Clients Trip Reports East Africa: Jul – Aug 2024

Wilds of Tanzania Safari and Spice Coast Extension

Hi Alison,

We had an extraordinary trip, and we couldn’t be happier that we chose AAC to plan it. You and your colleagues’ support in the planning and preparation process was impeccable.

Our arrival at JRO was smooth, and our first night at Kahawa Cottages was lovely, with luxurious lodgings, beautiful grounds, and a delicious breakfast while Anita gave us an orientation.

I can’t say enough good things about our guide, Wilson. His encyclopedic knowledge of the wildlife we saw was matched only by his knowledge of Tanzanian history, culture, and politics. We peppered him with questions for a week and didn’t ask a single one that he couldn’t answer with an eloquent, articulate, essay-style response. It took us a couple of days to realize that he was as good at reading people as he was at reading animals – he quickly learned to interpret our subtle cues about how long we wanted to stay in one spot versus driving on to the next one, when we were getting tired, what kinds of things were interesting to one member of the group versus another, etc. He was personable and involved with our family without being intrusive. We would recommend him to anyone!

We were thrilled with the accommodations, amenities, food, and service at both Mpingo Ridge and Gibbs Farm. Every aspect of our experience at those locations was beyond reproach. We would return to either one in a heartbeat. The Maasai village visit and tuk tuk tour were also excellent.

Kaskaz Mara…we came to appreciate the enthusiasm and joy of the staff during the course of our stay, especially at a sunset “goodbye party” they hosted for us on our last evening, so our overall impression was certainly positive.

We had a very relaxing stay at the luxurious Matlai Boutique. (we weren’t crazy about having to place our meal orders in advance, since we didn’t always know early in the day what we might want to eat for supper, or the night before what we might be in the mood to have at breakfast. While I’m sure the hotel viewed that as a perk, we would have preferred to order from a menu at the restaurant.) But the minor nature of this complaint should give you a sense of how outstanding the hotel was in all other respects.

Thanks again to the AAC team for a memorable trip. We will enthusiastically send others your way.

Regards,

D. Hoffer, Aug 2024

 

Tanzania Family Migration Safari

Hi Alison,

Thank you for putting together a really nice trip for me and my family. As you can imagine with a family trip as the kids get older it gets more difficult planning a trip that keeps everyone content the entire time. Most importantly, no one got sick, no one got hurt, and I think everyone had a really nice/memorable time exploring Tanzania and our safari outing.

As I reflect on the trip as different people ask me about it the following comes to mind:

I thought the Tanzanian people were fantastic. They were so welcoming and service oriented. Is this how they really are?…

Both of our guides were terrific. Servuli was a gentleman and so very knowledgeable in leading us the first 6 days of our trip. He is a real ambassador of Tanzania. Karim, similar to Servuli, was very knowledgeable but a bit younger and more enthusiastic to help us find animals we hadn’t seen or exciting viewing opportunities. Both guides get an A…

The Northern Serengeti was the real highlight of the trip for all of us (lots of animals, amazing viewing opportunities, smaller camps). We were really fortunate to see all the big animals that Tanzania has to offer during our trip. Really could not have been better animal viewing. It’s definitely gotten more crowded and commercial but we were able to find some intimate moments with just our jeep and a viewing or a sunset…

Again, can’t thank you enough for planning such a wonderful family trip. I think all of my family members will savor this trip for the rest of their lives and remember the time we got to spend together as a family. Not without some inconveniences but perhaps that adds to the lore of the trip. 

Sincerely,

Paul Nikcevic, Aug 2024

 

Private Safari to Tanzania

Dear Saskia and Mark,

We are in the process of returning from our twelve days in Northern Tanzania. We cannot say enough about the accommodations or the food. The Lemala lodges were exceptionally beautiful and well equipped. We enjoyed our interactions with many of the people who worked in the lodges. A number of the staff went out of their way to be friendly to our granddaughters, especially Zubby at Lemala Nanyukie. Someone should recommend that Zubby be on the management track within Lemala…

The highlight of our twelve days was our guide, Ephata. Not only did he show us many animals but his love for his country was very evident. Because of Ephata’s experience we were able to see things that many other tourists did not see. His patience and timing and knowledge demonstrated each day where we would discover the diversity of each region. He knew the roads very well, and was willing to pull over and just sit and wait for a leopard or a cheetah. We saw many younger more inexperienced guides rush away before they managed to catch site of a particular animal. Ephata took into account the needs of two children and always packed snacks for our sometimes long days. He interacted professionally but personally with each of the six people in our group. We feel he made our trip memorable and though we did not go to check off the Big Five we saw many, many animals including the wildebeest crossing the Mara River. 

