AAC Privately Guided trips with our Tanzania Guides

Migration Safari Guided by Emmanuel Mkenda

Dear Lynne and team,

There are not enough words to describe our safari in Tanzania. What an incredible experience. Every single day Teresa and I were in awe on what we were able to observe, see and experience. All made possible by our experienced and knowledgeable guide Emmanuel Mkenda. ‘Mkenda’ was not only the “Best Guide Ever” he was just as excited as we were to observe animals, see new scenery, take spectacular pictures, laugh and talk and just have a Wonderful time. Mkenda went above and beyond to allow us a safari of a lifetime. He treated Teresa and I as though we were his family. I can not express enough of my gratitude to him for such a fabulous experience.

Every single place that we stayed the staff were incredibly friendly and professional. All were able to provide us with outstanding service and care. I just wish we could have stayed longer!

My experience with Africa Adventure Company from the initial contact to the end of our trip has been nothing but exceptional. Everyone that I have dealt with has been helpful, professional and easy to work with.

I Thank you Lynne, all of your staff and Mkenda for everything!

Best Regards,

Jacqui Sepaniac, Sep 2019

The Best of Tanzania’s Northern Circuit guided by Hillary Mandia

Hi Kyle,

Trip was absolutely phenomenal.

Thanks for everything.

BTW … I vote Hillary Mandia guide of the year … but that’s my bias.  Can’t say enough good things about him.  From the very beginning he treated us like friends.

Jay Pederson, Aug 2019

Private Family Safari guided by Servuli Harri

Hi Mark,

We are back after an amazing month of traveling with our boys.  Thank you for all of your help in organizing our visit in Tanzania.  We had an amazing time.  I wanted to share with you a little feedback that I hope you will find useful…

Servuli, our Tanzanian safari guide, was amazing.  He seemed to know everything and was able to answer all of our questions.  He worked very hard to find and point out everything we wanted to see.  We had extremely close encounters with cheetahs as one hopped onto our truck for a face to face encounter with our youngest.  Our trek to see the crossing on the Mara was anti-climatic since the wildebeests refused to cooperate.  But, I must say that Servuli was far more patient then we were.  He continued to do everything possible for us to experience the crossing and keep us motivated after we had giving up hope.  We had a lot of very long driving days and he was always upbeat and positive and ready for the next adventure.  I can’t say enough about him and highly recommend him to any of your clients…

Overall, tremendous trip and we thank you for an incredible experience again.  We would certainly recommend Africa Adventure to friends and family and we will all carry some incredible memories with us.

Regards,

Gary and Lydia Kris, Jul 2019

East African Journeys Guided by Hillary Mandia

We have returned from Africa.

Let me start by saying this was THE.BEST.VACATION.EVER!!!  From beginning to end, we were cared for and catered to.  I can now admit I was extremely hesitant on traveling to Africa, however it was first on my husband’s bucket list.  I had a lot of reservations before we went, but now I’m asking my husband about “when we return.”  And there is no doubt we will again leave our trip in your very capable hands. All of your company’s information, instruction, etc was truly helpful, and we feel we packed perfectly for this trip.  Some specific feedback:

Arusha Coffee lodge was lovely.  Great accommodations.  Mostly just rested there, and didn’t even go off property.  It was perfect for what we needed it for, and that was simply recovering from jet lag.  Hillary Mandia was our guide for the next five days – he met us promptly and during our time with him, he was a consummate professional.  Warm, engaging, knowledgeable.  We would specifically ask for him again…

From the time we de-planed in Africa until the time we left, we were greeted, met, taken to locations, on time, and with flawless service…However, it was all a great experience, and we are now in love with Africa.  The people there are amazing–at least the ones we met.

Thank you for making our adventure an unforgettable one, in the very best way possible.  I would highly recommend you to anyone, and already have!

Thanks again.

John and Dawn Lotshaw, July 2019

March Safari for the Jennifer Nam Party Guided by Hillary Mandia

I met Jennifer and Adam on the 18^th and the following day, after breakfast, we left the surroundings of Ngorongoro and drove to Serengeti. Due to the bad condition of the road, and to give us more time on our way to the park, we decided to take picnic lunch to accommodate the situation.

We had a stop at Oldupai Gorge where they enjoyed and appreciated the visit. We continued to the Serengeti, and on the way, we had an outstanding sighting: a cheetah posing along the road. We were also lucky to spot a mother lion and her two cubs feeding on a wildebeest carcass. Other interesting sightings included few groups of wildebeests and zebras among other ungulates.

The other two days spent in Serengeti were very fruitful as we were lucky to spot a leopard walking on the road, two lion kills at the same scene. The most interesting was the big herd of migration along Seronera Valley. It looked dry in this area but we could see that the rain was coming.

On the 22nd, I took them to the airstrip for their flight to Mara and another great experience ahead. We said goodbye to each other. The safari was short but successful.

March Safari for the Dick Sumberg Family Guided by Hillary Mandia

Day 1: This morning, after breakfast, we left the beautiful surroundings of Mount Meru Game Lodge and drove towards Ngorongoro. Our drive was relaxing as we encountered beautiful landscapes and some small animals sighting including birds species along the way. We made it to the Ngorongoro Crater in time for lunch and after eating, everyone was ready for an afternoon game drive.

The drive in the crater was very successful as we were lucky to spot quite a few animals including 6 lions, 4 rhinos but not close enough for perfect pictures. Time forced us to drive back to the lodge allowing time to rest and enjoy the lodge.

Day 2: This morning we had an early breakfast served from the lodge and by 6:45am we were ready to start our full day of game viewing in the Ngorongoro Crater. The weather was great with beautiful clear sky. The first 4 hours were very fruitful and the highlight was two different prides of lions near the hippo pool. Two big elephants were also part of our success.  Following our picnic lunch everyone seemed satisfied with the day of game viewing and we drove back to the lodge. The rest of the day was spent practicing throwing spear for the men while the ladies experienced bead work with Maasai women. Then cocktails followed.

Day 3: We left the Ngorongoro Crater and drove to the Ndutu area of the Serengeti. The drive was smooth and we had a stop at the Oldupai Gorge where the clients really appreciated the visit. Visiting the museum was good but the highlight was a stop at Shifting Sand. We arrived at the Serengeti Under Canvas Camp in time for lunch, and in the evening, we had an excellent game drive where the cheetahs attempted to hunt without success.

Day 4: Today we stared our day very early to avoid the heat as well as the heavy dust. We had another fruitful morning from various sightings including a pride of 4 lions eating a wildebeest probably killed earlier in the morning, and mother cheetah with 5 cubs hardly aged 2 months. Other interesting sightings included lions and cubs, wildebeest migration and bird species.

Day 5: This morning was our last game drive in the Serengeti, so we decided to take lunch with us after an early breakfast served from the camp. We had only one mission – finding the great migration. After few hours of enjoying game on the way, we ended up spending 3 hours with a big herd of wildebeests crossing small lakes around Hidden Valley. This was the highlight of the day and after lunch we spent our time with endless herds of zebras. We returned to the camp earlier to allow enough time for sundowner in the Serengeti woodland.

Day 6: This morning we started our day a bit later at 9:00 and drove to the airstrip. The flight came earlier than expected, and the clients were ready. We say goodbye and it was a bit sad to leave those friendly clients. The clients are third time repeaters and they marked the trip as the most successful one.

February Safari for Seth Medwick – Privately Guided by Daniel Nyamoga

Day 1: I met Seth at the Arusha Coffee Lodge and after briefing we departed to Tarangire National Park. We had lunch at the Tarangire Safari Lodge and continued to Tarangire Treetops Camp with a game drive on the way. We saw a lot of elephants.

Day 2: This morning we departed with a packed picnic lunch and started our day by encountering 3 lionesses walking in a line. It was the highlight of our day. The elephants in the Silale Swamp were just amazing. Seth loved them.

Day 3: Today we departed Tarangire and drove to Gibbs Farm for lunch and a farm walk. We also visited the Iraqw Centre in Karatu where we enjoyed the experience. This was the highlight of the day. The evening was spent at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

Day 4: Today was our full day in the Ngorongoro Crater.  As usual, it never disappoints. We had some wonderful sightings down there but the most interesting one was spotting a black rhino.

Day 5: Today we had a stop at Oldupai Museum on our way to the Serengeti. We drove down to the gorge to see the excavation site. It was something unique as few visitors take the time to visit the site.

Day 6: A great day in the Serengeti with tree-climbing lionesses. And lot of other game.

Day 7: For the last safari day, we were lucky to see a family of cheetah (a female with four sub-adult cubs). They came very close. It was a fantastic experience. Later on, as we were driving back to the camp, totally satisfied with what we saw, we encountered a leopard, walking along the road, a big male. It was a great end to our day and our safari.

Day 8: Seth caught his flight from Serengeti to Arusha on time and returned back home later in the evening.

African Journeys Safari to Kenya and Tanzania guided by Emmanuel Mkenda

Dear Lynne, Jessica et al:

Let me begin by saying that our trip met or exceeded our expectations in all respects.  All of our accommodations were first rate and all of our arrangements went off without a hitch.  Marilyn and I were delighted to have chosen the flexibility of a private tour and to have had the benefit of your detailed advice and planning.  More specifically:

Starting our trip in Tanzania with Emmanuel Mkenda as our guide for six days was a great gift or stroke of luck. When we met Mkenda at the Kilimanjaro airport we instantly developed a rapport that continued throughout our time together.  It’s hard to imagine having a more personable, knowledgeable, thoughtful and enthusiastic guide.  As we conversed and got acquainted during our 180 km drive from Kilimanjaro to the Escarpment Lodge, Mkenda proved to be knowledgeable about a wide array of subjects ranging from geology to geo-politics.

When I mentioned having had a geography book as a child in which modern-day Tanzania was then known as Tanganyika, he launched into a full-blown history of colonialism in East Africa, the merger of Tanzania and Zanzibar in the 1960s, and the country’s political history since it gained independence!  By the time we reached his home town of Arusha we had developed a new appreciation for the country and its history, including why its beer is of such good quality (German influence).  For the rest of our time together Mkenda was not merely a guide, but also a cheerful companion and fountain of knowledge.  His guiding skills, including his ability to find and identify animals and birds, and to put us in a position to see them up close, were also exceptional.  In the Serengeti we spent four hours patiently watching a pair of cheetahs track down and kill a young wildebeest – an event that we will never forget and which most of our fellow travelers did not experience.  As I told some friends, Mkenda could be Tanzania’s ambassador to the U.N., and we would be pleased to travel with him any time.

As I noted above, all of our accommodations were very nice and the staff and service at each were excellent.  When time permits I will post reviews of each on Trip Advisor.  There were not many other guests at either the Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp and Larsen’s; in fact at each we had at least one night when we were the only guests present.  Little Governor’s was about 60% occupied…

I will send along some photos as soon as I have processed and edited more than 1,500 that I have uploaded.  In the meantime, we will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.  Thanks again for your careful planning and thoughtful advice.

Hugh Stevens, Feb 2019

Private Safari to Northern Tanzania for the Cipinko Party

We just got home last night about 12:30 am.  All the flights were seamless, internationally and within Africa.

Jessica, you did an amazing job with our itinerary.  Everything from the guides (Mkenda), to the accommodations, and of course the “animals” were beyond our expectations.  It was truly a magical experience, with everyday bringing a new adventure!

We are feeling a bit jet lagged, so will keep this email short.  I will give you a call next week to provide more details on our incredible journey!

All the best,

Dana Cipinko, Jan 2019

January Safari for the Coulourides Party guided by Daniel Nyamoga

Day 1: On 19th January, I met the Coulourides at Chem Chem early morning. We drove to Lake Manyara National Park where we expected having lunch at Tree Lodge. We had an afternoon game drive in the park with some good sightings.

Day 2: We had a full day game drive in Lake Manyara and despite the fact that we saw a lot but the highlight of our day were the elephants. They were super active, and at some point, very close to the vehicle.

Day 3: We drove from Lake Manyara to the Ngorongoro Crater where our mission was to explore the crater and hopefully seeing a rhino. We managed to see few of them and one of the sightings we had was really good. Sometimes we see them from a distance and guests are quite disappointed and frustrated. Everything else was just wonderful. After lunch, we drove to Entamanu for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: We had an extra activity to do on our way to southern Serengeti (Ndutu) which was visiting Oldupai Museum. They enjoyed the visit. After spending some time in the Museum, and attending a very interesting lecture, we drove into the gorge where Dr Leakey’s wife, Mary, found the skull of Zinj. We got to Lemala Camp for lunch. We did an afternoon game dive and this is when we had the highlight of our day – a lion mating couple.

Day 5: It was simply a wonderful day in the Serengeti. Cheetah sighting was by far, not only the highlight of our day, but perhaps of the entire trip.

Day 6: We had another day in the southern Serengeti, and as usual, we saw a lot but what stood out as the highlight of our day was the pride of lions just lying on the ground just by the road. They were healthy and happy since the migration was there; we could tell they were well fed.

Day 7: Today we left the southern Serengeti and drove north to Migration Camp for 2 more nights in the park. On our way we stopped at Mbuzi Mawe to have lunch. We drove via the central Serengeti which is where we had a chance to find a leopard sitting on a branch and was the highlight of our day. Sometime after lunch, we saw a pride of lions eating a zebra and it was very exiting too.

Day 8: This area of the Serengeti was a bit quiet at this time of the year since the great migration was in the southern corner but seeing a couple of lions mating was something that nobody could expect.

Day 9: It was our last day and the ladies had to fly back home and before we knew it – it was time to say goodbye.

Honeymoon Safari for the Schuster Party Guided by Jabshir Rashid (January 2019)

Melissa and Daniel traveled to Tanzania for their honeymoon and it was an honor for me to guide them for a couple of days and show them the wonders of our country.  Melissa had the chance to visit Africa back in 2009 but it was the first time for her husband.

They arrived into Tanzania on 22 January and had overnight at Rivertrees Country Inn. The following day, after breakfast and a short briefing, we started our safari heading to Gibbs Farm for lunch and a farm walk. We also took the time to visit the Iraqw Centre and learn more about their lifestyle.  Later in the afternoon, we continued to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge for overnight.

The following day was the day of our crater tour. We managed to see a lot of animals but the highlight was definitely our encounter with 7 rhinos!

On 25 January, we departed from Ngorongoro Conservation Area and headed to the Serengeti. Before reaching the park, we had an interesting visit at the Oldupai Gorge Museum.

In the Serengeti, we spent 3 nights at Siringit Camp – one of my favorites. The camp is ideally located in the Central area where it is easy to drive around and spot a lot of animals.

