Posts From August 2013

We Would Highly Recommend ADS To Any Family

Our family booked the 9-day package with Africa Dream Safaris and arrived in Tanzania in late July, 2013. Prior to booking with Africa Dream Safaris, we researched many safari outfitters and chose ADS and we were SO glad we did. What a great experience!

Our main concern from the beginning was safety since we were taking our children (ages 18, 14, 11). It truly was one of the best experiences we ever had and it far exceeded our expectations. We met so many people from around the world. Highlights included seeing the Big 5, visiting the Masasi tribe, taking the night drive from the Buffalo Luxury Camp, and taking the hot air balloon over Central Serengeti.

We would highly recommend Africa Dream Safaris to any family. It was safe, dependable, professional, and truly amazing and we loved our guide.

Kevin & Lynn M. & Family
Westminster, Colorado
Safari Dates: July 24, 2013 to August 2, 2013

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Africa Has A Way Of Getting Into Your Heart And Soul.

Amazing trip! Dawn was awesome to work with. She was very patient and answered all of my questions, which were many! She made sure it was our vacation and met all my requests. I really wanted to be in Africa during the full moon and wanted specific tented camps during our stay.

Dawn worked really hard to get everything booked just as I wanted. The first night on our safari we ate dinner under the full moon! It was perfect! We loved everything about our safari. Our guide was awesome and taught us so much about the environment, the animals and the people of Africa.

Our guide Ally told us at the beginning that Africa has a way of getting into your heart and soul. He was absolutely right! We were very sad to see our trip end but we walked away with incredible memories and a vacation of a life time.

One of my most favorite memories was the first morning of our safari waking up to hot coffee being served to our tent. We went outside on the deck to drink the coffee and as soon as we sat down a beautiful giraffe came strolling by right in front of us as if he was saying good morning and welcome to Africa! We had many special moments.

We were fortunate enough to see a lion kill a gazelle. We saw the entire thing from the hunting to the stalking to the kill. It was fascinating. I could not get over the patience of the lion during this process and how she searched for the perfect tree after she caught the gazelle to lay down and begin her feast. We also saw a lion family, the father, mother and two cubes. It was neat watching the family interact, the cubs playing with their mother and the mother taking the cubs to her freshly killed wildebeest to let them eat.

I could not get over the massive amounts of animals we encountered during our safari and how the different animals coexist with each other. You would see zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, gazelles, topies, cape buffalo and hartebeest (and some I am sure I forgot) all in one view. What an incredible sight!

We witnessed part of the great migration as thousand of wildebeest moved in search of green grasses. That was truly amazing. We really enjoyed watching the monkeys and baboons with their babies on their backs, they were very funny. On an early morning drive we saw a bunch of hippos in a single line running down a rapid flowing stream making all their hippo noises! Then watched how they got very territorial with their space as the stream opened up to a pool of water.

One of the places we stayed (Four Seasons Bilila) had a huge watering hole right in front of the swimming pool. Each day herds of elephants would come up and drink out of the watering hole. It was fun watching the baby elephants squeeze in between all the huge elephants to be able to get their small trunks close enough to the water to get a drink. We counted 28 elephants around the watering hole one night as we watched the sun go down.

I cannot forget to mention all the amazing birds in Africa. Some of the birds were extremely large and most of them were very colorful. The visit to the Maasai village was fascinating. They welcomed us with open arms, gave us a tour through one of their homes and performed a special dance with their jumping and rhythmic vocals.

All the tented camps were exactly as described and pictured on the internet. We really enjoyed getting to meet the local people who worked at the camps. Each camp brought a different experience and varying degrees of animals roaming the camps. The quiet mornings were so peaceful and the sunsets were like no other.

We always felt safe and our guide was there every step of the way. I researched a lot of safari outfitters and chose Africa Dream Safaris as a result of my interactions with Dawn and the positive testimonies from other ADS travelers. It truly was a “dream” vacation one we will always cherish. Thanks Dawn for putting together a wonderful trip.

