Year: 2008

Quote of the Week: Angela and Bob Forwood

We had a GREAT time on our safari. I cannot think of a single thing that could have been better. [Our guide] was a fantastic guide and consummate professional. He was very flexible with the schedule and went out of his way to ensure we saw as much as we could. His knowledge of the animal, birds, and plants is just amazing. He is a walking encyclopedia! Thank you so much for the work you put into making our vacation and anniversary very special.

Angela and Bob Forwood
December 2008

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Quote of the Week: Mark, Liz, Ian, Nicole, Stephanie and Lucas Neal

Our family of 6 has traveled to Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Canada and several places in the US. The Trip to the Serengeti was above all expectations. Everything, and we mean, everything went well. From the staff that met us in Arusha, to the people that worked in the luxury tented lodge, to the fabulous guide that we had in the Serengeti, everything was fantastic. Within two hours of landing in the Serengeti, we saw The Migration, hippos, giraffes and lions. Our guide was able to provide excellent service to us as adults, as well as our children ages 11 to 17. He was extremely knowledgeable of the animal behavior and the culture of the habitants of the region, was accommodating, engaging, polite and always on time. It was definitely voted by our family as the best vacation yet.

Mark, Liz, Ian, Nicole, Stephanie and Lucas Neal
December 2008

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Quote of the Week: Marcia Dudash and the Dudash Family

I must say the safari my family went on in December 2008 was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. The lodging we stayed in, from private camps to luxury hotels, the (incredibly) knowledgeable guide we had, and the scenery/wildlife we saw (and learned about), was more than ever imagined. I can tell you that is the truth from the memories and pictures we brought back. Words really cannot describe our experience! I’ve attached some of the incredible sights we saw, including one that was never mentioned in any tour book or website due the extremely rare nature of the animal… the Pangolin! [see attached photo] Thank you ADS for making this the most memorable vacation to date!

Marcia Dudash and the Dudash family
December 2008

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Quote of the Week: Deidre Bridges and Family

All of us had the absolute BEST time. ADS is AWESOME! We had complete confidence in everyone we met. The Tanzanian people are delightful – we would be wise to treat one another the way they treat people. [Our guide] was PERFECT for our family – the ideal mix of guide/teacher/humorist/skill and expertise. Everyone loved him. The animals are amazing. The scenery is amazing. How the raw strength and power of the larger animals [like lions] contrasted with their lazy afternoons of lounging and sleeping just boggles my mind. How can animals that dangerous look like you could just reach out and scratch them behind the ears so much of the time?? We saw every animal we hoped to see. [Our guide’s] love for the land and the animals was evident and quite touching. I don’t know what could have possibly made our trip any better. I just can’t thank you enough for everything.

Deidre Bridges and Family
November 2008

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Quote of the Week: Sandra and Vahakn Hoogerwerf

We simply had a wonderful time in Tanzania. The trip exceeded our expectations perhaps because it is simply impossible to imagine such an amazing service by such wonderful people in the most beautiful environment one can imagine. […] In terms of the wildlife, we saw every animal we wanted to see. We saw over 50 lions, multiple cheetahs and leopards. We saw lion cubs and cheetah cubs. We saw a cheetah killing a Thompson gazelle. We saw rhinos, serval cats, ostriches and their little chicks, mating turtles, eland, genet cat, hyrax, hyenas and their cubs, an African hare, bat-eared foxes, kudu, many, many birds and many, many elephants, giraffes, the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra and much, much more. We saw a pack of 9 wild dogs and even saw a black mamba up close and personal!

Many past customers have commented on their guides and we can only echo the general sentiment on how amazing the guides are. Our guide was just such a pleasure to be traveling with. He has an amazing ability for spotting animals and predicting and explaining their behavior. We learned so much from him and he added a tremendous enjoyment to our safari. He has an incredible appreciation and love for the wildlife in his country. We loved how he would not only teach us about all creatures great and small but also about birds and plants and foot prints in the sand. Or how he would spot a small dung beetle pushing a big ball of dung. Or how he spotted a leopard sleeping in a bird’s nest in the top of a tree. He took such great care of us! He was such a big component of our trip and made it as much an unforgettable experience as the wildlife we saw. […]

We were a bit skeptical before we left about all those wonderful customer quotes but now we understand and we are joining the list of ADS supporters. ADS, you guys are great. Asante!!