All of our game drives were wonderful. We spotted several individual leopard, 16 lions with a buffalo kill, a cheetah in action killing a gazelle. And to top up, we saw the Great Migration even though it was in the Southern part of the park.

On 28 January, it was time to say goodbye to our newlyweds as they had to catch their flight in Kilimanjaro Airport.

December Safari for the Shirley Klein Family guided by Mkenda Emmanuel and Daniel Nyamoga

Daniel and I had the pleasure of guiding Shirley Klein three years ago and she was now returning with members of her family so expectations were high.  It was an unbelievable experience. To make story short, we managed to ensure that their experience exceeded their expectations as we saw more than 106 lions, 4 leopard, and 20 cheetahs. We also saw a herd of buffalos chasing a male lion.

Day 1: We started by meeting, greeting and giving them a thorough briefing about the safari. Then we went through the itinerary, giving some expectations about our future game viewing, also we talked about precautions on insects like mosquitoes and tsetse flies, baboons and monkeys.

Then we started to drive towards Tarangire while discussing about the Rift Valley formation and its importance to the area. No sooner had we arrived in the Tarangire National Park, we saw lions hunting warthogs and they managed to catch two young piglets. We also saw lots of elephants and giraffes then we checked in and had lunch and went for evening game drive where we enjoyed sunset and more games.

Day 2: It was another lucky day as we saw tree climbing lions and two leopard and the count down for lions and leopard continued as everybody was eager to keep the numbers up to match with the previous group but also we saw numbers of giraffes and elephants everywhere we went in the park. We also saw some hippopotamus.

Day 3: We drove to Gibbs Farm via Lake Manyara National Park. We used the south entrance. We enjoyed seeing the locals and their activities as few tour vehicles use this gate. It was awesome and clients loved it. We saw lots of birds especially flamingoes and pelicans and the view was amazing at the Maji Moto picnic site with the wooden walking platform. We also saw two climbing lions on the acacia tree. We also saw some blue monkeys and hippopotamus. Then we drove to Gibb’s Farm for the overnight.

Day 4: We visited the Mwema Street Children Centre in Karatu and then we had lunch and drove to Ngorongoro Crater and visited a Maasai village. They enjoyed the Ngorongoro Observation Point where we saw a rhino by using binocular.

Day 5: We started at six o’clock with both picnic breakfast and lunch and descended into the Ngorongoro Crater. We saw lots of lions from a distance then we saw a mother with tiny cubs followed by three rhinos. They enjoyed breakfast at the hippo pool watching them playing in the water. Later on, we saw more lions crossing the road.

Day 6: We drove to Olduvai Gorge on the way to Serengeti. We gave an introduction of the site that the place is unique due to the fact that it’s the only place where three different hominid were found i.e. australopithecus boizey, homo erectus and homo habilis dated 1.75 million years ago, 1.5 million years ago and about 1 million year ago respectively. Also that site was the place where we found the first oldest skull in 1959. We requested a private guide or a curator at the museum who gave a private lecture and took us to the site where the skull was found.

Then we drove to the shifting sand and demonstrated that the sand itself is made up of iron fillings which can be attracted by a magnet and it was formed by one of the volcanic eruption from the Ngorongoro highland and landed nearby and started moving 17 meters a year.

We continue our journey to the Serengeti and our camp for check-in, had lunch and enjoyed the flamingoes, wildebeests and giraffes nearby and eventually enjoyed sunset.

Day 7: This morning, it was great to see some cheetahs hunting but they did not make a kill. We saw a pride of five lions with two big males. Then we saw the migrations grouped together. Then in the afternoon game drive, we saw another lion pride with one male and four lionesses with one couple mating and the other lionesses hunting.

Day 8: Today we went on a game drive in the ‘hidden valley’ where we saw some hippopotamus and lots of wildebeests drinking and then we saw some cheetahs and lions. Then in the afternoon we saw more mating lions and elephants.

Day 9: Today’s highlight was seeing a huge pride of lions on the rock then we saw two cheetahs under the tree. We also saw some hippos and general game.

Day 10: This was another great day as we saw a pride of 15 lions together and another pride of three lions on the rock. It was a great picture with the clouds and blue sky on the background and then we saw a leopard.

Day 11: This was the last day; we drove to the airstrip and on the way we saw three lions of which one male was hunting buffalos and then it was chased by the herd of buffalos. It was a great way of ending a memorable safari with this group!

Multi-Generational Private Family Safari to Tanzania – December 2018

Dear Mark et al,

We had a great trip.  Overall, I hope the rest of the group was happy because this trip was my idea for my family, and then we added extended family.  I will tell you some of the highlights, and give you some feedback that I hope will be helpful to others.

First some comments on the itinerary.  The original itinerary did not include Tarangire because of the time of the year, but I wanted to include it because I had been there before in dry season (August 2012).  Tarangire turned out to be much better than expected; in fact, I was concerned when we there that we peaked too soon.  There were a lot of elephants, just not hundreds in one place.  There were also surprises:  we watched a group of lions hunt just before arrival at our lodge, the next morning we saw two lions in a tree near the road, and then two leopards (a pair) on the ground.  There was variety in the sightings and landscape, lots of baobab trees in full leaf, and no long drives without seeing animals.

We entered Lake Manyara through the southern entrance, allowing us to see how the local people live and how the park has developed.  We had a picnic lunch near the Boardwalk, new since I was there previously.  We saw a lot of baboons and flamingoes.  I was surprised that the hippo pool area was completely remodeled by flooding, but we saw more birds.  We did see the tree-climbing lions, then left through the north entrance for our overnight at Gibb’s Farm.

I was glad to include Olduvai Gorge because I had not been there before, and I had visited the Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg earlier this year.  It was nice to have a private lecture and visit to the archeological site.  I thought it would be educational for the kids, but I think they were bored.  At least they can say they were there when they learn about the Leakeys in school…

Gibb’s Farm was terrific, the only complaint was why weren’t we staying there longer.  Probably best food of whole trip, with tour of farm to see where it was grown.

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge – the location was wonderful, on canyon rim. Also, Sopa provided the catering for our surprise hot catered lunch in a private picnic area just for us, which was a really nice touch.

Serengeti mobile tented camp was nicer than we expected, enough hot water, enough food selection, did laundry for us, great staff.

Melia Serengeti Lodge is a fantastic property, only open a year so word is not out and not crowded.  Terrific view, terrific food with options, terrific service, beautiful pool.  Only flaw is that it is an hour drive off the main routes, with a few animals on the way, but not where the action is.  This meant we took a long game drive starting early in the morning with picnic breakfast, but we returned for lunch by 2 pm and did not take an afternoon game drive because we couldn’t go far enough after factoring in the hour drive each way.  Everyone was happy with this arrangement because we could relax and use the pool in the late afternoon.

We finished off the trip arriving early at Seronera airstrip, so we detoured to see a group of 4 lions, then a male lion alone watching and then chased by buffalo, and then a leopard in a tree.  Great last sightings.

Our guides, Daniel and Mkenda, were excellent.  They were knowledgeable, great spotters, good with requests, good with the children, and flexible to make everyone happy.  I highly recommend them, I would use them again.

AAC arranged a wonderful trip for us, and I hope all of us will have wonderful memories and will return to Africa again.

Shirley Klein

African Journeys Private Safari to Tanzania and Flying Safari to Kenya – September 2018

We arrived in Tanzania to lovely people & met up with Wilfred. Thank you so much for matching him to us. We enjoyed all of his explanations & narration of the Natl. Park & Crater. We saw nearly every animal imaginable (even the elusive Rhino) & as many birds as we could possibly see. He spotted a leopard in a tree that was really cool! It was so camouflaged that it was amazing anyone could spot it! His knowledge was impressive (all the guides were great & well informed).

The camp at Maramboi (near Tarangire) was superb. View fantastic. The infinity pool with vistas of the sunset & lake were like a post card. It is a well laid out & well run, friendly & happy place. We loved the tents that were very comfortable. The zebras, gazelles, wildebeest & warthogs just wandering through camp was such a feeling of being out in the wild. The food there was great & imaginative with local flair. (Their “Pack your own lunch” area was a brilliant idea).  Getting a personal wake up with coffee was sooooo luxurious!…

Our trip through the Ngoromgoro Crater we saw lions, hippos, elephants, giraffe, water buffalo & the usual herds of zebra, wildebeest, impala & comical warthogs.  We found flamingos & piles of other great birds along with the predator birds. This is where we located the Rhino. Though we tried we couldn’t get too close. But it was just great to actually see one. Oh & we caught an Ostrich mating fan dance!! Wow!

We flew to the Serengeti on the small planes which were a kick!…We were met by our guide Elia & transported to Sayari Camp! OMG! Wonderful greeting- fabulous “tents”. We were able to see 2 crossings during our stay. We saw mother nature at her best & most brutal. Elia was so enthusiastic about everything that you couldn’t help but enjoy. Breakfast & lunch in the wild was so much fun we never noticed that we were out for more than 12 hours & still had more to see & do. We enjoyed the camp fire & communal dining at Sayari. It gave us all a chance to meet others & compare notes on what we had seen etc. through the day. Once again we got so close to some animals that it was astounding we did not touch. We watched babies take elephant mud baths & others romp with their lion mothers & siblings. We found a pack (20+) of hyena where they were “living” in their borrows & were able to observe their behavior. We even found a leopard that decided to pose on a huge rock with the sun setting in the background. Magnificent!…

Sadly it all came to a conclusion & we had to return to the other jungles we live in & make our own coffee in the morning (Waaaa!). We had the adventure of a lifetime! Thank you for all you lists & prep info. Nearly everything was spot on!

Karen and Rodger Comstock

Private Safari to Tanzania’s Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti and Cape Town Extension – September 2018

Dear AAC,

We had a fabulous time on our Safari adventure.  The two tent camps Maramboi and Mara River you had us stay out were fabulous…I would highly recommend these accommodations to and all of your clients 5 star locations.  At the tented camps the staff was far better then any 5 star hotel we have stayed at.

We had Martin and Jadim as our first tour guides they were fabulous, we learned so much from them they work great as a team.  The second ones we had Tobias and Moosa they also were very good, they had a hard act to follow after Jadim and Martin…

Your company was great to work with as well everything went very smooth because of all the work that you had done…Again thank you for making this a trip of a life time!

Irene Fick

Safari to Kenya and Tanzania and visit to Victoria Falls – September 2018

Hello Lynne,

We are finally back on Cincinnati time after that long ride back home.

Our African adventure was truly outstanding.  Everything came off without a hitch.  The 2 camps where we stayed really enhanced the experience.  We had high expectations from other family members who had also stayed in dedicated camp sites. And they were easily met.  We loved staying in the Serengeti and Mara.

Our safari guides were really excellent.  We loved the time we spent with Jabshir in particular.  His knowledge and insights really enhanced the experience.  We were fortunate to experience the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti. Our brief time in the Maasai village added flavor to our trip…

All of our connections were on time and we were always met with courteous locals who helped us through customs and handled our bags.  For what it’s worth I don’t think anyone paid much attention to the weight of our luggage on the small-plane trips.  As long as they looked reasonable in size.

Thanks for working with us to make an itinerary that captured the sights and culture of the national parks and game preserves.  We loved the experience.

Kind regards,

Bill James

The Best of East Africa and Southern Africa – September 2018

Dear Lynne,

I returned from our amazing trip very late last night.  I must tell you this trip was the most fantastic adventure and experience I’ve ever had and that is thanks to you and all your efforts.  I not only speak for myself but also for our group.  I’m sure you will hear from them also.  Every where we went we were met promptly and graciously by hosts/guides/escorts that you arranged.

Every place we went to was better and better. The Tanzania portion of the trip was more than I could ever have hoped it to be thanks to the itinerary and our guide, Mkenda.   The Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and staff was fantastic.  The Asanja Camp was equally amazing if not better.  When we arrived a herd of female elephants and calves were in camp and we watched and waited in awed wonder to go to our tents.  Your upgrade for us to the Serengeti Migration Camp was above and beyond expectations.  The staff and quarters were amazing.  I cannot give enough praise to Mkenda our guide.  He was the epitome of character, personality, knowledge and expertise.  He went above and beyond to help make our game drives spectacular.  We learned so much from him and consider him a new friend. Don’t ever lose him…

On a scale of 1 to 10 this trip was a 20!  Your knowledge, expertise and advice was what made this a trip of a lifetime.  I will be telling everyone I know that there could NOT BE A BETTER organization to help plan a safari and East and Southern Africa trip.   They would be a fool not to use you.  I will be rating you and all the accommodations a 10+ on Trip Advisor.  I want to take my family on a trip like this in the future.  You can rest assured that I will be contacting you for those arrangements when the grand kids are old enough to do it.  Please pass this on to Mark Nolting.  We were so fortunate to meet him at the Denver Travel and Adventure Show in February 2017.  It was evident even then that he was special in his knowledge and experience.

Thank you again SO MUCH for all that you did for our group.

Barbara Selzer

August Safari for the Issler Party guided by Elibariki Pallangyo

Day 1: I met the Issler party at the Mount Meru Hotel for introduction and safari briefing. After breakfast, we departed to Maramboi Tented Lodge for lunch. We spent the whole afternoon inside Tarangire National Park for a game drive. We were lucky enough to spot a lot of game including impalas, warthogs, zebras, wildebeests, elephants, vervet monkeys, yellow bellied storks, lilac breasted rollers, white backed vultures sitting on the baobab trees, male and female ostriches and so many other species.

Day 2: After breakfast, we left the camp for a full day game drive with picnic lunch. We saw so many different kinds of animals. It was very successful. We managed to spot a mother cheetah with two juveniles looking for a prey. They tried to chase impalas but were not lucky on that day. We headed to Silale Swamp where lots of elephants were there to cool down in the water. As we continued with our game drive, we saw a pride of lion with one in the tree.

Day 3: Today we left Tarangire and headed to Lake Manyara for a full day game drive in the park. On our way, we first visited a Maasai village. In the park, we saw blue monkeys, baboons, common waterbucks, bushbucks, buffalos, giraffes, hippos, different species of birds such as yellow billed storks, African jacana, hadada ibis, glossy ibis, black smith plover, three banded plover, spur winged plover, spur winged geese, etc.

Day 4: After breakfast, we continued to the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day game viewing on the crater floor. Among all the animals we encountered a pride of lions walking between the vehicles that were stopped to observe them.

Day 5: After an early breakfast, I transferred the Isslers to the Manyara airstrip where they flew to Serengeti and stayed there for the remaining of their safari before heading to Kigali.