Terrie and John M.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Safari Dates: July 20, 2013 to August 2, 2013

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ADS Gave Us The Experience Of A Lifetime

Our safari was only 2 months ago and it feels like forever since we were there. I look at our pictures almost daily and tell many fond stories to anyone who will listen. My sister, Debbie, had always dreamed of being on safari and she did all of the research for the trip. The minute she found ADS, she called me to tell me, “I have our safari”. Lynn was our safari specialist, and she was a fabulous resource. She truly catered to our wishes and needs in designing our safari.

I can’t find the words to accurately describe our experience and never could have imagined the memories that were made on our trip. Our guide, Michael, never ceased to amaze us. We called him “Eagle Eye Mike” because he’d see things we didn’t even know were anywhere near us.

One day, we spotted a lion couple lounging in a field. He stopped the truck and told us they might be mating. Sure enough, within 10 minutes the mating began. Michael explained to us they they will mate every 15 – 30 minutes for a few days and that they are coupled together for only 15 seconds or so. Michael was extremely knowledgeable and answered every possible question we had (and we had many). If he wasn’t sure of the answer, he would consult one of his many field guides he had in the truck.

We can’t imagine having to share the truck with anyone. It was perfect for the two of us and all of our gear. We could move freely about in order to get the best photo; one of the days Michael must have opened or closed the roof more than 5 times for us. He knew the park like the back of his hand, and for much of the trip it was like the Serengeti was ours alone with no one to get in our way.

After our second day, we thought we had seen it all and figured that the rest of the trip would be low key and uneventful. We couldn’t have been more wrong! Each new day had something new and unique in store for us. At the end of each day, when we reached our camps and lodges, we were treated like royalty. From the moist towels and cool drinks upon arrival, the fabulous meals, and our early morning coffee wake up call, we were spoiled. Then when we were ready to head out again, Michael would have the truck fresh and dust free, waiting to take us where ever we wanted to go.

My sister’s dream was to see giraffes, and that we did. We even saw a baby with its mother and nursing. Come to think of it, we saw young or babies of almost every animal we saw. I’m a science teacher, and the controlled burning, predatory, migratory and mating behaviors, and birds picking the insects off the giraffes will be part of my lessons. How perfect that I have pictures and anecdotes to share with my students.

I could go on and on about our safari, but to sum it up: ADS gave us the experience of a lifetime and when we go back again, my sister will not need to do any research. We already know we will be traveling with Africa Dream Safaris.

Linda J.
New York, New York
Safari Dates: August 1, 2013 to August 10, 2013

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A Father-Daughter Photography Adventure

Our safari was truly an awesome experience and definitely an excellent pick for a father-daughter photography adventure. Immediately after our bush flight into the Serengeti our adventure began and continued all the way up to our departure. Every day held new discoveries. Even if we explored the same area for two days, we spotted new animals interacting in completely different ways. It’s one thing to hear about other peoples’ safaris and how amazing it is to be surrounded by hundreds of animals, but it is entirely different to personally experience it.

Our driver Peter was amazing at simultaneously spotting game in the distance, navigating the roads, and educating us on the nearby animals or current terrain. We definitely learned a lot about wherever we traveled and now possess a plethora of random trivia about African wildlife.

We thought the accommodations along our journey added an adventurous atmosphere to the safari. They perfectly blended the idea of camping in the bush with the comforts of home. The views from many of the campsites were simply astounding. There was definitely a pleasant sense of isolation when you stood outside your tent and realized that the only things you could see were wildlife and savannah.

Sharon & Africa Dream Safaris definitely made this a trip of a lifetime. We already wish we were back on game drives exploring Tanzania.

Caroline and Joe L.
Blue Bell, Pennsylvania
Safari Dates: August 1, 2013 to August 12, 2013

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Simba In The Serengeti

This truly was our dream come true from the animals, to the hotel rooms, to the people that greeted us with a smile. Every single animal on our check sheet we got to happily mark off from the wild dog to the black rhino!