As you know this is our second time with Africa Adventure Company and we would not hesitate to refer the company and particularly our wonderful guide. We will remember Ephata’s kindness, humor and expertise for a long time. 

Meredith Cashion, Aug 2024

 

Migration Safari to Tanzania

Dear Mark and Saskia, 

What a wonderful experience!  Everything was first class and our guide, David Barisa, was truly amazing.  He was thoroughly versed in the animals and birds and I think he had binocular eyes in finding animals; he found lions, leopards and a cheetah that we would have missed without him.  I can’t say enough good things about him.  He realized he had two old people with difficulty getting around and he went out of his way to make sure we had a great experience.

All of the accommodations were wonderful, and the staff were better than any I’ve encountered in the US; lovely, kind, considerate people…

We saw everything we wanted to see; did not see rhinos but weren’t searching for them.  I do believe we saw the great migration of wildebeests all the way down to the Mara River when they decided to stop, graze, and not cross the river.

Thank you, thank you for organizing such a wonderful experience!!

Warm regards,

Priscilla and Chan Armstrong, Jul-Aug 2024

 

Ultimate Safari to Tanzania and Kenya

Hi Mark,

Just wanted you to know that Jeff’s and my safari to East Africa was fantastic.  If you have clients contemplating a month-long trip, our experience would confirm that this length is wonderful for those that can get away for that long.

The length of stays at each camp (4-5 days at each) felt perfect.  It was a chance to get to know the area, but not once did it feel too long, or too short.

The combination of camps you booked was really a treat.  Asilia has stepped up their game in Tanzania – Jabali Ridge and Namiri Plains each have their own unique ambiance and setting.  Loved them.  And the warmth of their staff plus the quality of food/wine gets a “thumbs up” from us.  Little Chem Chem was quite charming (as you promised) – it had the vintage feel (canvas, lanterns, “on the ground”) of camps back in the 90s but with every luxury (electricity, room fridge and tea station, hot water 24-7, etc.) you could desire.  And, as always, Great Plains is always top of the line.  Mara Toto was beautiful!  And SO luxurious.  We stayed in Tent 4, and I later found out we were only the 2nd party to enjoy it (-the Jouberts being the first!).  If you had something to do with that, all I can say is “THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart”.  The high-ceilinged, multi-tented, super spacious “tent” was beyond luxurious.  And, Vincent, our room steward, made sure there was a hot bubble bath awaiting me each evening as we returned from our game drives.  I was so spoiled!  I thought Mara Toto was going to be at the level of Expedition, so was completely surprised and excited by its level of beauty, comfort, and polish.  Mara Nyika is so special, too.  Love its high-end feel, and gracious staff.

Three years ago, when we stayed at Nyika, we had the pleasure of a top-notch guide, Sam.  He recognized our names this year, upon arrival at Toto, and not only guided us again, but travelled with us to Nyika and guided us there as well.  I was beside myself with happiness over this, as Sam is a particularly gifted guide.  Great Plains was very thoughtful to make this accommodation for us.  We’re so appreciative.

The landscape of Namiri Plains was breathtaking.  I am so happy I was there.   We saw so many lions, lots of cheetah, and a few leopard.  A python – at Little Chem Chem!  (And a puff adder from the truck in the Serengeti, and a black-necked spitting cobra from the truck on the Mara.)  We saw aardwolf in Ruaha, and a caracal in the Serengeti.  (No serval cats… and we looked very hard.)  We came across quite a few kills (lions/cheetah/leopard) and watched sub-adult lions hunt/kill a warthog on the Mara, with Sam.  When I look back through our photos, it reminds me that we saw SO much.  Incredible wildlife, sunsets, sun-ups, rivers, soda lakes…  Wonderful birds!

The warmth and hospitality at all the camps was noteworthy, and our meals/bush breakfast/sundowners memorable.  Each camp and each park/conservancy was truly special.  You and your team out-did yourselves on this itinerary.

(Guess what?  I want to go back.  Soon. 😊)

Thank you for everything!