August Safari for Cryer Party guided by Elibariki Pallangyo

Day 1: I met the Cryers at the Arusha Serena after breakfast where I introduced myself and did the safari briefing. We then departed to Maramboi Tented Lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we had a game drive and saw lots of interesting animals and birds.

Day 2: After early breakfast, we decided to leave for a full day game drive in Tarangire with a picnic lunch. In the morning, we saw an elephant family eating and pulling down an acacia tree aside the road.

Day 3: This morning we departed to Lake Manyara National Park for full day game drive. After some successful game viewing, we headed to the rim and stayed at the Ngorongoro Sopa.

Day 4: The Cryers loved their full day in the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater was as interesting as ever with a variety of animals.

Day 5: After breakfast, we headed to Serengeti where we first had a stop at Oluvai Gorge Museum for a little bit of humankind history. We had our picnic lunch along the Seronera River. Our game drive was fantastic and we saw lots of animals including leopard, lions, elephants, jackals, hippos, lots of birds, etc.

Day 6: We decided to have a full day game drive in the Serengeti with picnic lunch. Highlights included three cheetah a few meters from the road resting under the shade of a tree. We also encountered a pride of 13 lionesses under a tree resting.

Day 7: Today we enjoyed a morning game drive and then returned to camp so the Cryers could have a hot lunch and a bit of relaxation in the afternoon. The highlight was witnessing a pride of 17 lions on a rock.

Day 8: After early breakfast, we headed to the Seronera airstrip where clients connected to Kilimanjaro as they had a flight to Kenya. We managed to see again a lot of animals on our way and it was a nice end to our trip.

African Journeys Safari to Kenya and Tanzania – August 2018

Elena,

I just wanted to thank you for arranging a fantastic trip to Kenya and Tanzania. I had a wonderful time and am so glad that I was able to join the group. Also, thanks very much for arranging the single accommodation for me for all but one night during the trip. I really appreciate the ground crew’s persistence in making that happen…

On safari, I can’t quite get over the amazing wildlife that we saw. Each day was a real adventure and we saw something new every minute. We attribute our experience largely to our excellent guides. In Tanzania, Davis and Ephata were incredible. They had an in depth knowledge of the animals, their behavior, and their habitat. Most of the time, they were the first to spot the wildlife. They knew where the animals hung out and got us there first before the other vehicles arrived. Many times we were absolutely astounded at their ability to find the animals when they were so well camouflaged. We could never have seen so much without them.

The lodging and meals were also great. The Fairmont Norfolk in Nairobi was lovely, and has some amazing history. All the other lodges were also very good or excellent. The rooms were clean and spacious, and the food was very good – especially for vegetarians. The food at the Fairmont and Kichwa Tembo was particularly good, but all of the food was more than adequate…

Finally, I just want to note that the coordination between the different ground operators was excellent. I know there were a lot of different moving parts, the guides in Nairobi, Kenya, and Tanzania, and the other staff at the airport and the hotels. They all worked very well together, so we hardly knew that we were being handed off from one to another – even at the border crossings!

Bravo for a job well done.

Best,

Amy Nelson

June Safari for the Reing Party guided by Elibariki Pallangyo (known as “Eli”)

Day 1: I met the Reings at the Arusha Coffee Lodge for introductions, a safari briefing and lunch. Early afternoon, we drove to the Maramboi Tented Lodge. After check-in, we went for a nature walk by the lake shores.

Day 2: After early breakfast, we left the camp for a full day game drive with picnic lunch. We saw quite a lot of animals including a pride of lions under a baobab tree, herd of elephants crossing the road towards the river to drink water.

Day 3: After breakfast, we headed to Lake Manyara National Park with first an excursion at Mto wa Mbu village. We entered the park late morning with a packed lunch and were lucky to spot lots of birds and other animals. Late afternoon, we went to the Acacia Farm for overnight.

Day 4: Today was our full day of game viewing in the Ngorongoro Crater. We were lucky enough to see a pride of lions, with cubs, and a couple mating few meters from the river bed, a mother rhino with its baby but quite from a distance and later on a male rhino, again quite far.

Day 5: After breakfast, we departed for Serengeti with an excursion to Olduvai en route. We had a game drive before heading to the camp for lunch. We continued our session in the afternoon with good sightings e.g. elephants, lions, serval cat, topi, giraffes, etc.

Day 6: This morning the Reings woke up early for their balloon ride over the Serengeti plains. After that, it was a full day game drive with packed lunch. We successfully met a pride of 16 lions. Three of them crossed the road in front of our vehicle towards the tree and climbed the sausage tree while the rest of the pride disappeared in the long grass. In the afternoon, we spotted a mother leopard eating a carcass followed by its cub. After a heavy meal, they both climbed a tree and lay on different branches.

Day 7: Another full day game drive in the park with picnic lunch. Our “Big Cat” sightings were thrilling! We encountered cheetahs, sitting on a termite mound, a mother with its 3 cubs, 2 male lions in a tree, and a leopard by the river.

Day 8: After breakfast, we had a game drive en route to the airstrip. Clients flew back to Arusha and it was the end of our successful safari.

May Safari for the Stiles Party guided by Hillary Mandia

The Stiles visited Tanzania and Kenya 2 years ago during the dry season where they experienced migration crossings and different sightings but they marked this trip as one of a life time. Being able to visit and share some times with local people, particularly in Lake Victoria and with Maasai made this trip very unique. Also, the number of animals seen, including the migration in Serengeti, bird’s species, reptiles and many other ungulates made their trip unforgettable.

Day 01-03: The Stiles arrived the Serengeti at the Grumeti airstrip from Kigali, Rwanda. Soon after pick-up and greetings, we had a safari briefing and were ready for game drive. We spent 3 days in the Serengeti’s Western Corridor and encountered several highlights as well as some challenges. Our first highlight was the big herd of elephants along the Grumeti River. Elephants of different ages were enjoying mud bath while others were browsing close to the road. Other interesting sightings included giraffes, impalas, hippos, topi, baboons and many others. Due to heavy rain, most of the areas around the lodge were not accessible. This, however, did not stop us exploring this area.

Our success continued when we spotted 9 lions climbing an acacia tree. We spent many hours along the Grumeti River which was full and very high to cross, Our last day in this area was spent at Lake Victoria. This visit was among the most interesting parts of the trip. The Stiles truly appreciated the tour and the entire experience they had.

Day 04 + 05: After great success in the western Serengeti, we left and headed to the Ngorongoro Crater. Our day started very early in order to accommodate some activities as well as to fulfill client’s wishes. As we arrived along the Seronera River, we were very lucky when we spotted our first leopard posing on top of kopjes. While the Stiles were enjoying taking pictures, a lost baby wildebeest showed up and we witnessed the kill in front of us. This unique experience was interrupted by vehicles driving too close which forced us to leave the scene and continue searching for other great sightings. On the way to the Ngorongoro Crater, we stopped at the Olduvai Gorge Museum which is quite interesting.

The following morning, we started our day very early driving to the crater. It was very clear day and the weather in general was very nice. Once we reached the floor, we came across several highlights including four male lions along the road and a pack of hyenas sharing the wildebeest carcass probably hunted earlier in the morning. After lunch, the weather remained cooperative, and the game viewing was worth to stay longer on the floor. More lions and other ungulates showed up and the number of lions counted total of 14 among them one female attempting a kill but failed.  Other interesting sightings included two rhinos, hippos, jackals, hartebeest, gazelles, elephants, baboons, elands and many more.

Day 06: We left the Crater and drove to Lake Manyara. Clients had a night game drive there. A nice and unique experience. We had a very successful morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park and returned to the Escarpment Lodge for lunch. It was an unforgettable and special bush lunch served with champagne. After lunch, we headed to Arusha National Park and Hatari Lodge.

Day 07: That morning, we started our day early and drove through Arusha National Park where we had an unbelievable experience. The black and white colobus monkey, giraffes and pink flamingoes in the salty Momela Lake made the trip very special. We checked out and drove to Arusha town for short tour before clients left to Zanzibar.

Private Honeymoon Safari to Tanzania’s Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti – May 2018

Hi Jessica,

We wanted to thank you very much for helping us organize the honeymoon of our dreams!  Everything was perfectly organized, we had absolutely no worries throughout our trip.  From the moment we landed in Tanzania, until we left, we felt very welcomed.  The driver that picked us up from the airport and took us to Arusha Serena was friendly, his vehicle in impeccable condition.  We would have loved to stay one more night at Arusha Serena, the place is quaint and relaxing.  The staff had arranged our room with rose petals and a welcome cake congratulating us on our marriage, which we loved!

The next day we got to meet Mkenda, who we had read had been the best guide in the past, and we absolutely agree that he is the best!  Knowledgeable, truly loves his country and the animals and nature within, we got to learn and see so much thanks to him, he helped us make our honeymoon a memorable one!

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge is fantastic!  5 star!!!  I would go back and stay there a whole week.  Not just that the tree lodge itself is incredible, but the staff makes you feel at home. Patrice was phenomenal!   We got candle light dinner for our honeymoon celebration, and a bubble bath after a game drive, these details made us feel incredibly pampered.  Animal viewing at Lake Manyara was great, even though it had been raining until just before we got there and some roads were not accessible, we got to see leopards, lots of different bird species, baboons, giraffe, elephants, amongst many others. Picnic breakfast/lunch were our preference and Mkenda made it happen.

On our way to Ngorongoro we stopped at Gibbs Farm, beautiful place!  Lunch was fantastic, and getting to learn about their organic farm was educational.

Mkenda took us to an Iraqw tribe and also to a Massai tribe.  In both we got to dress in their typical wedding attire and participate in what some wedding dances would be.  We loved to get to learn about these cultures and are very thankful to Mkenda for taking us there.  I have many pictures that I will share with you soon!

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge has breathtaking views!  The rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the view of the crater upon awakening is priceless!  Ngoronorgo Crater itself was spectacular!  We got the see the Big 5 there, which says it all!

On our way to Serengeti we stopped at the Olduvai archeological site, which was quite interesting and allowed us to learn about human origin theories.

The Serengeti Explorer Camp was everything we had imagined it would be, nested in the middle of nowhere, we felt it to be our home during the time we were there.  The staff was exceptional!  Being able to take a warm shower in the middle of the Serengeti, sipping on a cocktail after a game drive, enjoying “bush TV” (fire pit), seeing all the stars at night we had not gotten to see in our lifetime, tasting their deliciously cooked meals, are amongst the highlights, obviously besides of the unforgettable game drives that Mkenda took us to, where we got to see many lions, the migration, cheetah, leopards, more than 150 birds (he knows all of them!!!), etc.  Serengeti is a special place, we absolutely are fascinated by it!  The balloon ride was smooth, and the views from above worth the 4:30 am awakening.  Upon landing we did hear a lion from afar, which added some excitement to the experience.  The bubbly breakfast was yummy!

Star of the East in Zanzibar was the perfect ending to our honeymoon.  Our villa was astonishing!  It was the perfect relaxation time after our active Safari.

I hope to get to send you a few pictures from our trip soon.  We are looking forward to another safari experience in the future.

Best,

Diana and Diogo Andrade

“Best of Tanzania” Safari including the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti – January 2018

Dear Elena,

Linda and I have finally caught up with our “at home” lives after returning from our safari so I can share some of my thoughts and impression with you about our time in Tanzania.  Without qualification, I can say that we had wonderful trip which met all of our expectations.  First, I appreciated how organized and thoughtful your communication was with us before our departure.  You anticipated potential questions and answered them in documents you sent even before I could ask the questions and when I did email a question I always got a clear, prompt reply.

You and your team put together a safari that was just the kind our group wanted: one that emphasized seeing an array of animals rather than lounging in “comfortable” accommodations.  And where you really hit a home run with us was pairing us with Ephata Lotashu as a guide.

You may recall that I spent my professional career as an animal behaviorist and faculty member so I knew that our safari guide was going to be of paramount importance.  Ephata was exactly the kind of guide I had hoped for and our group could not have been happier or more satisfied with his work on our behalf.  Not only was he adept at finding animals for us to watch but he could also tell us about their behavior and ecology.  He and I had several exciting conversations in which he’d be sharing something about the animal we were watching while I shared relevant evolutionary theory that could help explain why the animal had evolved to behave the way it was.  My brother, sister-in-law and wife quite enjoyed these Ephata-and-Warren exchanges and often joined in to broaden and extend our discussions.  Besides Ephata’s knowledge about animals, his personality and style of interacting with us was consistently impressive.  All four of us would pick Ephata in a heartbeat to lead us on another safari!

Another high point of our trip were the various staff members with whom we interacted in the camps where we stayed.  They were uniformly friendly and helpful and did a great job of caring for us, including all the great meals that we had.  Perhaps because it best matched our “style,” we especially enjoyed our time at the Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp on Lake Ndutu.

Thanks,

Warren Holmes

November Safari for the Medel party guided by Mkenda and Wilfred

November 13, 2017

Wilfred and I arrived at Sasakwa and started planning our stay with the lodge team – meals, game drive, activities such as a nature walk and sundowners, etc. The clients were due to arrive the following day and we wanted everything to be ready for them.

 November 14, 2017

We went to welcome the Medel party at the airstrip and started our journey through the Serengeti. They enjoyed seeing elephants and baboons with lots of babies and other general game before they checked in at Sasakwa. We planned for the next day and their main request was to see the wildebeest and zebra migration.

 November 15, 2017

Early in the morning, we left with a picnic breakfast to find the migration — even in the park itself if necessary. But we were lucky to find the animals outside the park within the Singita area in the Grumeti Game Reserve. The clients were very happy and could not believe how many there were; we also saw vultures and hyenas. We explained the importance of the reserve in wildlife protection; previously the area had a huge problem with poaching and illegal hunting.

We also discussed the nature of the migration from the southern to the northern corridor and up to the Maasai Mara, and noted that that wildebeest migration follows a clockwise movement.  The animals move from the southern corridor to the western corridor, where they follow the rivers flowing and emptying out into Lake Victoria. And then they proceed through Grumeti Reserve on their way north via Lobo until they reach the Mara River and then the Maasai Mara.  With the start of rain, the animals than head down to the east and to the southern Serengeti.

On the afternoon game drive, we saw many lions.  One pride was comprised of sixteen lions (including some playful cubs who were testing their climbing skills).  Later we saw two cheetahs hunting (albeit unsuccessfully.)

