaways

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Posted on by Michael

Before going to Africa through Africa Dream Safaris, we read over and over from testimonials how wonderful everyone’s experiences had been. It just seemed to be too good to be true. But we are now believers! We are thankful to have had the opportunity to go to Africa and experience the sights and sounds of such a beautiful and pristine place. From the moment we met David, our guide, in the Seronera Valley, we knew we were in for a treat. David had an incredible knowledge of the animals and geography, keen eyes and a sense of where the game was.

People ask, what was your favorite animal or experience? We enjoyed it all! The animals were amazing, but so was the scenery. The Serengeti Plains stretch in front of you and seem to just go on forever. It was just breath taking! Our favorite sightings were of three black rhinos, a mother cheetah and her cubs, and the endless troops of goofy baboons! We could sit for hours watching the hippos at the Retina Pool or the multiple age pride of lions playing under a shade tree. The elephants were fascinating to watch, from the grace of the adults to the little ones just learning to forage and eat.

The sheer magnitude of animals of the Great Migration in the Hidden Valley was magnificent! We drove for 2 hours in a seemingly endless sea of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles and birds!

In the Ngorongoro Crater, we listened as hyenas called to one another – come here!!! Building from just three to eleven, they banded together to work through the wildebeest and zebras in hopes of an evening meal. Fascinating!

We must also mention the peace and tranquility that we enjoyed. Yes, we were up and out most mornings by 6:00 a.m. and stayed out on game drives until after 6:00 p.m. each day, but we found so much joy in watching the animals coexist with each other in the quiet beauty of the bush.

If you by chance stay at the Seronera Sametu Camp, you will certainly enjoy being cared for by Jonas and his staff. “Good Morning”, will be his gentle wakeup call right outside your tent while bringing you hot coffee and tea. His personal attention to our needs was such a treat and made this camp a truly special place!

On our last night at the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge we were having a quiet dinner when we noticed a commotion coming from the kitchen area. The staff were parading and singing and we assumed someone was having an anniversary or birthday. As the marchers came closer we began to get the feeling that we we the intended recipients of their good cheer! Turns out that David had treated us to a farewell dessert cake! We enjoyed a portion and sent the remainder to the buffet. It was a nice gesture and expression of thoughtfulness on his part!

Also, I just wanted to touch on the airport check in at JRO. It was excellent. We entered the arrival area and met our host who tended to our every need. She even had the blue cards completed and we were quickly checked through immigration and customs. I did feel somewhat guilty being whisked to the front of the line and being processed so quickly. Then the meet and greet staff welcomed us and took us from there to Arusha in short order. A very nice way to end a long day of travel!

Finally, a note of appreciation to both you and Beverley. You two planned a spectacular trip and I wouldn’t have changed a thing! The whole trip just seemed to fit so nicely together. Starting in the tent camp with it’s small, intimate setting and progressing south through the Serengeti and on to more luxurious accommodations of the Ndutu and Ngorongoro Lodges, it was just perfect! We appreciate your knowledge and expertise and your responding to all the little detailed questions that we had!

All the best to you and everyone at ADS and again and thank you for your part in our incredible trip!

Harry and Beveryl Crosby
Staunton, Virginia
January 2012

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