Robin Fleck, Jul-Aug 2024

 

Family Wildlife and Wilderness Safari to Tanzania

Hi Elena

We had a wonderful trip to Tanzania. It was a great combination of seeing all sorts of animals and meeting people in various places. The variety of lodges worked very well. We enjoyed them all, particularly Elephant Springs and Crater’s Edge. We enjoyed the mobile camp although it might not be to everyone’s taste. Food was very good indeed at all lodges…  

Anita was very welcoming and did a great orientation.  She clearly devoted a great amount of attention to our itinerary and spent a considerable amount of time with us.  Ephraim was a wonderful guide who connected very well with our grandson.  He was also a great animal spotter…

Thank you for putting together a great itinerary. We know why we have traveled with Africa Adventure Company many times; this was a great trip.  And we wore Africa Adventure t-shirts and our fleece jackets every day, so we were a great advertisement. (and Benji told his parents the trip was a solid 10)

Thanks,

Agnes & Alan Leshner, Jul-Aug 2024

 

Family Safari to Tanzania

Good Morning Mark, Saskia, and Kerry.    

First of all, I must say you did a fantastic job putting together this family trip for us.  John and I loved both of our previous trips to Africa and wanted the rest of our family to have that same wonderful experience of observing the wild animals in their natural habitat.  It was truly an experience I think they’ll remember always.    

How excited we were to once again have Ephata as one of our guides.  He and Wilfred make an awesome team and are great assets to your company.  They are both so knowledgeable of their beautiful country, the animals, plant life, birds, etc.  We had a very inquisitive 10 year-old and two teens on the trip.  There were no questions they couldn’t answer and did so in a professional manner…Keeping a 10 year-old engaged can be a challenge and they were up to the task.  She was totally mesmerized, and I think kept them as entertained as they did her. 

Our grandson, Milo, turned 15 while on the trip.  At every inn, lodge, camp, tent we stayed they presented him with song, dance, and cake!  15 year-olds don’t like to show their excitement in being the center of attention, but you could see in his smiles how pleased he was.  It will be a birthday celebration he will never forget!  And we have video of each and every one of those celebrations!  Thank you for making that happen.    

We were so hoping to see the wildebeests migrate over the Mara River but it wasn’t meant to be.  Ephata and Wilfred explained that the rains had confused the animals and thus postponed their crossing.  We did get to see the long lines of them making their way, but no crossing.  The guys tried their best for us.  They took us to a smallish water area where we got to see a “small crossing”.  A good substitute.  

We wanted the family to get a good experience of the different types of lodging offered.  Every place was spot on.  Beautiful settings, great food and drink, animal life, pools, outdoor showers, and yes, the mobile tented camps that must be experienced.  Our granddaughters were especially pleased having their “own lodging” connected with their parents.  This made them both feel so special and grown up…  

Best family vacation ever.  

Pam and John Mueller, Jul-Aug 2024

 

Family Safari to Tanzania

Mark and Saskia

The trip was smashing success from the 8 year old to the 80-year-old.  We loved every minute and felt very well cared for from airport to airport.

Kili Villas was the perfect starting point, allowing us to reconnect and rest without anyone else around.  Frank, Mary, Rebecca and Brighton took excellent care of us.  Our safari guides Ephata, Wilfred, and Ahmed quickly became our favorites as they were knowledgeable and tolerant.  The day in Ngorongoro Crater was magical and the Neptune Resort was beyond amazing.  If I could redo anything I would add a day of no game drives to recharge and just enjoy the Neptune before moving on.

We were concerned that when we moved to the Serengeti we would be disappointed in our new guides because we loved the previous guys so much, but that didn’t happen.  The Lemala guides, Barnabas, Mary, and Jumanne, were just as good and engaging, they even managed to find a cheetah for Caroline on our last day.  The staff at Kuria Hills was wonderful, the birthday party they threw for Caroline is one none of us will ever forget…

Thank you again for arranging the perfect trip for our group.

Asante from Bebe and Babu.

Sandra Woodell Cooley, Jul 2024

 

African Journeys Safari to Kenya and Tanzania

Hi,

I can’t believe I am back from my epic African adventure already!  It was such a spectacular mind- blowing experience that blew my expectations away 1000X over…  I wanted to say a sincere and heartfelt thank you to Kyle and his team who were awesome while planning this trip!  They handled every question, concern, etc so quickly that it definitely put my mind at ease!  The guides that I traveled with in both Kenya (Patrick) and Tanzania (David) were exceptional to say the least!  You can tell they both LOVE what they do and were amazing to learn from and travel with during this adventure!  The accommodations in all of the camps were top notch and the wildlife viewing was beyond words amazing! 

I will definitely highly recommend AAC and both guides to any of my friends, family, and anyone else thinking of doing an African safari.   I will make sure to spread the word about AAC on my social media accounts and make sure it is known how fantastic your company and its people are!!!!!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my dreams come true!  I will remember this trip and the amazing places and people I experienced for the rest of my life!!!!!