November 16, 2017

We planned for a bush breakfast and brunch. Wilfred went for a game drive while I went for a walk with one of the clients (Mike). As Mike and I were heading to the walking area, we found a leopard tracking another leopard. Then, accompanied by an armed ranger, a Sasakwa guide and a naturalist of Sasakwa, Mike and I walked close to giraffes and zebras.

During the game drive with Wilfred, the other group saw many lions in two different prides – one of which included about 20 lions.

We all met up at the bush picnic site, and the clients were very happy with the BBQ, the food and the unique setup.

In the evening, we encountered a huge herd of elephants with small babies crossing in front of our vehicle and then, the same prides of lions that the game drive group had seen in the morning.  We also saw a big herd of buffalos and a stunning sunset in the endless plains of Grumeti Reserve.

November 17, 2017

We left at six o’clock with a picnic breakfast to find the migration animals again. It was incredible and serene to view the massive numbers of wildebeest by ourselves.

During our evening game drive, we saw two brother cheetahs, a lioness with tiny cubs, and the pride of twenty lions.

We ended the safari with a BBQ dinner outside accompanied by a beautiful local dance from the Wakuria tribe. The group enjoyed the local dance.

October Safari for the Bender party guided by Mkenda

October 8, 2017

The safari started by a briefing at Mount Meru Hotel. I talked about the history of Tanzania, the geology of northern Tanzania and the crops and minerals that the economy relies upon.

Just after lunch, we saw a group of hunting dogs and lions (one of which was on top of a tree), lots of elephants and other game.

October 9, 2017

A full day of activities was planned – a walking safari, followed by a game drive and then a night game drive. During the game drive, we saw lots of lions resting under the tree as well as lionesses hunting (unsuccessfully). Then we had lunch and just enjoyed watching an elephant wallowing in the mud.

October 10+11, 2017

Today while driving out of the park, we saw a leopard close up and then visited a tailor where clients could experience the way a Tanzanian tailor works with a manual sewing machine.

Then we stopped at a local market to buy Swahili linen and Maasai cloth and a blanket.  We proceeded to Gibbs Farm for lunch and had a walk through the garden.

Then later we visited a Maasai village where the Benders experienced the local way of life.

October 12, 2017

 Today we left at six o’clock to be the first ones down on the crater floor. We saw lions and a rhino very close up — it was incredible.

We also saw elephants and hippos in the morning light.

October 13, 2017

The Bender party flew to the Serengeti for a few days at Serengeti Explorer Camp.

October Safari for the Edwards party guided by Mkenda

 October 25, 2017

I met the Edwards group at the Lake Duluti Lodge, where I reviewed their itinerary with them and talked about what to expect in the Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.

I also discussed the Rift Valley formation and the history of Tanzania from the Bellini Conference to date.  Later, we stopped at our Natural Museum.

 October 26, 2017

In order to maximize our time in Tarangire National Park for game viewing, we brought both a picnic breakfast and lunch. We saw a leopard, lions (one in a tree and another pride hunting) and lots of elephants wallowing in the mud. The highlight of the day was seeing the lion in the tree and seeing the many elephants in the Silalei Swamp.

October 27, 2017

Today, we visited a school and Lake Manyara National Park. The Edwards group enjoyed seeing Maasai kids at school, working hard in a difficult and basic environment.

In Tarangire, the group enjoyed seeing the rich birdlife in the swamp. We then drove to Karatu, where we saw the local markets.  Members of the party bought an inexpensive Swahili dress and a Maasai blanket. After that we drove to Ngorongoro Lemala Camp.

October 28, 2017

We spent the day down in Ngorongoro Crater.  After getting an early start, we enjoyed being alone to watch lions interact with hippos in the morning. We later saw another pride close to the road, and wound up having breakfast at the hippo pool.

Later, we missed a kill – we encountered a pride of 24 lions finishing the remains of a buffalo. But we finished the day with the sighting of two rhinos.

October 29, 2017

The Edwards party flew to the northern Serengeti for four days before they were to head to Rwanda for another four days.

The Davis Safari Guided by Elibariki Pallangyo

September 6, 2017

I guided Bonnie and Harold Davis in September on their safari to Northern Tanzania.  We began their adventure on September 6^th when I met them in Arusha and then continued to their first park, Tarangire.

We saw quite a large number of animals for our first day – giraffes, impalas, wildebeests, zebras, elephants, etc. In the afternoon, we enjoyed an game drive and we were lucky enough to spot two leopards, one just sitting on a branch resting while the other one was eating the impala carcass.

September 7, 2017

The highlight of our day in Tarangire was the elephant family walking very fast from one side and crossing the road in front of us towards the river to drink water. We enjoyed spending some time with them while they were wallowing in the mud.

September 8, 2017

As we departed from Tarangire, we had a nice surprise on our way seeing a mother cheetah with three cubs of about one year old. Before reaching the Escarpment Luxury Lodge for lunch, we visited a Maasai boma. Our afternoon was spent in Lake Manyara National Park where Bonnie and Harold enjoyed the rich birdlife.

September 9, 2017

Today was a full day game drive in Lake Manyara with a picnic lunch. We had an enjoyable day spotting birds and game.

September 10, 2017

This morning we departed our lodge early and drove to the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day of game viewing, which was quite successful. We saw numerous gazelles, hyenas, lions, zebras, wildebeests and even jackals.  Late in the day we checked into the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

September 11, 2017

After an early breakfast, I transferred Bonnie and Harold to the Manyara airstrip. They flew to the northern Serengeti for the remainder of their safari.

August Safari for the Abarbanel party guided by Mohamed

August 7, 2017

I met clients in the morning after they had their breakfast and then sat down and talked about their safari. We left Serena Duluti Lodge and drove to Maramboi for lunch. We then went to Tarangire for game viewing and saw a lot, including lions and jackals.

August 8, 2017

After breakfast in the morning, we went for a full day game drive in Tarangire Park with our lunch boxes. It was a very good day as we saw lots of animals. Tarangire has lots of game especially at this time of the year due as animals come back inside the park during the dry season to look for water. We went all the way to Silale Swamp where it was very green, and enjoyed the scenery and abundance of wildlife.

August 9, 2017

This morning, we first stopped in Mto wa Mbu village for pictures and then drove to Lake Manyara for a game drive. We went into the park with our lunch boxes, and saw lions up in the trees and lots of water birds near the lake. Mid-afternoon we headed to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.

August 10, 2017

The clients had an early breakfast and we drove down to the crater floor for a tour. We did not see much, though —  rhinos are heading to the isolated part of the crater where there is no road.  The clients decided to go back to the lodge early for a rest.

August 11, 2017

This morning, the clients flew to the northern Serengeti from Lake Manyara airstrip to spend 3 nights at Olakira Camp.

The Williams’ Safari to Tanzania – Guided by Martin Mallya

Don and Cindy Williams were my guests for two weeks as we explored the northern circuit of Tanzania. Cindy was interested in learning about our culture and to connect with nature. In general they wanted to see everything from the country, wildlife and the people.

August 1+2, 2017

We began with two nights in Tarangire National Park, staying at the Tarangire Safari Lodge. We started the full day with boxed breakfasts so we could get an early start. As we were leaving camp there were six lionesses with two male lions.  We saw more lions climbing a tree near the Silale Swamp as we drove to picnic site for breakfast.

August 3+4, 2017

We departed Tarangire and headed to the Escarpment Luxury Lodge where we had a delightful lunch before an afternoon game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. The birds were plentiful and included an eagle feeding on a baby dikdik.

August 5, 2017

We departed from the lodge early with a picnic lunch and drove to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. As we descended to caldera there were lions mating which was the highlight of the day.  They also liked hippos rolling and playing at the hippo pool.  Unfortunately, we did not see rhino.  We ascended the crater and had an overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

August 6, 2017

It was a long drive from the Ngorongoro Crater to the Serengeti but we broke up the driving with a Maasai boma visit as well as Olduvai Gorge on the way.  We took a picnic lunch to allow more time at sites instead of rushing to our camp, Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp.  Don and Cindy loved the Maasai village visit, we spend lots of time taking pictures and chatting with Maasai men.  We had our picnic lunch was at Naabi gate and then began game viewing en route to our camp.  We had a great sighting of a huge pride of lions, with more than twenty-two lions and cubs at the Seronera River. We also spotted a mother cheetah with two cubs.  It was a great day!

August 7-9, 2017

We had three full days of game viewing and had some spectacular sightings including a cheetah with her two cubs which I estimated to be about two months old. There were multiple lions, some lounging on the rock kopjes.

The highlight of our time was witnessing the Great Migration. Just after breakfast, we drove to northern Serengeti, it was a bit hard as it rained the other night and roads were slippery. There were prides of lions on our way, some vultures feeding from wildebeest carcass, leopard on top of Bologonja bridge.  As we reached the Mara River, there was wildebeests and zebras crossing, guests were lucky to see what they always wished to see, it was one of the best days of their trip!

By the end of our time in the Serengeti, they were able to witness four separate crossings! It was amazing!

July Safari for the Apitz party guided by Elibariki

 Day 1

I met the Apitz family at Lake Duluti Lodge to brief them about our upcoming safari. After breakfast we drove to Tarangire River Camp for lunch. On our afternoon game drive, we saw a wide range of wildlife, including wildebeest, zebras, impalas, monitor lizards, elephants, lions, cheetahs, warthogs, buffalos, ostriches, dikdik, vultures, red and yellow barbet, and lioness with three cubs which were about three weeks old.

Day 2

After an early breakfast, we enjoyed a full-day game drive in the park and again saw a wide variety of wildlife. New sightings included: banded and dwarf mongoose, baboons and vervet monkeys, giraffes, a mother cheetah eating a reedbuck carcass, a lilac breasted roller, hornbills, and a waterbuck.

Day 3

Another successful day of game viewing.

Day 4

 After breakfast, we drove to Gibbs Farm for a guided hike to the waterfall and elephant cave.  Our group watched an elephant searching for minerals. After lunch at the farm, the Apitz’ enjoyed a tour of the garden. We stayed overnight at Neptune Lodge.

Day 5

 Today was a full day tour of Ngorongoro Crater.  We saw a large number of animals but unfortunately no rhinos.

Day 6

We had a second day in Ngorongoro Crater.  Wildlife sightings included: wildebeest, zebras, buffalos, a pride of eighteen lions, a pack of spotted hyenas, a lioness walking a long way towards the river where she had killed a wildebeest, grey-crowned cranes, a kori bustard, secretary birds, white stocks, hippos, male and female ostriches, gazelles, and elephants.

Day 7:

After an early breakfast, I transferred the Apitz family to Lake Manyara airstrip where they flew to Kogatende for the remainder of their safari at Bushtops.

SAFARI PHOTOS

July Safari for the Bergeris party guided by Jabshir

July 7, 2017

We started our ten-days safari with the McKittricks who had arrived one day earlier. We went to Arusha National Park and saw a lot, including colobus monkeys, baboons, giraffes, waterbucks, and a lot of flamingos in Momela Lake. The two other clients arrived on that day for the remainder of the safari.

 July 8+9, 2017

After breakfast and a short briefing, we started our safari to Tarangire with a short stop at Tarangire Safari Lodge for lunch.  We continued with an afternoon game drive before reaching Oliver’s Camp, and saw a lot of things along the way including elephants and a pride of lions with a kill near Silale Swamp. We spent two nights in the park and saw a leopard in a tree the following day.

 July 10, 2017

We went to Manyara Escarpment Lodge for lunch and then had an afternoon game drive in Manyara National Park where we saw more storks and pelicans near Lake Manyara.

July 11+12, 2017

We spent a relaxed morning at Gibbs Farm for a guided farm walk and lunch, and then proceeded to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge where we would be staying the next two nights. The following day, we spent the whole day in the crater with a picnic lunch and saw a lot, including a lot of hyenas.

July 13, 2017

We left Ngorongoro to Serengeti via Oldupai Gorge. We got a chance to get all the way down to the gorge before we continued to the Serengeti where we spent the next five nights.

July 14, 2017

Because we didn’t see any rhinos in the Ngorongoro Crater, there was some pressure to see one here. We went south and managed to see one rhino, as well as the rest of the big five, all in one day.

July 15+16, 2017

After two nights in the central Serengeti, we headed north to spend the next three nights at Lemala Kuria Hills. The following day, the clients did a balloon ride and found it to be the perfect location since the wildebeest migration was around the Mara.

July 17, 2017

On our last day, we did a very short game drive after breakfast on our way to the Kogatende airstrip where the clients flew back to Arusha.

SAFARI PHOTOS

The Migration Safari for the Jim Pachan party – Guided by Jabshir Rashidi

I had the pleasure of guiding the Jim Pachan party this past July on a wonderful adventure through northern Tanzania. The focus was to see the Great Migration and included two different locations within the Serengeti.

Accommodations on their adventure included the Tarangire Treetops Camp, the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Serengeti Pioneer Camp and ending at Migration Camp.

Highlights throughout the safari included seeing large herds of zebras and wildebeests, lions, hyenas, five cheetah and multiple leopards. On the last day in the Serengeti we spent the whole day out, heading to the far north and we were so lucky as we witnessed a river crossing! What a thrill for the guests and myself!

Cultural visits to a Maasai village, Iraqw Center and Oldupai Gorge were also included in the adventure.

Safari for the Jennie Chan Family – Guided by Mohamed Rashid Mgandu

June 24, 2017

I met the Chan family at Mount Meru Hotel for our safari briefing. We left Arusha and headed to Tarangire, passing through Maasai steppe, and on the way, we saw young Maasai boys who were recently circumcised. We stopped to meet them and take some photos.  We enjoyed a break for lunch at the Tarangire Safari Lodge and proceeded for our afternoon game drive, reaching our camp, Tarangire Tree Tops for overnight. We were lucky to see lots of wildlife including leopard and lions.

June 25, 2017

Today we went back to Tarangire National Park for a full day game viewing, so we had early breakfast and left the lodge with picnic lunch. It was a very good day as we saw more cats like lions, cheetahs and leopard again for the second time. We returned to the lodge late afternoon for a night game drive where they managed to see some of nocturnal animals such as white tailed mangoes, porcupine, spring hare and bushbaby.

June 26, 2017

After breakfast, we left Tarangire and headed to Mto-wa-Mbu for a ‘village walk ‘and a Swahili lunch. It was one of the highlight of their trip – walking through the village and seeing local people with their daily activities and tasting local dish. Later, we proceeded to Lake Eyasi and Kisima Ngeda for an overnight.