One of my favorite moments was going on the back roads outside of the Serengeti, after a meet and greet with the local village one of the villagers was talking to us about the Wild Dog den up in the mountain. Next thing you know we convinced him to ride with us up the mountain to show us the dog den as soon as we made it to the top of the hill he told us to turn off our engine. Sure enough within a minute a wild dog walked right up to us, then dog clan joined him. It was so amazing to just listen to the animals and watch them interact. Speaking of watching animals interact my favorite thing to do was to pull up next to a family of elephants and just watch them, the babies would run around chasing birds and would often fall down after running in circles it was so entertaining.

Every detail of this trip was so well planned out thanks to Lynn and Africa Dream Safaris. On our anniversary night the cooks came out and danced around our dinner table singing us songs and brought us a cake. It truly was the best way to celebrate our anniversary!

During this trip we were expecting to see 1 or 2 lions on our week long safari but after 3 days and counting over 50 lions we finally gave up counting! We were amazed by the mass amount of animals we found.

We were so happy about all the different animals we learned about on our trip and how informative our guide was he had such a great span of knowledge of every animal out there.
We really hope to go again soon, we already miss the animals and staff.

Taneal and Neil C.
Tulalip, Washington
July 25 to August 3, 2013

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We Ended Up Seeing Two Wildebeest Crossings

Equipped with Sharon’s visionary plan and our driver guild Petro’s extended experiences and great talent with animals, we have just completed our unforgettable African dream safari.

Our trip started from the North Serengeti. Someone told my husband that the chance of seeing the wildebeest crossing Mara river was 15%. We wanted to see it badly. However, we understood perfectly that nothing was guaranteed and a safari trip was supposed to be a surprised one. Petro knew where to take us and how to approach the potential crossing spot and the best time to get closer therefore not to disturb the animals. We ended up seeing two crossings. Second one with more wildebeests and lasted more than ten minutes and very exciting.

Around the Buffalo Spring area, we visited a Maasai village, had a guided nature walk and a night game drive. All the activities were fun and rewarding.

In the central Serengeti area, we saw the chases and hunts by lions, a mama leopard, and a cheetah. Some failed and some succeeded.

In the Ngorongoro Crater, we saw more hyenas than elsewhere. All the animals here seemed braver than those in the Serengeti National park. It is a good chance to take close up pictures of them.
Tarangire guaranteed us with more elephants and lions.

Over all, we have seen all the animals and most of their actions we wanted to see. We saw 65 lions, 5 leopards, 9 cheetahs, a family of African hunting dogs, and countless of a lot of other commonly seen animals and beautiful birds. I believe the land in Tanzania is magical. It became a habit of trying to spy an animal and animal seeing has continued in our dreams. The beauty of the land, people, and animals of Tanzania has printed in our hearts.

Ann W.
Fremont, California
Safari Dates: July 25, 2013 to August 5, 2013

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The People Of Tanzania Were Welcoming, Friendly and Helpful.

Jambo! We had a marvelous time with ADS. Our driver Thompson is the BEST!! I felt like after only after a 3 hour drive that I have seen everything and was thrilled to have 6 more days. Accommodations were 5 star and the staff could not do enough for us. The people of Tanzania were welcoming, friendly and helpful. I would do this again in a heart beat. Thank you Dawn, Thompson and everyone at ADS for a vacation of a lifetime.

Natalia R.
Bradenton, Florida
August 2, 2013 to August 9, 2013

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Better Late Than Never (old Swahili saying)

Just getting around to looking at my photos and enclose a few for you. The little lady in the village is Donna and that is Michael jumping. We couldn’t have been more pleased with our safari and with Russell as our guide. He was the perfect combination of extraordinary knowledge of the flora, fauna and history of the region and a warm, very likeable companion.

We have recommended ADS to many of our friends. Several physicians at our hospital have established a link to the FAME clinic that we visited and we were most impressed with all that ADS gives back to the region with support of the clinic and the local school.

Best wishes, and we hope to join you again in the not too distant future.

Len and Donna W. and Michael W. and Imtiyaz H.
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Safari Dates: August 6, 2013 to August 14, 2013

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Rhino Saved From A Pride Of Hungry Lions

Where do I begin? After months of research, I finally chose ADS as our safari company. I had been on safari twenty five years ago and had some ideas about the kind of safari I wanted. Lynn completely “got” my vision and planned our itinerary and accommodations accordingly. Planning was a breeze!