Sandra and Vahakn Hoogerwerf
November 2008

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Quote of the Week: Maurine Juarez

We loved our Tanzania Safari. The accommodations were wonderful, and we especially liked the tented camps. The African people in and outside the lodges were so gracious. We saw so many beautiful animals. This trip was an adventure of a life time and my heart will always be in Africa.

Maurine Juarez
November 2008

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Quote of the Week: Abby King

I have dreamed of Africa since I was teenager and this experience was a lifetime highlight. I will never forget the feeling of standing up with my head through the roof of the Land Rover, hanging onto the roll bars until my arms were sore, looking at a landscape beautiful beyond description, with a front row seat to wildlife living out their daily existence thinking…this is it… I am really finally here. Thank you ADS for helping to make my dream a reality. Now the dream is of one day returning to this spectacular place.

Abby King
October 2008

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Quote of the Week: Bill and Terri Long

We had high expectations for our private safari but we were overwhelmed by how much the trip exceeded our highest expectations. Every aspect of the trip was handled with great professionalism, from our arrival to our accommodations and most wonderfully by our driver guide. The wealth of knowledge and energy by our driver was truly amazing. We didn’t expect to spend our safari with a true “professor” and naturalist… we learned so much about the wildlife and culture of Tanzania. We are photography buffs and we had no idea that we would be treated to the amazing photographic opportunities we had. Many of our photos are National Geograghic quality. We could not have been more pleased with our trip. Anyone contemplating a safari would be wise to take advantage of the high level of expert advice and the quality personnel that is Africa Dream Safaris. It was truly our dream come true. Thanks to all your staff for their professional and caring service.

Bill and Terri Long
October 2008

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Quote of the Week: Marsha and Tom Fisher

We wanted to let you know that we had a fantastic time on the safari! It was so much more than we ever expected. To see so many animals in one area was truly amazing. Our guide was wonderful. He knows how to find animals. We were constantly surprised to be driving down a dirt road, he would be talking to us about the animals, flora, or some information about Tanzania, when he would stop the Range Rover and say “look to the right about 100 feet, there is a pride of lions under those bushes”. We could not see them with our eyes until we looked very hard.

Your staff in Tanzania was great. We were well looked after. They really care. The accommodations were great. We really enjoyed the Private Luxury Camping. What an experience being the only ones at a site! We are so happy that we used your services, especially after watching the larger tour groups who probably saw less because they had to travel together. Thank you!

Marsha and Tom Fisher
October 2008

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Quote of the Week: Leslie Grossman

Whatever expectations I had before leaving were totally blown out of the water once we got to Kilimanjaro… [The ADS staff] are so competent and caring and made me feel so welcome. And that just set the tone for the rest of the trip. [Our guide] is a remarkable man. I gather from all the customer comments that all of your guides are wonderful, and I know my only experience was with [our guide], but my gosh, he is amazing. His passion for and love of his country and its fauna and flora is his gift to those of us privileged to have him as a guide and mentor. I felt totally safe, totally taken care of, totally in awe of the amount of animals [our guide] was able to find, he has a 6th sense for that. We spoke with [non-ADS] people in the lodges who hadn’t seen nearly the amount of animals that we had […] After having dreamed of going to Africa for as long as I have memory, your amazing company and staff made this woman’s dream come true!! How do I thank someone for that? Words seem so small, but they are all I have, so from my entire being, heart and soul I thank you so much.

Leslie Grossman
September- October 2008

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Quote of the Week: Jackie Cooper

I was looking forward to seeing some wonderful African birds on our trip, and bought a book to “study up” beforehand. I am an intermediate “birder” and was so grateful to our guide for his knowledge of the birds of Tanzania. I saw 105 species I had never seen before! We had a private tour, and were able to stop (engine off/ no shaking – which we appreciated!) at every opportunity to look at the birds, take photos, and refer to our guidebooks. Obviously, we loved all the larger animals as well – but what a treat to see the beautiful small creatures of Africa. It added another dimension to our fantastic trip. My favorites: the Kori Bustard in mating form (neck puffed, tail up) and the Lilac-breasted roller. That’s what I loved about Africa Dream Safaris – the ability to “tailor” our trip to our interests!