June 27, 2017

We had very early breakfast and left the camp with a local guide and went to find the Hadzabe tribe for a hunting session.  While we were in the bush hunting, one of the bushmen disappeared but came back after 10 minutes and showed up carrying a dikdik with him. So they lit a fire and grilled the meat. The Chan family were impressed with the way the tribe handle hunting and the way they prepare the meat.

June 28, 2017

This morning we left Lake Eyasi and headed to Gibbs Farm where we had a walk to the waterfall and elephant cave. After our efforts, we welcomed a superb meal at the farm with fresh food. Late afternoon, we left Karatu to go up the rim of he Ngorongoro Crater and reached Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge for an overnight.

June 29, 2017

We left the lodge early in the morning after breakfast and descended into the Ngorongoro Crater. We saw a lot of game including rhinos although we saw them from a distance. During the dry season, we have hard time finding rhino in the crater because of the lack of food. We also saw a pride of lions hunting a zebra but they missed it. Then we went to the picnic site for lunch before continuing with our game.

June 30, 2017

This morning, we drove to the Lake Manyara airstrip where the Chan family caught their  flight to the northern Serengeti and two night at the Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp.  It was sad to bid them farewell. viewing and then headed back to the lodge.

Migration Safari for the Sands Family – Guided by Ombeni Kitunga

I picked up the Natalie Sands family at the Kilimanjaro Airport on June 11^th and could tell right away that this was going to be a fun week.

June 12+13, 2017

After briefing and orientation meeting, we continued to Tarangire National Park. On our way we saw some Maasai young boys who had been initiated into adult hood, and we had a talk about Maasai culture.

After lunch at the Tarangire Safari Lodge, we began our game drive on our way to Tarangire TreeTops Camp where we spent two days. We saw a terrific number of animals and birds.

The next day we woke up for an early morning game drive with a picnic breakfast. The highlight of this day was watching elephant, two  herds as we saw them walking to the watering hole with juvenile elephants and babies, swimming in the water hole, the young males playing and being naughty.  The Sands family said “we could have watched all day”.  We were also very lucky to see two lionesses with cubs. Later we went back to the camp as they had a scheduled nature walk and night game drive.

June 14+15, 2017

We left the lodge during the morning and drove to the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge via Iraqw tribe village.  They had a chance to wear Iraqw wedding clothes which was perfectly fitting for their wedding anniversary trip.

We enjoyed lunch at Gibbs Farm and then proceeded to the Ngorongoro Crater. We stopped at the viewing platform overlooking the crater floor and we had a chance to discuss about formation of this huge caldera.

Next morning we visited the crater where as usual we had a game in abundance.  The highlight of the day was viewing two black rhinos in a very close range plus hyenas with a kill.

Late in the afternoon we visited a Maasai boma where they performed a traditional dance for the Sands family, who joined the fun.

June 16-19, 2017

We left the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge during the morning heading to Serengeti and Oldupai Gorge.  The museum was very interesting to them as they were asking about the history of mankind and the skeleton remains of “Lucy”.

Four days were spent in Serengeti, two days at Pioneer Camp and two days at Migration Camp.  Game drives in the Serengeti were excellent and the entire Sands family was thrilled.  The highlights were lions in the trees, a leopard close to our vehicle, cheetah on the hunt and the Great migration.

June 20, 2017

The trip was marvelous, game drives were excellent in all parks, people and culture experience added a unique unforgettable touch and the Sands family thought it was a trip of a life time.

May Safari for the Jong party guided by Mkenda

May 20, 2017

I picked the Jong party up from Grumeti airstrip.  While having snacks, I briefed them and oriented them regarding the migration, and then began a game drive. We saw lots of hippopotamus and crocodiles in the Grumeti River, as well as white and black colobus monkeys.

In the afternoon, we saw a lioness trying to hunt and a lazy male lion lying among the rocks.

May 21, 2017

We started our game drive at six o’clock driving to the central part of the Serengeti, and saw lots of hyenas, a leopard, lions and many other animals including wildebeests and zebras. It was incredible to be in the center of the migration. Finally, we saw a tree-climbing lion in Seronera.

May 22, 2017

Today was great, as we drove the whole day without encountering vehicles and we saw a cheetah. Then, in the afternoon, we saw a pride of six young male lions with thin stomachs.

We enjoyed a sunset with a yawning hippopotamus, an indication that they were just ready to start leaving the pond for night grazing, and I explained a little bit about their behavior to the Jongs.

May 23, 2017

We drove to Mbuzi Mawe Camp. On the way, we saw a lion on the kopjes. After lunch, we saw a pride of two females and two big males and later, a herd of elephants with tiny babies. It was great with sunset light.

May 24, 2017

This morning we left before breakfast and saw two prides of lions — one with two females and a male and the other with five females.

After breakfast, we went looking for cheetahs and we managed to see a mother with two cubs and a single cheetah hunting.

May 25, 2017

As we drove to Ngorongoro via the Olduvai Gorge, we were lucky to see two male cheetahs very close to the road and then lions on the kopjes.

May 26, 2017

After leaving at six for our game drive, we saw three male lions and two females within the first hour of light.

Then during breakfast, we enjoyed watching a hippopotamus playing. In the afternoon, we saw lions — the same ones we saw in the morning — mating.

May 27, 2017

We saw a rhinoceros at very close range, crossing the road. The Jongs were so happy to witness this incredible animal with no other vehicles around.

As we were going for lunch, the Jongs decided to visit the Maasai tribe. They appreciated the experience and learned a lot about the Maasai culture and lifestyle.

May 28, 2017

Today, we drove to Arusha where they had a day room.  Some in the party were departing at night; others the next day. On the way we met Alison; they were happy to see her since they talked a lot to each other over the phone before the trip to prepare for the safari.

It was an amazing trip where we saw lots of lions and cheetahs, the migration in Serengeti, and rhino in the Ngorongoro. The clients promised to come back next year to stay at Crater Lodge and Four Seasons Lodge.

March Safari for the Milonas Family Guided by Mkenda Emmanuel

I had the pleasure of guiding the Milonas Family in March 2017. These clients have traveled to Africa several times on National Geographic group safaris. Tatiana Milonas was looking for a company which will be perfect to plan a multi-generational safari and she discovered the Africa Adventure Company through Travel+Leisure magazine.

March 19, 2017

This morning I met the Milonas family at the Lake Duluti Serena Hotel for a briefing before driving to the Escarpment Luxury Lodge. We went through the itinerary and explained what to expect.  En route, I talked about the Rift Valley formation and other aspects of Lake Manyara.

After lunch, we had a game drive and the highlight was to see elephants up close and personal. The kids had fun taking pictures with their phones. It was a great start to our safari!

March 20, 2017

We left the lodge for a full day game drive and a walk through Mto wa Mbu – known as “the mosquito creek town”.   As we entered the Lake Manyara National Park, we saw a large troop of baboons.  The children had fun learning about their behavior as they glooming each other fighting and clinging to our truck. The afternoon was spent at a hot spring which was the perfect way to end the day.

March 21, 2017

This was another special day as we visited a local school. The Milonas family brought books and balloons and enjoyed spending time with the students, singing songs together and playing with the balloons. After that, we had a delightful lunch at Gibbs Farm and tour of the botanical and vegetable garden.  That afternoon we drove to a Maasai village before checking in at the Sopa Lodge on the Ngorongoro Crater rim.

March 22, 2017

We were up bright and early for our game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater and had fantastic game viewing. We saw numerous lions today – large males, females and even some cubs (with no other vehicles in sight). A special breakfast was served at the Ngoitoktok picnic site, near the hippo pool, which delighted the children.

March 23, 2017

Today we drove to the Serengeti, enjoying some fantastic game viewing enroute. Highlights included a cheetah killing a gazelle, lion cubs hidden under thick bush followed by even more cheetah – a mother cheetah with her four cubs. As we started very early in the morning, we had breakfast with us and it allowed us to wait for the cheetah to hunt. After breakfast, the cheetah ran and caught a gazelle, then the mother called her cubs then they started to eat. We waited until she almost finished and then the vultures came and the cheetah departed. First kill for the kids. What an unforgettable moment!

Our camp for the next three nights is at the Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp.

March 26, 2017

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time at the mobile camp but today we are heading to the Soroi Lodge, located between the central Serengeti and western corridor. Conditions were a bit challenging due to some recent rains and the road was like a river. We did get to see some game including lion, hyenas and large herds of buffalo.

March 27 + 28, 2017

We spent the days game driving in the western corridor and watched crocodiles and hippos in the Grumeti River. It was interesting to drive through new areas and see a diversity of game.

March 29, 2017

Today was our last day of safari. We left the lodge early enough for the flight so that we had still some time for game viewing. On the way we saw a newly born baby elephant, maybe just few hours as it was struggling to walk. That was so special to end our safari with such incredible sighting.

This was the end of our family safari – a great experience for kids to live all these magical moment in Africa.

The Rhyne’s “Galloping Gnus” Safari to Kenya and Tanzania – Guided by Wilfred Mollel

February 22, 2017

In late February I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret and David Rhyne when I picked them up at the Namanga border between Kenya and Tanzania. I gave them the safari briefing on the way to Arusha, where we stopped for lunch at the Arusha Coffee Lodge. Then it was on to the Tarangire-Manyara corridor and their first camp, Maramboi Tented Camp.

February 23, 2017

Today we headed out with a packed picnic lunch for a full day of game viewing in Tarangire National Park. Our first sighting was a herd of elephant walking down to the river to drink and have a mud bath. The game viewing continued with numerous zebra and wildebeest, impala, journeys of giraffes, warthogs and three lions.

February 24, 2017

Today we departed Tarangire and drove to Lake Manyara. Margaret and David were amazed by the dense vegetation and learned about the water flowing to the lake from the underground springs. We spotted lots of birds including the yellow billed stork, spoon bills and flamingoes. We also encountered zebras, warthogs, wildebeests, giraffes, lots of baboons and velvet monkeys. We were lucky to see two lionesses eating a wildebeest. It marked the end of a fantastic day. Overnight accommodations were at Kitela Lodge.

February 25, 2017

We departed early this morning for our drive to the Ngorongoro Crater. Upon arrival on the Crater floor, we started seeing lots of buffalos, zebras, herds of wildebeests, a pride of lions with the little cubs playing while the adults were sleeping. Later during the day, we saw a male lion, a bit away from the females. We had a wonderful time with the black rhino, hippos, hyenas and warthogs also. After a very successful day in the crater, we went back to the Kitela Lodge.

February 26, 2017

It was time to drive to the Serengeti but before reaching the park, we had some activities en route – Maasai boma and Oldupai Gorge. Then it was on to our camp, Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp in time for lunch. The plan for the afternoon was to go on a game drive in search of cheetahs. We were lucky to see three finishing eating a wildebeest. As usual vultures came afterwards to enjoy the feast and clean the spot when the cheetahs were done. On our way back to the camp, we saw a lovely female cheetah and a serval cat, and that was the end of the day.

February 27 + 28, 2017

We had two full days in the Serengeti. The game viewing was absolutely fantastic!  We saw herds of wildebeests, dazzles of zebras heading more to the south end of the park. We encountered lots of spotted hyenas trying to hunt without success and others soaking their bellies in the mud. We saw black back and golden back jackals and many birds like Eurasian rollers and secretary birds. The highlight was finding two leopards and one even had a kill!

March 01, 2017

It was with great sadness that I bid farewell to Margaret and David at the Seronera airstrip as they flew on to the Maasai Mara for their continuing adventure.

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2016 – December Safari for the Streibich party Guided by Wilfred

DAY 1

The Streibich party arrived on the 29^th of December and were transferred to the Legendary Lodge, for breakfast and a couple of hours of relaxation. As the flight was delayed, we slightly amended our program. We left Arusha mid afternoon and drove straight to Karatu for overnight at Neptune Lodge.

DAY 2

After a relaxing night and breakfast, we drove to the crater. It was a rainy day and the area was misty. But we tried our best and when reaching the crater floor, animals were there. We saw buffalos, gazelles, zebras, wildebeests, rhinos from a distance, a male lion eating a buffalo, few elephants and a pride of eight lions. We visited the hippo pool and found them enjoying the rain drops. Later on, we came across hyenas enjoying a bath from the pools of water created by the rain. We went back to Neptune at the end of the afternoon for overnight and clients got ready for their transfer to Lake Manyara airstrip on the following day.

DAY 3

I left early in the morning proceeding to Serengeti so that I could pick up the family upon arrival in Seronera. We had a game drive en route to the Four Seasons where we were expected for lunch. We saw some cats – a leopard resting on a tree branch, two cheetahs busy looking for something too hunt, and also some giraffes feeding a little bit  far from the road. After lunch, we went on an afternoon game drive where we spotted Nile crocodiles, a raft of hippos squashing themselves over a small pond of water, few wildebeests, banded mangoes, secretary birds, marabou storks and white storks.

DAY 4

We left the lodge with packed lunch for a full day game drive aiming to find the migration of zebras and wildebeests. Indeed they were coming from the woodland and we saw quite a lot. We also spotted a pride of lions that tried to hunt and failed, a mother and a baby leopard, ostriches, guinea fowls, long created eagle, tawny eagles feeding on a dead bat eared fox, secretary birds, a beautiful journey of giraffes crossing the road, dik dik and a dwarf mongoose.

DAY 5

In the morning we drove to the eastern side of the park which was almost empty with few exceptions of topi and warthogs. On our way back to the lodge we spotted some lions resting under a tree, two cheetahs resting in a clump of long grass, spotted hyenas enjoying the mud pools and beautiful herd of impalas. In the afternoon we saw big herd of wildebeest moving from the west heading south, then crocodile and hippos enjoying fresh flowing water from the rain. When we drove back to Four Seasons, we ended the day by watching a journey of giraffes and a leopard resting on a tree branch.

DAY 6

Cynthia and Liana left early morning for the balloon ride while Wayne and Christopher had breakfast and a morning game drive. Our aim was to see elephants. We managed to see a pride of lions, some hyenas finishing some remains from a kill, vultures and black back jackals. We saw a leopard trying to hunt a reedbuck with no luck. During the afternoon, it rained a lot and we ended seeing herds of wildebeests, cluster together, gazelles doing the same thing. We watched a flock of marabou storks searching for bugs and flying to their roosting trees some lions walking very lazily from bush to bush.

DAY 7

After breakfast we left the Four Seasons Lodge heading to the airstrip for their flight back to Arusha. Along the way, we saw few animals like giraffes, impalas, warthog, hyenas and small herds of wildebeests.

August Safari for the McIntyre Party Guided by Martin

The McIntyre family arrived Kilimanjaro on Air Kenya.  They have been on safari in Kenya prior to Tanzania where they saw the white rhino and wildebeest migration.

