Our Safari Was The Trip Of A Lifetime

Our safari with ADS was more than we could have hoped for. Lynn was extremely helpful in planning the trip, making the arrangements and giving us many suggestions on what to bring and how to pack. We flew Delta from Tampa to Atlanta to Amsterdam and then KLM to Arusha (Kilimanjaro) airport and arrived May 16. We were met at the airport by an ADS representative and taken through Tanzanian immigration. The ADS meet and greet team picked us up and transported us to our hotel in Arusha luxurious Mt. Meru Hotel.

The following morning, we flew to the Grumeti airstrip in the northwest Serengeti where we met our driver/guide, David. We began our first game drive with David and saw Nile crocodiles and a monitor lizard in the Grumeti River, impala, topi, a lioness, black faced monkeys, and warthogs. Continuing on, we saw a leopard tortoise, Cape buffalo, zebras, giraffes, ostriches before arriving at the Serengeti Soroi Lodge for our first night in the field.

The Lodge, while not conveniently located as it was a 45 minute drive from the main road, was our favorite hotel. With the cottages located on the side of the hill, we felt we were part of the Serengeti but safe from animals. Our accommodations were wonderful and the food and service were 5-star. We also enjoyed our stays at the Mbuzi Mawe Tented Lodge and the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. Both were wonderful as well and food and service was 5 star.

Each day proved to be as exciting as the last with a never ending view of the Serengeti (endless plains) and sightings of lions, leopards, giraffes, wildebeest migrations, zebras, elephants, cheetahs, buffalo, black rhinos, baboons, Grants and Thompson’s gazelles, eland, jackals, hippos, hyenas, and the many varieties of beautiful birds. We especially like the superb blue starlings and crowned cranes.

David was an expert at locating and identifying all animals, birds, trees, and flowers. He outdid himself in finding elephants (my favorite), cheetahs, black rhinos, and leopards. He was extremely helpful in organizing our daily game drives and made sure we were happy with our accommodations. We had a boxed breakfast and lunch for many of our game drives, and he always found a good place for us to eat. We especially enjoyed eating on the gong rock at the Moru Kopjes.

David paid attention to the land cruiser and each morning, it was clean and supplied with bottled water, soda and cookies. He was always smiling and attentive to our needs. We would recommend ADS to anyone who wants a personalized and unforgettable safari. For us our safari was the trip of a lifetime and exceeded our expectations.

Bonnie and John S.
Brooksville, Florida
Safaris Dates: May 16-23, 2013