Jackie Cooper
September 2008

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Quote of the Week: Jeff and Mary Pines

We would like to thank you and all of the staff at Africa Dream Safaris for making our first African experience so wonderful. We were awestruck at every turn – each location brought new sights and adventures. We appreciated the meticulous attention to detail – from the planning stages, through the local staff in Tanzania who met us in Arusha and immediately made us feel welcome, and throughout our exceptional safari. We were especially interested in exploring the birdlife and our guide far exceeded our expectations by introducing us to over 140 new species of birds. We also enjoyed learning about the many kinds of plants and animals native to Tanzania and their relationship to the people and environment. At each of our overnight accommodations we were greeted warmly and treated to delicious meals, gorgeous scenery, and helpful staff. The opportunities to meet and visit with individuals from several different cultures made our experience truly authentic. The balloon safari and walking safaris provided us the chance to see the wildlife from a different perspective. We would highly recommend Africa Dream Safaris to anyone considering a trip to Northern Tanzania.

Jeff and Mary Pines
August-September 2008

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Quote of the Week: Colleen and Roland Baker

The trip was like no other! From day one, from the moment we left the airport, we were amazed by where we were and by what we saw and by the amazing wonderful Tanzanians. Gosh, it was just over the top, all the way through. We have to acknowledge our guide….just amazing how full of information that young man is, and so patient, and almost having a 6th sense as to where the animals are. He has a wonderful sense of humor too. We saw amazing animals…..a leopard dangling on a tree branch, another leopard sleeping out in the open on a kopje with her 2 babies nearby, a black rhino, a teeny teeny baby elephant with mother, young male lions under a bush eating a water buffalo (that crunching sound will stay with us forever!), a pride of 10-11 lions sleeping under bushes after gorging themselves on a zebra (only the skeleton remained) and a water buffalo (half of it remained), a cheetah on a termite hill, a herd of wildebeest running through the dried lake at the Crater, the bazillions of wildebeest up at the Mara River, and all those birds everywhere. […] This trip has provided us with stories for a lifetime….we only hope we don’t tire out our audiences. Thank you so much for everything.

Colleen and Roland Baker
September 2008

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Quote of the Week: Linda and Mike G.

The plane ride from Arusha to the Northern Serengeti was a scene we will never forget. Having that included with the trip was spectacular. We got to see a whole new perspective of Tanzania and visualize where we will soon explore. The second we landed, [our guide] greeted us with a big smile. We started driving and ended up seeing zebras, giraffes, baboons, buffalo, wildebeest, leopards and lions within two hours. We couldn’t believe it and we jokingly asked [our guide] “now what are we going to see, we weren’t expecting this all in one day, let alone our first day?” Not only did we see all the animals on our handy checklist that ADS provided us, we also saw how the ecosystem revolved on how the plant life was not only beautiful landscape but provided survival to the animals. Just watching the cycle of life with animals among animals and animals among the natural habitat of the land was intriguing. [Our guide] knew everything! We were impressed by his knowledge of everything around us. At the end of our trip we consider him a friend. He was so kind and accommodating.

I can’t say enough about the animals we saw…I could write pages and pages and that is why I highly recommend for whoever is even thinking of going with ADS, you will just have to find out for yourself. The pictures alone on the website and the pictures we took on our own are a testament to what you really see. […] Thank you so much for providing us a trip of a life time and memories that will always last. We look forward to another trip to Tanzania with ADS!

Linda and Mike G.
Aug/Sept 2008


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Quote of the Week: Lana and Tim Davis

Africa Dream Safaris is poorly named – it should be ‘Africa Fantastic, Unbelievable Safaris’. From the moment we landed, the people who took care of us went above and beyond. Our guide was wonderful, the accommodations excellent and the food extraordinary. And we saw much, much more than we expected. We are both in our sixties with hip replacements and I am a Type 1 diabetic so we were apprehensive about taking this trip. What a waste of emotional energy! Everything was perfect! Because we chose to, we left at dawn every day and returned just before sundown – I’d go back tomorrow and do it the same way. […] If you want a truly personalized, fantastic safari, choose Africa Dream Safaris.

Lana and Tim Davis
August 2008

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