I picked them up at the airport and dropped them at Serena Duluti Lodge. We went to visit Tengeru Primary School before check in at the lodge. They loved it. The next morning we left after breakfast heading to Gibbs Farm where we did a guided hike to the waterfalls and elephant cave. The clients got a new experience and enjoyed the yummy lunch. We left for Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge for an overnight.

August 1, 2016

We left by six am for our crater tour. It was really a great day since we saw lots of lions, hyenas, birds, and lots of small games. The highlight of the day was a male ostrich dancing before mating with a female. We went to Ngoitoktok where we had lunch with hippos around.

August 2, 2016

I transferred them to Manyara as they were going to Kogatende and Lemala Kuria Hills on game package. It was a very short time together but it was a good experience for the whole family.

August Safari for Frances Dieckmann & Ms Pamela Scala Guided by Jabshir

July 30, 2016

Frances Dieckmann & Ms Pamela Scala arrived into Kilimanjaro Airport at 2:20pm. After the immigration formalities, I transferred them to Mount Meru Hotel for dinner and overnight.

July 31, 2016

Frances and Pamela had a cultural visit so after breakfast we went to Ng’iresi and for a short walk around the village to see how local people live. We went back to Mount Meru Hotel for late lunch. Later today their three friends, Ms Helen McKay, Ms Sherley Saxton and Mrs Pamela McGaha arrived into Kilimanjaro Airport on the KLM flight. I met them and transferred them to Mount Meru Hotel for dinner and overnight

August 1, 2016

I met the clients in the morning and gave them a safari briefing and then we headed to Maramboi Tented Lodge for lunch followed by afternoon game drive in Tarangire National Park where we saw some animals before going back to the lodge for “happy hour time”!

August 2, 2016

This day after breakfast, we packed our lunch because we planned to go for the whole day. So soon after breakfast we went back to the park where we managed to see a lot of elephant, zebras, wildebeests. It is possible at this time of the year because Tarangire is dry so now many animals are feeding near Tarangire River. We also succeeded in seeing four lions, a leopard in a baobab and also three cheetahs around Silale Swamp.

August 3, 2016

This day after breakfast we left from Maramboi to Kitela via Maasai village visit and a short game drive in Manyara National Park. There we saw a lot of baboons, buffaloes, giraffes, two hippos and others animals.

August 4, 2016

We left the Kitela Lodge and drove to the Ngorongoro crater for the whole day. In the crater we added to our list more lions, hyenas, a few flamingoes in Lake Magadi, zebras, a lot of wildebeests and others wild animals. The highlight was seeing a rhino although it was a bit far in the distance.

August 5, 2016

After breakfast, we left for the Serengeti for another three nights at Kati Kati Camp. This day we did our game drive en route via Oldupai Gorge and we arrived in the late afternoon.

August 6, 2016

Today we spent the whole day out on the Serengeti so after breakfast we departed with our boxed lunches and managed to see a lot of cats (more than twenty lions, two individual leopards in a tree, two cheetahs, and another cheetah with a kill). In general it was another fantastic day with great sightings.

August 7, 2016

Today was our last day in the Serengeti so again we went for the whole day. We were lucky because we managed to see a lioness make a kill, also a cheetah kill a gazelle. I think it was the highlights of the safari.

July Safari for the Paez Party Guided by Martin

I had the pleasure of guiding Luis and Surekha Paez in July. The clients enjoyed an overnight at Lake Duluti Lodge before starting their safari.  We met on the second day and during the short briefing I learnt Surekha is an ornithologist and her husband was interested in seeing big cats.

July 3, 2016

Our safari commenced in the morning, driving to Tarangire Park. We took our lunch at Tarangire Safari Lodge followed by an afternoon game drive. Along Tarangire River we saw lots of elephants digging water on the sand, different type of birds, big herds of wildebeests mixed with zebras. It was a beautiful day to start safari with lots of expectation from clients.  At the end of the day we continued to our camp, Tarangire Tree Tops.

July 4, 2016

After breakfast, it was a full day game drive with picnic lunches.  During the day there were herds of elephant drinking water, two male lions and lots of birds. Surekha enjoyed viewing the birds. We saw fish eagle flying up with small tilapia from the river that made itself a highlight for the day.  That evening they had a night game drive with the camp guide.

July 5+6, 2016

Today we continued to their next camp, Chem Chem game viewing enroute. They enjoyed the night game drive and walking safari offered by the camp. We had two nights at Chem Chem

July 7, 2016

We departed early morning to Ngorongoro Caldera; the whole countryside was full of colorful Maasai blanket and cows.  The place was foggy so we couldn’t see anything at the view point.  The weather was got better and we descended down the caldera, where we could see a huge number of flamingos. The highlight of the day was watching a serval cat trying to hunt.

July 8, 2016

We stopped over at Olduvai Gorge. We enjoyed our picnic lunches and continued with a game drive to the Serengeti. There were two leopards along Seronera River one of them had gazelle up the tree.  We later arrived at the Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp for dinner and overnight. This would be our base for the next 3 nights.

 July 9, 2016

06:30hrs sharp we departed for game drive, few meters from the camp we could see two lions, as we passed Utalii Rocks we could see 12 more lions on the rocks. It was a very beautiful day with lots of elephant families and serval cat.  We drove back to the camp very late for dinner.

 July 10, 2016

Clients wanted to connect with nature as many hours as they could. So we woke up early with our picnic lunches. It was a beautifully day and we saw lots of birds.

July 11, 2016

We were scheduled to drive to Lemala Camp which was located in the northern Serengeti so we departed with picnic lunches and enjoyed some wonderful game viewing enroute. We saw huge herd of the wildebeest migration, lions killing wildebeests, three cheetahs and marabou stork feeding with carcass of wildebeests. It was another great day to view the Serengeti’s vast plain.

 July 12, 2016

Today the goal was to see the migration cross the Mara River. Along the river there were herds of wildebeest migration waiting to cross river, so we waited for 2 hours and they started to cross, it was one of the highlights of the trip. On our way back to the camp there was elands, elephants, and birds so it was the perfect end to our day.

 July 13, 2016

Another wonderful day in the Serengeti with the migration and residents animals.

 July 14, 2016

It was the last day of our safari, yet we saw another group crossing near Kogatende Airstrip. Luis and Surekha departed from the airstrip and flew back to Arusha.

July Safari for the Kerber Family Guided by Jabshir

July 15,2016

The Kerber family arrived today and I met and transferred them to the Arusha Coffee Lodge for dinner and overnight.

July 16,2016

I met the clients at 9:00 am for a short briefing before starting our safari to Maramboi Camp. We reached there and had an afternoon game drive at Tarangire National Park.

July 17,2016

On this day we had another full day game drive in Tarangire National Park. We saw lots of zebras and wildebeest soon after getting inside the park. It’s very dry now in Tarangire so many animals are gathering near the river for grazing and water.

July 18,2016

We left Maramboi to Manyara via Maasai village. After visiting the Maasai village we got into the park ready for our tour.  We saw some elephants, buffaloes a lot of baboons but we couldn’t spot any flamingoes on the lake and the water was still fresh. After a full game drive in lake Manyara Park we headed to the Ngorongoro Sopa for dinner and an overnight.

July 19,2016

After breakfast we descended down the crater with our lunch boxes for another full day game drive. It was a good day as we saw lots of lions, buffaloes, hyenas, jackals and so many wild animals including rhinos. We also saw lots of flamingoes in Lake Magadi.

July 20,2016

We left the Ngorongoro Sopa and drove to the Serengeti via Oldupai Gorge (one of the top historical places in the world). While gaming en route we managed to see more lions, one cheetah, and one leopard before we checked in Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp for dinner and an overnight.

July 21&22,2016

Two full days in the Serengeti National Park was a blessing. We saw many types of animals in large numbers: herd of hippos, zebras, wildebeests and a good number of leopards (seven leopards only in the Serengeti). On our last day we went for the whole day game drive where we saw more lions on the Kopjes, two cheetahs, but the best of all was watching a lioness killing a gazelle.

July 23,2016

After breakfast I took my clients to Seronera Airstrip. They were flying to Tarime then Maasai Mara to continue with their safari. The clients thoroughly enjoyed their safari.

July Safari for the Brickley Party Guided by Jabshir

 July 6, 2016

The Brickley party of 7 arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport and they were transferred to the Arusha Coffee Lodge for dinner and an overnight.

  July 7, 2016

After breakfast, the Brickley’s flew to the Serengeti where I met them.  We started our game drive en route to our shared mobile camp for lunch, on the way we saw a lot of gazelles, two cheetahs, a few groups of wildebeest, zebras, giraffes and other game. The highlight of our afternoon game drive was watching a pair of mating lions before heading back to the camp.

  July 8, 2016

We departed after breakfast for a full day of game viewing out on the Serengeti plains. We started at the hippo pool and went to the central of Serengeti where we saw more cats including a leopard in a tree, a lot of elephants, crocodiles, more birds, bat eyed foxes and other wild animals.

 July 9, 2016

On this day we planned again to go for the whole day game drive, so after breakfast we carried our lunch boxes and left camp. We saw more big cats, birds, elephants and giraffes. We topped it with a lion climbing a tree which made it the highlight of the day.

July 10, 2016

We bid farewell to the Serengeti and drove to the Ngorongoro via Oldupai Gorge. We visited the museum and had a talk about the gorge followed by lunch. After that we went straight to Ngorongoro Sopa for dinner and overnight.

July 11, 2016

After early breakfast we descended down the crater for the whole day game drive; it was a very good day with the best weather. We saw a lot of lions, hyenas, wildebeests, zebras, flamingos on Lake Magadi. We also managed to see a rhino before coming out the crater.

 July 12, 2016

After breakfast we drove to Tarangire National Park while gaming en route to Tarangire Sopa Lodge for lunch. We saw a lot of animals on the way, and soon after lunch we did our afternoon game drive where we saw a lot of elephants, zebras and wildebeests in Tarangire which now are migrating back to the park. We also experienced a unique sight, seeing a leopard in a tree eating its kill.

 July 13, 2016

This was our last day on safari, as the Brickley’s were continuing on to Zanzibar.

July Safari for the Harding Family Guided by Ephata Lotashu

This was the Harding family’s first trip to Africa. James, Wendy, Mary, Bridget and Grace were so excited to be in Tanzania and they had a lot of expectations for this safari. They were curious about the wildlife in all conservation areas as well as meeting the local people and learning from their culture and traditions. As a private guide, I did my best to make their dreams come true by providing a unique and unforgettable service.

Clients arrived on 14^th July 2016 and they were picked from Kilimanjaro. I met them on the next day and gave them a short briefing. I went through their itinerary and gave them useful information about their  health in general, bathrooms stops, security on their valuables, electricity voltage, allergies and dietary requirements, dangerous animals, taking photography only by  permission and advice on to weather and bugs. I shared with them more about Tanzania in general; i.e. protected areas we are going to visit, the great East Africa Rift Valley, Ngorongoro caldera and Serengeti ecosystem.

July 15 & 16, 2016

We drove to Tarangire and saw a lot of elephants, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes and impalas roaming through the park. We also spotted a lion from a distance sleeping along the Tarangire River.

The highlight of the 16^th was the leopard with an impala killed very close to our vehicle. The family loved the scenery of the park swamp, valleys, rivers and the baobab trees made it to be more unique.

July 17, 2016

We drove from Tarangire Swala Camp to Ngorongoro Sopa were we saw lots of farming and harvesting of crops like maize and beans. We stopped at Mto wa Mbu were we bought some red bananas to test them (they enjoyed tasting them) We had our lunch at Gibbs Farm and had an opportunity to visit the vegetable farm and coffee. They said the food was the best due to organic vegetables.

July 18, 2016

We drove down the crater floor at 6:30am were we saw 5 black maned lions eating a kill while roaring as the sign of protecting their territory and communication between them,. This was the most unique experience ever! Later that day we saw 3 female lions and 1 male (the 2 females and 4 cubs eating a buffalo killed very close to the road). We then drove around and saw other herbivorous like zebras, wildebeest and gazelles. We continued with our game drive after lunch were we saw 2 black rhinos in a distance and lots of hippos.

July 19, 2016

On our way to the Serengeti we visited a Maasai village where they practiced and enjoyed dancing with them. Our visit to Oldupai Gorge was educative to them. We saw several lions before heading to Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp for overnight.

July 20, 2016

We explored the central Serengeti where we saw almost 37 lions. We saw a pride of 17 lions together which was an amazing sighting. We saw 1 mama cheetah with 4 cubs trying to hunt and standing on the termite mound and one leopard very close to us. Some other species seen in central Serengeti were wildebeests, zebras, hundreds of gazelles, topi, hartebeest, hippos, impalas and lots of game birds. The vastness of the Serengeti made them to like more the Central Serengeti.

July 21-23, 2016

Being in the Northern Serengeti the big deal was to see the crossing of the wildebeest at Mara River. By doing a game drive we saw several lions with cubs, part of the great migration of the wildebeests and zebras, a lot of Nile crocodiles and hippos.

On 23^rd July we managed to see the crossing which made their dreams come true. They did the balloon ride along the Mara River which they enjoyed.

July 24, 2016

Our safari came to an end. I took them to Kogatende Airstrip for their flight to Dar es Salaam via Arusha and I drove back to Arusha.

June Safari for the Plank Party Guided by Ephata Lotashu

It was the first time for Plank family; Kent, Maria, Arman and Austin to be in Africa. They had high expectations about the animals, people, their culture and traditions in general. As their private guide what I did was to make sure their dreams came true by providing them a unique and unforgettable experience.

Clients arrived on 27^th June 2016 and I met them on 28^th June 2016 for the briefing.

JUNE 29, 2016

Our adventure began with a drive to Tarangire and spotted tons of elephants, a python swallowing a baby impala and 8 lions before lunch.  After lunch we saw more elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests before heading to Tarangire Treetops for a two night stay. 

JUNE 30, 2016

We started at 6:30am and managed to see more herds of elephants, zebras and wildebeests coming to Silalei swamp for green grass and water that made it more attractive and enjoyable. We went further and saw few hippos in the swamp and 1 lioness trying to hunt. The clients had a walk which was educative and a night game drive.

JULY 1, 2016

Driving from Tarangire Treetops we had a stop at Manyara Kibaoni primary school and gave them some supplies and had opportunity to play soccer with other kids which was an incredible experience. In the evening we did a nature walk around Lake Eyasi. On our way back we saw local people harvesting maize and red beans.