We were completely taken care of from landing in Kilimanjaro to our final flight out to Cape Town. The staff was very professional.

I thought since I had been on safari before, I knew what to expect. I was so wrong. Our first day we saw hippos, zebras, elephants and so much more! Our guide Pokea not only showed us the stunning wildlife, he talked about the flora and fauna as well. We saw more animals in the first couple of days than I saw on my entire safari twenty five years ago-including many that I had never seen before.

One of the many things we really liked about our guide was his deep respect for the animals. The only time he disturbed the wildlife was when he actually saved a rhino from being eaten by a pride of hungry lions. Very exciting! He was so skilled at finding the animals, it was uncanny. He was the perfect fit for our family even down to his sense of humor. Our night drive was highlighted by 100 cape buffalo crossing in front of our car, a rare bush Hyrax and a Carical.

The accommodations were all lovely, Lion’s Paw was everyone’s favorite. Amazing location, attentive staff, Water Buck and Zebra in the bushes and the Tropical Boo Boo bird with its many voices. The ‘treehouses’ at Kokoti were such fun.

I will definitely be recommending ADS to all of my friends, they gave our family the trip of our dreams and memories that will last a lifetime.

Thank you!!
Jim and Tori O.
Rosie (Age 15) and Alice (Age 13) O.
San Rafael, California
Safari Dates: July 22, 2013 to August 1, 2013

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By Russell T. Temu – Wildebeest Crossing Highlights in August.

Hello from Arusha, Tanzania. My name is Russell Thomas Temu, a senior guide with ADS, and I am submitting my August bush report after 9 days on safari with a wonderful family of six by name of Leonard W. Family and Friends.

We safari our started in the Northern Serengeti along the Mara River after my guests landed at the Kogatende airstrip. We really focused on seeing wildebeest crossings along the Mara river and luckily we found three amazing crossings. During two of the crossings we watched a Nile Crocodile killing wildebeests.

Below are the highlights of the 9 day safari starting on August 6, 2013 and ending on August 14, 2013.

One of the big herds of wildebeest crossing the Mara River in the Northern Serengeti.

Wildebeest Crossing in a massive herd viciously.

Right side wildebeest caught by a Nile Crocodile.

A nile crocodile behind a line of wildebeest drowned and swimming off with a wildebeest tail.

A black backed Jackal preying on a helpless live baby wildebeest.

Some wildebeest crossing while big herd keep coming.

Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture drying up its wing feathers.

Spitting Cobra escaped to be killed by Brown Snake Eagle.

Long tusked bull elephant in the Ngorongoro Crater.

598: Tree Agama Lizard male advertising its territory.


601: Mother and her calf black Rhinos in the crater.

Regards,

Russel Thomas Temu.
ADS Guide.

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By Arnold Y. Mushi With Group of Four Guests From Connecticut

Jambo Everyone! This is Arnold Mushi, head guide with ADS, and I submitted my bush report for my most recent safari with 4 guests from Connecticut named Carol, Jane, Robert and Linda D. The safari dates were August 4th, 2013 to August 14th, 2013. We spent 6 nights in the Serengeti (Sametu, Lemala Mara and Buffalo Camps), 2 nights at the Ngorongoro Crater (Lion’s Paw Camp) and 2 nights in Tarangire (Kikoti Camp).

The trip was really very good and it was a very good time to start from the northern side of Serengeti and have the chance to see crossing of the Mara river. This was more than one time and the guests enjoy very much to see this.

Coming to Lobo valley we got the chance to see a very big pride of lions on the top of the one of the very big rock in Lobo and they had prey next to them. We didn’t have the chance to see them make the kill. They had almost finished have the carcass and they also killed a buffalo not far away.

Coming down to the Central Serengeti got the chance of seen three leopards including one female and two cubs very close from the road. They walked across the road and jumped up on a sausage tree.

The crater was also good as we saw three rhinos but not very close and more than ten lionesses with four male lions feeding on a buffalo, as well. This was very close to the Munge river in the crater. Lake Manyara was also very good site because we saw a big numbers of buffaloes, wildebeests, zebras, and baboons.

