Truly a Trip of a Lifetime

Our trip to Tanzania in October 2011 was truly a trip of a lifetime. I had wanted to go on an African safari for a very long time and once we decided to go in celebration of our 35th wedding anniversary, I was baffled as to how to put the trip together. Friends of ours recommended African Dream Safaris and we are so grateful they did.

We highly recommend ADS. Sharon and Michael both helped us put our itinerary together and they did a spectacular job tailoring the trip to our needs, especially my husband’s delicate back. They absolutely take care of everything – you just have to pay and show up. Every member of the ADS “team” both in the US and in Tanzania was wonderful.

Our trip by far surpassed all our hopes and expectations. It was fun, exhilarating, adventurous, interesting, beautiful, relaxing (in Zanzibar) and quite a learning experience. The animals were awesome, the scenery was magnificent and the people were unbelievably welcoming (Jambo!).

We loved our guide, Anglebert, and can’t complement him enough. Our exceptional safari experience was due to him. He is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic and his focus was making sure we were having the best time possible. His eyesight was unbelievable – he could spot animals from afar and could also anticipate where the best viewing would be. He also helped us with our photos and made suggestions on getting the right shot. Besides all that, we really enjoyed being with him and our time together was precious.

Our favorite accommodations were Buffalo Springs Tented Lodge, with their warm, welcoming, devoted staff, and Private Classic camping. It was an amazing experience to “camp” in the middle of the Central Serengeti and hear lions roar from our tent. The camp staff made us feel like royalty and we would recommend this to all. We also loved ending the trip in Zanzibar where we relaxed, snorkeled and were pampered for three days before returning home.

We followed ADS’s recommendations to get an early start in the morning and be patient while observing the animals and were rewarded with incredible experiences. We saw the wildebeests cross the Mara River twice (on successive days) which was thrilling. The sheer numbers and variety of wildlife we saw each and every day was staggering. We saw lions eight out of our nine days but there was one day where we saw lions eating, drinking, hunting, sleeping, mating and nursing their cubs.

Tanzania is truly a magical place. Thank you ADS for our fabulous, dazzling, breathtaking and astonishing trip.

Ellen and Gary Michel
Los Angeles, California
October 2011

December Family Safari

I have told so many of my friends about the absolutely amazing vacation we had with African Dream Safaris. I hope some of them call you because everybody, if they have the opportunity to get to Africa, should go. I’d like to give special appreciation to our guides, Petro and Michael, who were friendly, informative and so accommodating.

We were two families traveling together, ten total, and they managed to satisfy all our wishes. We’d tell them what we wanted to see and the next day they would accomplish it. From nursing lions to playing leopards, they knew where to find the animals that would send our hearts racing and illicit exclamation of, “Oh my gosh, can you believe we are here witnessing this!”

Though we were on safari during the green season, our guides managed to bring more color to each experience by relating personal stories and providing interesting information about the animals, birds and vegetation. From grunting hippos to hyenas eating freshly killed prey, they spotted everything that they thought would be of interest to us.

And, your staff in Arusha were so helpful when I left my camera on one of our short, internal flights on the day before we were due to leave. You can imagine how upset I was that all those once-in-a-lifetime memories were gone. But, you all managed to track it down and I was able to have all my pictures in hand before we left for home. Send my thanks to everyone.

There were so many exciting moments but I would like to share two which stand out in my mind. The first was seeing a pair of necking giraffes. It was a dance of nature that defies description. I could never put the gracefulness and beauty of their actions into words but it was awesome. I never thought about where the term “necking” came from but let me tell you, human beings have nothing on giraffes. I did manage to capture the moment on video and have shared it with many friends who can’t believe the magnificence of it.

The other thrilling moment was meeting the gaze of male lion who walked about two feet from our vehicle. We could almost reach out and touch him. It ranks as one of the most breath-taking and heart-racing encounters I’ve had in my life. But let me reiterate that though it was thrilling, I was never worried about our safety. Our guides were very professional and I trusted them completely.

Finally, please send all my thanks to the many people who helped make our stays at all our accommodations so comfortable. While we stayed at the luxurious Bilila Lodge, the president of Tanzania was also there. So cool. We took an afternoon during our stay there to relax by the pool and enjoy the many diversions on the property.

While at Sametu tented camp, we enjoyed showering under the stars and hearing lions groan in the bushes behind our tents. I would recommend to anyone going to Africa through ADS, to combine a wide range of accommodations because each place we stayed had their own special charm. At all the places we stayed, EVERYONE was friendly and attentive.

Finally, a special thanks to you, Dawn, for always promptly responding to our many questions. concerns and planning the most incredible vacation for us.

Sincerely,

The Brody Family
Wilmette, IL
December 2011

‘Pop Up’ Gina – A Cheetah Video

Check out this thrilling video submitted from Gina Cross, one of our returning safari guests, who has the courage to ‘pop up’ and capture the ending of this amazing video. It’s quite extraordinary how habituated several cheetahs in the Serengeti have become to safari vehicles over the years. This trait is passed down from mother to offspring as young cheetah grow up in the presence of vehicles just as soon as they are old enough to their den. We have been seeing this behavior for at least ten years though it has become more pronounced over the last couple of green seasons.

There are a handful of cheetahs in the Serengeti that our guides know by sight that will exhibit this behavior of jumping on vehicles quite regularly. Our guide Anglebert, featured in the video, is especially adept at getting several cheetahs that he knows quite well to jump on the bonnet of his vehicle. It probably doesn’t hurt that his favorite animal also happens to be the cheetah!

Make sure to watch at about 2 minutes and 53 seconds into the video when the cheetah starts calling to the rest of its family. A cheetah’s vocalization is quite different then other big cats in that it chirps with a bird like call to communicate.  It’s really extraordinary to catch this chirping on video in this fashion. Also, watch at about 3 minutes as the cheetah jumps down from the vehicle to reunite with the rest of her family. Awesome!

Thanks again Gina Cross for sharing this video (and also to Ann Eilert who took the photographs below from a second ADS vehicle). We were certainly impressed to see Gina had the courage to ‘pop up’ as Anglebert said!

Close up shot below of the cheetah peering into the front windshield.

‘Pop Up’?

Way to go Gina!

Have a look under the rear bumper!

Here is ADS guide Anglebert posing with his favorite cheetah. It looks like another rough day in the office!

ADS guides JP and Anglebert content with a great day in the bush!