JULY 2, 2016

We started at 4:45am driving to the Datoga (Bushmen). When we arrived they took some pictures with them and had time to talk about the culture and traditions. At 6:45am we started hunting until 9:45am where we managed to kill some birds and a puff adder snake. They showed us how to make fire and we barbecued the birds. the Hadzabe (Bushmen) was the ‘top notch’ as they said! “This was the greatest experience in our lives to be able to hunt with people who are still hunters and gatherer’’ Mrs. Maria insisted.

We came back and had an opportunity to use bow and arrows and they did dancing and singing too. Visiting Datoga was a good thing to experience how the black smith makes arrows and do butter trade with Bushmen to get the honey.

JULY 3, 2016

On our way to Serengeti we stopped at a Maasai village where they enjoyed the African lifestyle, culture and traditions. We visited Olduvai Gorge museum site which was educative due to a very long discoveries of an early human bones 1.75million years ago. We visited the Shifting Sand too and I told them that this is a spiritual mound for Maasai people for settling disputes, making sacrifices, conducting some ceremonial events, women unable to conceive, prayers, divorced couple to go back together and stopping natural calamities like flood, drought and fatal diseases. On our way to camp, Namiri Plains, we saw a pride of 14 lions close to the road and 2 males cheetahs just very close to the camp and this was 7:30pm and all these made a fantastic day.

JULY 4, 2016

It was another great day! We saw a cheetah with her 3 cubs almost 2 months old very close to us. A spotted hyena tried to stalk them and their mother chased him away and that was a great sighting. On this day we saw several lions, 1 leopard and many other herbivorous like topi, hartebeests, gazelles, warthogs and black backed jackals. On our way back to the camp we saw 2 more cheetahs.

JULY 5, 2016

We started our big day by seeing 5 lionesses and 1 male lion trying to hunt and attacking a hartebeest but they didn’t manage to kill. We saw hundreds of hippos, 1 lioness trying to hunt gazelles and a crocodile swallowing a big piece of meat in the water. This is a day we saw a serval cat stalking some small prey.

JULY 6, 2016

On our way to Seronera airstrip we saw a pride of 14 lions which had 4 dark male lions, 1 eating a Thomson gazelle carcass in aggressively way not allowing the other lions, which meant that he was the strongest in the pride. We saw 1 cheetah and another pride with 10 lions. They took their flight to Kogatende Lemala Camp for 2 nights to finish their safari.

June Safari for Howard and his daughter, Karen Wilcock Guided by Mkenda Emmanuel

Howard Zuckerman and his daughter, Karen Wilcock, had very high expectations as they were told that I have been a guide of the year twice. They also saw from a magazine (Travel & Leisure) that Africa Adventure Company won an award so they really expected to be on a safari with the top notch company.

The experience was excellent as we saw a lot of animals more than expected. Most of the time we were alone enjoying great sightings especially in Tarangire  National Park, where we saw lions  early in the morning just alone in an area where the grass level was very high which appeared to be very difficult finding them.

JUNE 29, 2016

We met at Lake Duluti Lodge where they welcomed me for a warm breakfast; It was great to know each other and I briefed them on their safari. As we were going through the Itinerary, I realized that the day of visiting Tengeru School would be Tanzanian International Day for Farmers so I decided to have plan “B” that was to find another school on our way to the bush for another day and we planned to visit Kilimamoja School in Manyara.

The experience was excellent as we saw a lot of animals more than expected. Most of the time we were alone enjoying great sightings especially in Tarangire  National Park, where we saw lions  early in the morning just alone in an area where the grass level was very high which appeared to be very difficult finding them.

We started our day in Arusha National Park with walking and game drive, it was great to see the Tulusia Waterfall. After lunch we drove to the Momela Lakes to see flamingos but as we were driving we got a clear view of Mount Kilimanjaro and the lake colored with flamingos.

It was marvelous seeing lots of flamingos in the lake; some flying, landing and eating. It gave me a good time to talk about ecological niche regarding the two creatures – lesser and greater flamingo, which live together but still do not depend on the same nourishment or eological niche. The lesser flamingo eat the top layer of blue and green algae when greater flamingo eat the bottom layer of water seaching for small crastacians or molacus.

Later in the afternoon we had a great opportunity to see black and white colobus monkeys, it was incredible as we were just alone there.

JUNE 30, 2016

After luch we drove to Maramboi Camp. On our way we enjoyed seeing local people and markets. While visited Arusha City we learnt about  the history of Tanzania from German Era during colonial time where they build there office which is now changed to a National Museum.

As we were approaching the Great Gregory Rift Valley I explained the formation and it’s importance to tourism, that is according to geological findings the Rift Valley was formed about 20 million years ago, starting from the Middle East through Somali land, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania passing through Lake Manyara to Malawi and Zimbabwe. Then having another branch to the western countries along the longest and deepest Lake Tanganyika. These lakes were formed along the Rift Valley and do not have rivers draining water from them so all the salt or bicarbonates of different salt brought by water through small stream, creeks and floods remains in these lakes as the levels of the water controlled by evaporation in countless  years making the lakes alkaline or salt lake which is favoured environment for blue and green algae to grow and inturn is the food for lesser flamingo.

JULY 1, 2016

Today we planned on having a full day in Tarangire National Park. No sooner had we entered the park we saw a lion on the road, as we drove closer we saw a pride of five more lions. It was a great experience as we were alone enjoying the sight as people says  ‘‘an early bird catches a worm’’, also due to the fact that  the grass levels is very high so it’s difficult to find animals during this time. We saw a herd of elephants coming and crossing in front of our vehicle before seeeing a pythorn with a full stomach which showed that it ate an antelope.

Then later we saw owls on the tree, the clients couldn’t  believe the way I spotted them from a distance. We also saw the fringe eared oryx and a snake coming out of a hole that gave us a perfect gaming.

JULY 2, 2016

We drove to Gibbs Farm for lunch and a farm walk. On the way I talked about a mosquito creek town, that is this place attracted a lot of people from all over Tanzania from various tribes seeking for a good irrigation farming and the price from the tourism for crops like banana, planten, vegetable and fruits. Mto wa Mbu made to be good example of crosspolination of different tribes of about 120. We then visited a school at Manyara called Kilima Moja Primary School. Howard and Karen loved it.

We drove to Gibbs Farm, it was owned by a war veteran Mr Gibbs.  The  clients enjoyed walking and visiting the fresh vegetable gardern. As we were walking to the elephant caves I gave them an important talk on the importance of  direct intake of soil minerals to elephants and also to human in Africa especially those living in the remote area; mostly women who are pregnant   when  they can’t  afford a balanced diet meal. They had to eat these minerals from elephant’s cave sold in the market or collected from the bushes. Elephants have to eat this soil as their massive bones they need calcium, phosphorous and ions.

Then the clients enjoyed their lunch. We drove to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge where we planned for the fullday game drive to the crater on the next  day.

We left early and enjoyed solitude of the Ngorongoro morning. We saw a rhino, hyena, lions and hippopotamus. We went to the picnic site for breakfast where the clients felt they were exceptional, as we were the only ones with a table and chairs.

JULY 3, 2016

We enjoyed seeing lions cowadly moving away from the herd of buffalos and rhino.

JULY 4, 2016

Our beautiful safari came to an end. The clients were satisfied and  so happy.  We left at seven in the morning to Manyara airstrip where the clients flew to Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp for game package and further adventure.

June Safari for the Water Party Guided by Elibariki

Day 1:

Today I met the Water party and gave them a safari briefing.

Day 2:

After breakfast we departed for Tarangire National Park and Oliver’s Camp, game viewing on the way. We saw herds of wildebeests and zebras crossing the road heading to a water hole to drink. We also saw impalas, giraffes, different herds of elephants, six bulls swimming in the swamp, Kirk’s dik dik and common waterbucks. We drove back to the camp for lunch. Soon after lunch we had an afternoon game drive where we saw lioness with two cubs of about one year old, bachelor herd of impalas, individual bulls of elephants, and family herd of elephants.They had a night game drive that was organized by the camp and saw white tailed mongoose, wildcat and common genet.

Day 3

On this day we planned for a full day game drive, so soon after breakfast we left. We saw varieties of animal like zebras, impalas, pride of twelve lions eating a zebra carcass, whilst two males trying to take the carcass and ate in the bush. Again we saw guinea fowl, white headed buffalo weavers, superb starling, lilac breasted roller, warthog’s families, and another pride of lions with one male along the Silale swamp, herd of elephant family, Kirk’s dik dik, yellow bellied and open bellied storks. After our picnic lunch we continued with an afternoon game drive where we saw big herd of elephant families, hundreds of buffalos, impalas and many other animals. We decided to go back to the camp for dinner and overnight.

Day 4

We departed for Lake Manyara National Park soon after breakfast where we had a game drive on route. On our game drive we saw herd of elephant families, several impalas, giraffes, zebras, herd of wildebeests, and many others. On our way we visited the Maasai village and drove to Escarpment Lodge for lunch. We then had our afternoon game drive where we saw a troop of baboons, blue monkeys, velvet monkeys several  herd of elephant families, whilst the two bulls fighting in the middle of the road for  about five minutes. We saw impalas, herd of buffalo families along the lake shore, herd of wildebeests, zebras, warthog’s families, Kirk’s dik dik and silvery cheeked hornbills. We went back to the Escarpment Lodge for dinner and an overnight.

Day 5

We took our lunchboxes after having our breakfast. We had decided to go for a full day game drive. It was a quiet morning and we couldn’t see anything. Some minutes later we saw troop of baboons, velvet monkeys, Kirk’s dik dik, zebras, giraffes, elephants, a bull eating along the road,  dwarf mongoose, little bee eater, greater, flamingo, white pelicans and a yellow bellied stork. We then had our picnic lunch followed by an afternoon game drive where we saw troop of baboons, vervet monkeys and blue monkeys.

Day 6

We had our breakfast and departed to the Ngorongoro Sopa arriving in time for lunch. Soon after lunch we began our Crater game drive where we saw lioness along the road, zebras and buffalo herds. We saw another lioness with five male brothers, Thompson and Grant’s gazelles, kori bustard family, herd of elephants, black rhino, mating lions and so many wildebeests.

Day 7

Today we departed for the Serengeti, visiting the Oldupai Gorge enroute. On our way we saw ostriches, Thompson and Grant’s gazelles. We had our picnic lunch at Naabi entrance gate and then continued on our game drive and saw a male lion walking away from controlled fire around Simba kopjes, leopards, herd of elephant families, hippos, two pride of lions one along the Seronera River and another leopard along Kirawira road, impalas including bachelor herds of impala, giraffes, marabou storks and lappet faced vultures. We drove back to the Serengeti Shared Explorer Camp for dinner and an overnight.

Day 8

It was a full day game drive. So soon after breakfast we decided to move where we saw lots of giraffes, zebras walking in a line towards the river. We also saw herds of wildebeests, Thompson gazelles, school of hippos, bachelor herd of impala and several herum of impalas, topi, coke’s hartebeest and herd of elephant families. We enjoyed much seeing the pride of lions; one lioness on the tree, troop of baboons, leopards, velvet monkeys and some lions trying to stalk gazelles but they did not succeed to kill it. We took our packed lunch and decided to have an afternoon game drive where we saw almost the same animals. We took our way back to the camp for dinner and overnight.

 Day 9

On this day we were driving to the North Serengeti with our packed lunch boxes. So after our breakfast we started our journey and saw impalas, giraffes, different elephant families, dizzle of zebra drinking water in the Grumeti River with herd of Thompson and Grants gazelles, hartebeests, topi, troop of baboons, velvet monkey, and Kirk’s dik dik. After our picnic lunch we continued with our game drive, where we saw big flocks of vultures and marabou storks drying their wings after shower in the water hole, two herd of eland in the different places, herd of buffalo, bachelor herd of buffalo, mass of wildebeest migration and a cheetah with three cubs of about fourteen months old. We continued to Sayari Camp for dinner and overnight.

Day 10

Soon after breakfast we had a morning game drive where we saw giraffes, spotted hyena, herd of impalas, hippos, several elephant families, Nile crocodile’s wildebeest migration and small groups crossing in the different spots. We also saw topi, coke’s hartebeests as we were heading back to the camp for lunch. We started our afternoon game drive after lunch where we saw mass of wildebeests, mother cheetah with three cubs eating the carcass of calf of wildebeest, flocks of vultures, yellow bellied storks and mass of wildebeests crossing the river while heading back to the camp for dinner and overnight.

Day 11

It was a good day where we started an early morning game drive where we saw African hare, herd of wildebeests, spotted hyena, hippos most of them in the water and few of them coming back into the water from grazing areas. The beautiful giraffes could be seen from a distance, few zebras, warthogs, harem of impalas, troop of baboons, big flocks of vultures and flock of white storks as we were heading back to the camp for breakfast. After breakfast we continued with game drive where we saw hundreds of wildebeest migration crossing the river as we were rushing back to the camp for lunch. Our afternoon game drive ended with sundowner for drinks which was arranged by the Camp Manager. The perfect ending to a wonderful safari!

May Safari for the Bernstein Party Guided by Mkenda Emmanuel

 I had the pleasure of guiding the Bernstein family this past May. These clients requested my service as their friends traveled with me in 2011 and recommended me. They had very high expectations as their friends had a great safari. The Bernstein’s began their safari in South Africa, where they saw a lot of things (except cheetah, black rhino and the great migration) so the pressure was on to show off the highlights of Tanzania!

In the Ngorongoro and in Serengeti, they enjoyed seeing a large number of animals gathered in one place –Something very different from what they experienced in South Africa.

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MAY 2, 2016

The safari started by picking up the Bernstein’s from the Kilimanjaro airport. I met them after they cleared customs gave a brief introduction about the safari before heading to Ngorongoro Crater via Gibbs Farm where we stopped for lunch. On the way, there was a Maasai open market in Mto wa Mbu where we stopped and enjoyed seeing local people buying and selling cattle and other things.

We discussed the other tribes living in traditional ways of life such as Datoga who live as nomads, Iraqw which emigrated here 2000 yrs ago and the Hazabe who live by collecting fruits and roots and hunting with bow and arrows.

At Gibbs, we enjoyed seeing flowers and vegetable garden followed by a delicious lunch. We departed for our lodge located on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. On the way I gave a briefing about the caldera, that is the largest intact, unbroken wall and unflooded caldera on Earth. It is sometimes described as the Garden of Eden.