In Tarangire at Silale Swamp we spotted a female leopard with two cubs and also saw a very big python up on a black barked acacia tree. Also, a Serval cat around Silale Swamp and big numbers of zebras and wildebeests along Tarangire River.

Close to Lemala camp at the northern Serengeti we saw a lioness drag half of the body of a wildebeest but unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to see her make the kill.

The hyena chase of a very big herd of wildebeests and four hyenas took one them from the herd and made a kill. We stayed at the site for almost 3 hours to watch the whole action and the hyena starting to feed on it before the wildebeest died. We stayed their util the Vultures started to come along with Marabou Storks.

Thus, the pictures include: The hyena site when made the kill of a wildebeest, Lionesses with male lions at Simba Kopjes area, Lion pride at Ngorongoro Crater, Elephants at Silale Swamp, Elephant Site at the Tarangire river area, Serval cat at Tarangire, Warthog crossing the road, A python at black backed acacia tree at the Silale Swamp, An elephant at the northern Serengeti, After nesting cubs lioness drink water at the Nyamalumbwa area, Male lion rest up on the one of the Kopjes at lobo valley, A lioness drag the prey close to lemala camp – Mara river, Lions rest at the Kopjes at lobo valley, Two cubs have the view on the top of Kopjes at lobo valley, Crossing at Mara river takes about two hours, The pride rest under gardenia bush, Lioness with cubs relax and cubs nesting.

Thanks,

Arnold Y. Mushi,
ADS Guide.

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By Emmanuel Kichao and Francis Peter – Field Experience

Greetings from Tanzania. This is ADS Driver-Guide Francis and Emmanuel reporting in. We just finished our safari with a group of 11 people from Texas. The first destination was Ngorongoro Crater/towards Serengeti. We experienced an overwhelming amount of game viewing.

The climate was so welcoming as we found the animals all over the crater but the interesting sight for the first day was the resident pride of lions.  They were along Munge river and they were killing a full size of african cape buffalo. The incident  occurred down to the river which caused the lions to work hard to pull out the prey from the river. Not only that but also they were surrounded by a large group of hyenas.

We proceeded towards Serengeti as it was arranged. Weather was was dry, sunny, and dusty across the plains. We had a lot of different and unique sights. We came across a black rhinoceros which is unusual in the Central Serengeti, but it seemed that this was one which escaped from the rhino project area south of Seronera in the Moru Kopjes. As we were there we saw the rangers were coming and tried to chase him back to his original place.

We extended further north which is buffalo springs camp where by we shared cultural tourism with Maasai.  They organized traditional dancing and showing us how to milk the cows and drinking the blood from the cows.

Here with are some pictures to accompany the story above.

With Regards,

Emmanuel Kichao and Francis Peter,
ADS Guides

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An Unforgettable Safari – August 2nd to August 12th, 2013

Greetings from Tanzania. It is your friendly driver-guides Raphael Mollel and Francis Peter from Africa Dream Safaris reporting after the conclusion of another successful safari to the famous safari circuits of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Ecosystems. This time we guided a family of seven persons from Pelham, New York. This family included three generations with the grandparents Brian and Barbara, parents Greg and Lara and the kids named Marnie, Ian and Clare who ranged in age from 8 years to 14 years old. We utilized 2 vehicles to give our guests the most flexibility on their game drives and activities.

We started in the North Serengeti on August 2nd, 2013 when we picked up the guests at the Mara River Kogatende Airstrip. The North Serengeti is where the great migration is currently located and we saw the wildebeests and zebras crossing the Mara River. Apart from the migration we saw a lot of other animals including buffaloes, topi, elands, cheetahs, hartebeests, thomson gazelles, hyenas etc. Also, we saw three cheetah cubs of about 6 months old hunting a baby impala and they succeeded. What we believe is that probably their mother died or she came into estrus and abandoned them, though it was not a right time as cheetah cubs dont usually come into independence until they are about 18 months old.

