Posts From January 2011

A 12 Day Safari in the Green Season

To Africa Dream Safaris:

What a wonderful trip of a lifetime your company made possible for us!  We headed to the Serengeti Ecosystem in January of this year for 12 days.  From the moment we met the staff in the airport at Mount Kilimanjaro and on the ground in the Serengeti, we were cared for, entertained and educated.

Our guide was not only an incredible source of information on all the animals and habitats but would hold his own in car rallys! He was fearless on some of the worst ‘roads’; could spot wildlife hundreds of meters away; and cheerfully put up with our misnaming of the wildlife and him!  He gave us many experiences to share with our friends and family at home – especially the 4 flat tires in one day! Even through all that he calmly made sure we were cared for and went about taking care of getting us back on the road.

We stayed in the most wonderfully unique accommodations – tented camps to lodges with the comfort of home, but a bit more excitement when lions are roaring outside and zebra’s grazing on the grounds.

Would we recommend ADS? Absolutely and we already have!  When we show our pictures we inspire another potential customer!

Sincerely,

Deb and Jim Downs and Ron and Doreen Downs
Ontario, Canada
January 2011

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Quote of the Week: Jake and Katie Schneider

We had a wonderful time on our Safari. Everyone involved with ADS was very helpful and attentive. The camps we stayed in were spectacular. While the permanent tented camp at Mbuzi Mawe was spectacular, we especially enjoyed the Lemala mobile tented camps we stayed in which were comfortable and unspoiled. The Lemala staff went out of their way to insure we had everything we could possibly need. We met likeminded people from all over the world at our common dinner table each night. The opportunity to discuss the day’s safari adventures as well as world events was one of many special surprises.

Our driver was very experienced and was also a very interesting and informative man. He knew almost everything about the wildlife we saw and was extremely accommodating to our every request. Our ample boxed breakfasts and lunches were enjoyed each day in some of the most beautiful spots we had ever seen.

We chose to awake every morning at 5:30am so that we could witness the beautiful Serengeti sunrise each day. The morning was always full of surprises with great amounts of animal activity. All our expectations were met as far as the quantity and variety of the wildlife we saw. We very much wanted to see a wildebeest calf being born and, after only one failed attempt, the next morning we were rewarded with an viewing experience we will always remember. That little calf and his mother were both up and walking with the herd in only 5 minutes time. Amazing!

Thanks to everyone at ADS for setting up this wonderful trip which we will long cherish and remember.

Jake and Katie Schneider
January 2011

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Quote of the Week: Subhash and Vera A.

We have been back from our safari for a few days now, and are still very excited with the incredible adventure we had in Tanzania. The trip was much more than we had anticipated, in great part because of your planning and attention to details. Everything worked exactly as you told us it would, from the VIP treatment we received on arrival at Kilimanjaro to the last day when we were dropped back there for the flight home. The local staff was efficient and cordial, and the lodges were excellent, especially the Lake Masek Tented Lodge and the Manor at Ngorongoro. Our guide was absolutely the best. We were very impressed with his knowledge of the flora and fauna of the region, and his enthusiasm was contagious and kept us on the edge of our seats. He was also very attentive to our needs and made sure that we were safe and comfortable the whole time.

Tanzania and its parks were absolutely wondrous – we had an incredible number of animal sightings, a vision of the Serengeti in bloom, a memorable visit with a Masai family and a very informative trip to Olduvai, where an assistant took us down to the gorge and showed us the site where the hominid fossils were found. We also had a chance to visit FAME and were impressed with the work being done there – a good cause for ADS to sponsor.

Once again, we thank you for helping us with this trip – it was a very unique adventure and it will stay with us for a very long time. We have actually already recommended ADS to friends who are in the planning stages of a safari trip. Best regards and ‘asante sana.’

Subhash and Vera A.
January 2011

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Rare African Wild Dogs Spotted

Janet and I just returned from our Safari a couple of weeks ago and we would both like to thank not only you but your organization for what was nothing short of a lifetime experience. From the time we stepped off the plane until we left two weeks later the staff and personnel were right there for us every step of the way. They ensured we had enough food and drink and that all accommodations were properly prepared. The different types of tented camps you recommended were spot on. We especially loved the classic camping and recommend that to anyone, especially where we camped right on the plains. The spectacular view of the migration was right out of a movie.

We cannot say enough about our guide. He was so knowledgeable and always went out of his way to ensure we were well looked after. From the very first day he showed us things we never thought imaginable and we even saw some rare sightings of wild dogs along with enough cheetahs and lions to keep us happy for years. He also taught us a lot about the people and the way they lived, something Janet was especially grateful for learning. If there is ever a person who deserves special recognition it would be him. We would strongly recommend him for any raise if that is possible.

Again thank you for setting us up on this most memorable trip and we both look forward to the next time.

Gary and Janet Tepera
January 2011

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Quote of the Week: Jim and Sandra Moran

You’ve read or heard it all before: ‘The trip was amazing,’ ‘It far exceeded my expectations,’ ‘It was the trip of a lifetime.’ For us, it was all that and more. We never really expected that we would enjoy our safari as much as we did. The worry that it might be like a big open zoo or that it would become monotonous were so far from what the reality was. We’ve been home for a few months now and we can’t stop looking at our photographs and wish that we were back in Tanzania – so much so that we are in the process of booking a return trip to the Serengeti with Africa Dream Safaris.

Africa Dream Safaris takes care of everything. Their incredibly friendly and knowledgeable office staff helped us put together an amazing itinerary and kept in frequent contact with us prior to the safari to provide useful information on what to pack and what to expect. Upon arrival in Tanzania, ADS did everything they stated they would. We were met at the airport, taken to our hotel, picked up the next morning for our flight to the Serengeti, and so on. Their friendly staff in Tanzania was there every step of the way. There were no worries about our contact not showing up or being late.

Then there was our guide. His knowledge of the animals and their behavior, and his enthusiasm and sense of humor made the safari an exceptional experience. It was like he could anticipate where the animals would be and he seemed to always position our vehicle in just the right place for viewing. He could spot animals while driving, where it would take us minutes to spot the animal while using binoculars.

Within minutes of starting our first game drive, we saw our first animals – the amusing warthogs. Within an hour, we saw a large pride of lions. Each day we thought that it couldn’t get any better, but it did. By the end of our 8-day safari, we had seen every animal that we could have expected to see.

We thank every one of the ADS staff that helped make this such a wonderful safari. I would highly recommend Africa Dream Safaris to anyone who wants an exciting, professionally designed, worry-free safari.

Jim and Sandra Moran
January 2011

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