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MAY 3, 2016

Today was our full day of game viewing In the Ngorongoro Crater. We saw lions, hippopotamus, elephants, rhinos and all the wildebeests and zebras. It was amazing. We also enjoyed a picnic breakfast and lunch on the crater floor which made our day even more breathtaking. We saw this huge male lion and a female – it was just as if you were watching a National Geographic film. Then we saw the rhino and a pride of lions …all before we had breakfast!

MAY 4, 2016

Today we drove to the Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge. On the way, I talked about the uniqueness of the gorge as it was the first place to discover the oldest skull of human kind by the name Australopithecus Boizei dated 1.75 million years ago, and that shifted the original of human kind from Asia to Africa in 1959, 17th July.

Also we visited the “shifting sand” where the clients had a great time. This sand popped out from a live volcano few kilometers away in 1969 and moves about 17 meters a year. This sand is made of iron fire lings (hydro-carbonic irons) and can be attracted by a magnetic.

After an early morning balloon safari, we had a great day being in the midst of the entire migration as it has been said to be the world great show on Earth. It was awesome and magnificent! Equally as thrilling was the sighting of lions and cheetahs posing on the rocks.

This day we packed and moved to Four Seasons Serengeti Lodge in the morning. We saw leopards in trees, lions on the rock kopjes and many hippopotamus which were the highlights of the day as they were so entertaining.

Today once again was incredible to see the migration for the last time. We drove to Namiri plains where we saw unbelievable numbers of both wildebeests and zebras and lots of lions and cheetahs and we had picnic lunch between the migration and lions on the kopjes.

We also saw tree climbing lions and two leopards posing in trees; all these cats are attracted by the presence of the migratory animals.

This was the end of our adventure safari. We left at 0800 hours and did a game drive en route to the airstrip so they could catch their flight at 1100hrs. The clients were very happy with what we saw in terms of game as well as their involvement in finding animals. The highlight of the safari – witnessing the great migration on the Serengeti.

March Safari for the Ashcroft Party Guided by Mkenda Emmanuel

These clients discovered AAC through Travel+Leisure magazine where they found out that AAC was chosen as the best family safari company of the year and they spoke to owner Mark Nolting several times before they booked so they had very high expectations.

The clients were very happy from the way I involved them in the art of finding animals as we were driving. We were able to find cheetahs – we saw one killing a gazelle and another time one was walking alone and it came directly to us and jumped onto the hood of our vehicle to get a better views of the plains. It was a great moment!

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MAR 21, 2016

The safari started by picking up the clients from Arusha where I gave thorough briefing and going through the itinerary. I talked about safety, the use of seat belt on highway, using sealed bottled water for drinking and brushing their teeth, ensuring that all their valuable belongings should be very close to them and should not left unattended. Also we discussed about taking pictures of people especially the tribes which are living in traditional ways of life as they think that when you take pictures of them you are stealing their soul.

We started driving to Gibbs for lunch while and continued to discuss about my country including the history of Tanzania from colonial period until to date, economy and geology. We also talked about the Berlin conference which divided Africa in 1884 which resulted in the formation of the country Tanganyika (which became Tanzania after the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar). Then about Rift Valley formation that created alkaline lakes which attract flamingoes and makes a good tourist attraction.

I talked about Mto wa Mbu, also known as Mosquito Crick Town, which is a good example of a town that depends on tourism and a cross pollination of different tribes.

They had lunch and after they visited the garden where they grow vegetable organically. They appreciated the efforts done by Gibbs for having such good operation and providing delicious food.

We continued to the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, whereby on the way we stopped at the crater view. The caldera is the largest intact caldera which is an unbroken wall and is one of the natural wonders of the world.

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MAR 22, 2016

We started at six in the morning taking both a picnic breakfast and lunch. We were very lucky as we saw a huge pride of lions just as we arrived at the crater floor and a hyena eating from a buffalo carcass. Then a rhino crossed the road. It was amazing for my clients as they have been in Botswana but they did not see a black rhino. We stopped for our picnic breakfast at the hippopotamus pool. After the break we saw more lions and huge bull elephant with massive tusks almost the same length as its trunk. Such tusks are very rare to see due to poaching. Only wild elephants can have such tusks.

In the afternoon we enjoyed a picnic lunch at another peaceful site. After lunch we continued with our game drive where we saw more lions and rhinos (seven exactly). Seeing rhinos in the crater is very important and unique as this is the only place where you can see them in their natural habitat. Other places they were introduced or reintroduced.

Today we stopped at the Olduvai Gorge enroute to our camp in the Serengeti. On the way I gave a lecture of the site that is unique as it was the first place to find the oldest skull of human kind. On July 17, 1959 archaeologists Luis Leaky and Mary Leaky made this crucial discovery after 28 years of searching. We then visited the museum and the site where the first skull was found.

After Olduvai, we went to shifting sand and it was one of the highlights of their safari. When we arrived at the shifting sand, I told them that we have to treat with great care and respect as Maasai are worshiping – it means we have to approach with respect as we are entering the church. The clients were amazed by the fact that the sand is having magnetic effect and that they move 17 meters a year.

After lunch we had a game drive where we saw some lions and flamingoes and gorgeous sunset.

This was a great day as we saw a lot including a cheetah kill, mating lions and a pride of ten lions. It was great to teach my clients the art of finding game, as they were looking to find cheetah. We began our search of cheetahs and drove for about 30 minutes and then from a distance I saw two heads of something then when I took binoculars I saw two cheetahs. We followed them until they killed a young gazelle. It was incredible and awesome from start to finish.

After lunch we saw mating lions and some flamingos flying in the Lake Ndutu area as well as other general game.

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MAR 25, 2016

Another great day! We saw a gazelle looking in one direction for long time and when we looked through binoculars we saw a cheetah looking at the gazelle then started coming towards us then continued coming and jumped onto the hood of the vehicle. That was an awesome sighting as we found it on our own (with no other vehicles around). We also saw a caracal and vultures landing on a dead zebra and a lion with good reflection in the water.

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MAR 26, 2016

This was the last day where we had lunch with the migration surrounding us, some zebras drinking and lions in the tree. Also we saw small crocodile at Seronera river.

The clients were very happy as they could not believe the way we found all the animals they were looking for. We got them all!

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AAC Privately Guided Family and Solo Traveler trips with our Tanzania Guides (Oct – Dec 2015)

December Safari for the Walkowicz Party Guided by Wilfred Mollel

The Walkowicz’s were expecting to see all the animals, from the big five to the rare ones like pangolin. The overall experience was above and beyond their expectations.

On the 3^rd day we visited Olduvai Gorge and a Maasai Village on our way to Olakira Camp. We saw a lot on the way. We arrived for late lunch, which was followed by afternoon game drive. We had the opportunity to see a pride of seven lions, and that was the highlight of the day. Then we drove back to camp for overnight.

The following morning we started the game drive at 7:00 am aiming to find some cheetahs. And we did! Then we came across a clan of hyenas feeding. Then vultures came before we got back to the camp for lunch. During the afternoon drive we saw herds of wildebeests, gazelles, giraffes, and four lionesses and their seven cubs.

Our second full day in the Serengeti we drove all the way to the Seronera Valley purposely looking for the leopards and perhaps a pangolin. We found a leopard, some lions on kopjes, cheetahs, jackals, clan of hyenas and many more.

Dec 9, 2015

This was last day in Serengeti and driving to Ngorongoro was very exciting with lots of giraffe enroute and six young lioness on the tree. Enroute to the Ngorongoro we stopped at Maasai Village. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa.

Dec 10, 2015

We had full day in the Ngorongoro Crater with a picnic lunche. The crater animals were very close to vehicles and this provided some exciting moments for them. They really enjoyed this scenery and also the flamingo at Lake Magadi. There were plenty of lions at Kigongoni, even a couple of them mating. Sub-adult lion cubs fell asleep under the cars while their parents enjoyed a quiet moment. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa.

Dec 11, 2015

On this day we left the Ngorongoro heading to Tarangire National Park. We enjoyed lunch at Tarangire Sopa followed by an afternoon game drive. The game drive was good with the highlight being a baby elephant playing and two crown crane birds flying overhead, scaring the baby elephant. Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Sopa.

Dec 12, 2015

This was the last day of program, enroute to Arusha we saw a bat eared fox at Tarangire gate. Lunch was at Mount Meru Hotel, and continued via road transfer to Namanga. That was end of our adventurous and good safari.

December Safari for the Alpert Party Guided by Elibariki

Day 1: I met the clients at breakfast time for introductions and a safari briefing. We departed with a picnic lunch and drove to Tarangire for a game drive. We saw zebra, hundreds of wildebeest, elephant families, a harem of impala, Nile monitor lizard, banded mangoose, about fifteen giraffe – some drinking water in the water hole and some browsing on the acacia trees, pride of two lionesses, one of them trying to hunt zebra but with no success. After lunch, we continued on an afternoon game drive where we saw common waterbuck, dwarf mongoose, troop of baboons, yellow billed stork, white backed vultures, lilac breasted roller, white headed weavers, scattered elephant families and many of the same common animals. We then drove to Chem Chem for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: After breakfast we departed to the Ngorongoro Conservation area. On our way we saw giraffe, warthogs, territorial male impala, herd of impala, banded mongoose, lilac breasted roller, helmeted guinea fowl etc. Then we had lunch at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and the afternoon at leisure.

Day 3: After early breakfast we departed with a picnic hamper for full day game drive in the crater. We saw zebra, a herd of wildebeest, Thompson and Grant gazelles, bachelor herd of buffalo, spotted hyena and black backed jackals eating left over probably by lion, juvenile lioness walking whilst looking for rest of the pride, male ostrich sitting on the nest and so many hyena packs. We also saw black rhino, another lioness of different pride, hippos, kori bustards almost everywhere, and a huge male elephant drinking water at Ngoitoktok.

Following our picnic lunch we continued on an afternoon game drive. Late afternoon back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: After early breakfast we departed to Lake Manyara Airport where the clients flew to Arusha.

The Dixon Family Safari Guided by Daniel Nyamoga

 I met the Dixon Family at the Arusha Hotel for a safari briefing. Wwe started driving to Tarangire National Park, where we proceeded to Tarangire Safari Lodge but on the way we saw a lot elephants, impalas, waterbucks and zebras. We enjoyed lunch followed by an afternoon game drive. We had one of our best sightings – a pride of lions, calmly resting on a termite mound. We spent a significant amount of time with them and then drove back to the lodge after that.

The following day we had an early morning game drive, starting at 06:00 with a packed breakfast because we did not want to miss anything. We saw a very beautiful leopard sitting in a Baobab tree. We decided to drive back to the lodge for lunch and enroute we found a pride of lions crossing the road right in front of us. They headed to a large tree where they layed down in the shade. An afternoon game drive followed and this time the pride we saw earlier was very close to the lodge.
On Day 3 we had a vbusy day which began with a short game drive, followed by checking out of the lodge and driving to the orphanage center because they had some donations for the to children. After a memorable visit, we drove to Mto wa Mbu for a village walk. The clients enjoyed it as it gave them some interesting interaction with the locals.

Following a delicious bush lunch, we drove to Kisima Ngeda for dinner.

The next morning we started our day at 06:00 because we were going hunting with the Hadzabe bushmen. We met our local guide who took us to the bushmen. When we arrived we found them doing their morning preparations before going hunting. It was an exciting day and while we did not catch anything we enjoyed hunting with the Hadzabe and their dogs. We went back to their small village to practice using a bow and arrow. We drove back to the lodge for Brunch. In the afternoon we visited the Datoga tribe. It was very interesting how they prepare the meals, share their husbands, raise kids and making tools and so much more. That evening we went on a walk that ended up on a rock for some drinks while enjoying seeing the Sun setting down.

As yesterday was quite busy, today the clients wanted to relax a bit so we drove to Kitela Lodge, arriving in time for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing.

The next morning was a full day game viewing in the Ngorongoro Crater. Seeing a rhino was our big mission today and we got lucky as we saw a beautiful rhino just eating hardly 30 meters away from the road. It was an amazing sighting!! We thought that was the highlight of the day but we were totally wrong as we saw something else that as a guide was the highlight of the day a pride of lion trying to separate a buffalo from a herd. It was like a “Hide and Seek” game because the buffalo were chasing the lion as they were chasing the buffalo. It was a drama we rarely see. We drove back to the lodge happily.

This morning was a busy start for us as we were heading to the central Serengeti and Kati Kati camp. First, we visited the Oldupai Museum, Gorge and Shifting Sand before arriving in time for lunch.

In our afternoon game drive we saw something spectacular and I must admit that this was the highlight of the entire trip. A lion sitting next to a zebra carcass, half eaten with at least 20 hyena around him just waiting patiently. On our left side there was a herd of elephant grazing and slowly moving towards us before they came behind us and crossed the road. They were now heading towards the lion. They did not see the lion because the grass was very high. It ended up spooking the lion, who ran away. The hyena took the chance to claim the carcass, but when the lion saw that he decided to go back to the carcass and it became like a repeated drama.

This was another day of adventures. Our mission today was to look for more cats especially cheetahs. We started by seeing lion before we found the cheetahs. Watching them in the distance was quite nice especially with the morning light.

Our last we took a packed lunch so that we could spend more time out on the plains. We drove to Hippo pool to enjoy the hippos. The rest of the day driving around enjoying every moment. This was definitely another good day.

The Gifford Party’s Safari with Martin Mallya

Oct 2, 2015

Arrived Kilimanjaro International Airport with KLM, the Giffords were transferred to Lake Duluti Lodge where they spent a night.

Oct 3, 2015

In the morning we commenced the safari by driving to Maramboi Tented Camp in time for hot lunch. Afternoon game drive experiencing giant baobab and close viewing of lion lying under tree.

Oct 4, 2015

This was a full day game drive day with large number of elephant and guests were lucky enough to see tree-climbing lioness.

Oct 5, 2015

With packed picnic lunches we departed to Lake Manyara National Park for full day game viewing. During the drive they saw a flock of flamingos and a pride of lion eating a baboon. They were delighted to see Klipps springer and antelope standing on the rock. Late afternoon we proceeded to Ngorongoro Sopa for dinner and overnight.

Oct 6, 2015

This was second day at crater, despite the long day we had on previous day clients were keen to be at crater very early in the morning. We had our picnic lunch as usual. In the walls of crater we saw pride of lion along River Munge drinking water after a heavy meal of wildebeest. Exciting sightings also included black rhino, hyena and zebras. We returned to lodge for dinner and overnight.

Oct 7, 2015

On this day we drove to Serengeti via Maasai village and Olduvai Gorge. Lunch was served at Mbuzi Mawe camp, afternoon game drive with plenty of lions and cubs.