In the Loliondo game reserve, which is adjacent to the Serengeti, we visited a Maasai village and we enjoyed very much seeing their culture. The dancing was amazing and the Maasai warriors were jumping very high and we tried it, but we didn’t succeed. Around the nearby Lobo Valley circuit we saw a leopard on the rock and he was surprisingly not skittish. Also, we saw three cheetah brothers along the road and their stomach were full (they had eaten recently).

In the central part of Serengeti, especially retima hippo pool, there were a lot of hippos (more than 200), as well dozens of lions around the Seronera valley. In the Ngorongoro crater we saw 6 big male lions and a couple of lions mating.

Lake Manyara National Park has an abundance of primates including troops of baboons, blue monkeys, black faced vervet monkeys and other animals like giraffes, elephants, impala etc. Also, the park is famous for its diversity of birds inlcuding white pelicans, Egyptian gooses, Africa jakana etc.

Tarangire National Park was fabulous because it’s a park with a higher concentration of elephants than any other park in Tanzania, especially in the dry season when a mini-migration takes place. Silale Swamp was especially good as it was full of elephants drinking and bathing.

The following are some of the photos taken during our trip with this family from August 2nd to August 12th, 2013.

Thanks,

Raphael Mollel and Francis Peter
ADS Guides.

A male lion in the crater stopping to itch the ADS lion logo on the spare tires (we see this behavior frequently as the lions appear attracted to our company logo)

This reflection of a hyena was taken in north Serengeti.

The hunting dog (wild dog) around buffalo camp, North Serengeti

This male cheetah was enjoying the late afternoon sun

A lion cub on a log in the Central Serengeti

Zebras in the crater were scratching but they looked like they were listening to something. It was very amusing!

Teenager bull elephants playing in Silale Swamp, Tarangire National Park

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By Anglebert Pantaleo – Five nights on the Serengeti Plains

Jambo again. This is ADS driver-guide Anglebert Pantaleo reporting from the Serengeti plains. I had had five adventurous nights with a family 4 adults from Alabama, USA (Angelo and Beverly C. and Haywood and Stephanie B.). This time we started our trip at the northern part of Serengeti for two nights at BushTops Camp, two nights at Buffalo Camp, and one night at the Serengeti Four Seasons. The Mara area, Lamai triangle and Nyamalumbwa plains were amazing. There were huge herds of gnus and zebras at Lamai triangle and they were all heading east to the Nyamalumbwa plains. We saw them crossing the river twice and that was one of the highlights of the safari. Another highlights we had during the trip was a baby leopard (see picture below) we spotted in the Seronera valley of the Central Serengeti. The baby was so close to the road and we had great photo ops. Again I would like to share with you three of my pictures I took with this family of 4 persons while on safari. The safari dates were July 28th to August 2nd, 2013.

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By Claude Shitindi – My Bush Report For August 2013

Habari (Howdy)! This is ADS driver-guide Claude. I have just finished a wonderful trip that we started with the most diverse and active circuit of the Serengeti (Kogatende and Mara river). The Northern Serengeti was great with large herds of migration, crocodiles, big cats (lions, leopards and cheetahs) and other species of large game were seen in abundance.

We went to Lobo Valley (North East Serengeti) which was a little scattered with game but the sightings we found were amazing. Beautiful leopards, elephants etc.

The central Serengeti (Seronera valley) including Moru Kopjes and  Sametu Kopjes was stunning. It is very dry now in the central Serengeti especially to the south, but along the streams and marshes and around the kopjes we had great wildlife viewing.

After the Serengeti, we visited Ngorongoro and Tarangire with beautiful sights of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes and  greater Kudu…fantastic! In all the circuits in Northern Tanzania, Tarangire National Park is the only place one can spot a greater Kudu.

I hope you enjoy my pictures below. I certainly enjoyed taking them!

Regards,

Claude Shitindi.
ADS Guide.

The Great Migration at the Sand River, North Serengeti.

Giraffes browsing in the Central Serengeti.

This is a klipspringer seen here grazing.

Elephants going for a drink near Lobo hill (shown in the background)

At Lobo valley in the North Serengeti, we came across these leopards (mother and cub).

A nervous black rhino crossing behind our vehicle on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Elephant in the Mara River.

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