Thank you Thank you!

Erica Locke, Jul 2024

 

Royal Egyptian Tour and Kenyan Safari

Dear Miles and Maria,

A very warm thank you to you and all the AAC staff members involved in planning our Kenya safari and Egypt tour.  We had a vacation of a lifetime and sincerely appreciate all of the hard work you did ensuring our trip would go successfully.  We enjoyed all 3 safari camps and accommodations in both Kenya and Egypt immensely.  Our Nile cruise cabins were very comfortable and the Sofitel Legend Cataract Hotel in Aswan was a very special treat we will never forget.  Your counterparts, in Kenya and Egypt were professional, kind and helped us navigate our way through connections expertly.  A special acknowledgement to Jayson in Nairobi who ensured our lost luggage was delivered to camp and expedited Sara’s transfer to camp after an unforeseen flight cancellation. Our guides in Kenya were excellent, sharing stories about the wildlife we encountered and making sure we got the most out of our game drives.  The camp staff was unparalleled in friendliness, kindness and seeing to our every need.  Our Egyptologists are experts in their field and shared their passion for ancient Egypt in a way we could understand.  We learned so much and come away with a true appreciation of Egypt’s incredible ancient civilization. 

The trip exceeded our expectations!  We were well taken care of from the moment we landed in Nairobi to the morning we left Cairo. Truly it was a relaxing, stress free and enjoyable vacation for all of us.

Thank you so very much for planning our trip.  We would highly recommend AAC to anyone seeking an amazing trip to Africa. 

Until next time, asante sana

Michelle and Erik Meyers, Jul 2024

 

Best of Wildlife Safari to Tanzania

Hi Elena

We very much enjoyed Tanzania.  It’s a gorgeous country & very welcoming.  My favorite area was the northern Serengeti.  Wilson was great – I can highly recommend him 5 stars.  He’s very knowledgeable about the animals & somehow knows every road in the parks.

Kahawa Cottages in Arusha was very nice.  The grounds are stunning & we had a cottage with 2 bedrooms & shared sitting room.  Food was great.  I also liked playing with their dogs.  Anita was a huge source of information.  We visited with Will the CEO of KURU the dog training/conservation non-profit.  If any clients are interested in conservation etc, I highly recommend a visit here.  We were able to watch these incredible dogs search for ” bad stuff” in various places.  What an service to protecting the African wildlife…

Lion’s Paw is perfectly situated at the edge of the crater.  We were out at the crack of dawn & really had a lot of the park to ourselves for hours.  The crater was amazing, trying to imagine how it was all formed.  Staff was very friendly & food very good.

Maasai Village – another great experience.  Alison & I were the only ones there joining in on all the dancing, singing.  The chief spent a lot of time with us & is VERY pro-education particularly for girls.  Bought lots of beadwork crafts.

Olduvai Gorge – I’ve read all of Louis Leaky’s books, along with bios of Mary & Richard Leaky. The presentation was very informative as was the small museum.  To be able to see the area where they carried out a lot of their work was very special.  More shopping which supports local women…

The Kaskaz camp was my favorite place.  It was relaxing & the staff were always singing & dancing.

They really seemed to enjoy their jobs.  Our guides were great & we enjoyed having our own jeep.  They knew where all the migration would take place.  The staff & chef had a retirement party for Alison including a special cake, champaign & of course more singing & dancing.  

Gail Thomas, Jul 2024

 

Family Safari to Kenya

Mark and Saskia,

Our safari to Kenya was superb! 

We got to Nairobi late due to Kenya Airways delay, so did not get to Tortilis Camp in Amboseli until early the next morning.  The camp was nicely spread out, and the tents were well appointed.  The meals were all fresh, rich and savory, and laid out perfectly.  The chefs prepared wonderful meals for everyone, including the two vegans and two vegetarians (who couldn’t compliment these enough).  The same for the meals at Maasai Mara camp.  Each meal was a dining experience and will be remembered.  These chefs deserve a raise!

The game drives showed an amazing and diverse variety of abundant animals and birds which were active.   The Kenyan landscape was spectacular with rolling plains, endless escarpments and skylines, with grass savannas punctuated by trees, shrubs and water locations.   Game drives were completed by sundowners set on picturesque and remote ridgelines, with a variety of beverages selected by the guests.  These were wonderful for our family of nine to share the highlights of each day’s game drives looking at Mt. Kilimanjaro in Amboseli, and in Maasai Mara silhouettes of trees and wildlife on the horizon. 

The visit to the Maasai village was enlightening and showed their lifestyle and conservation on the land where they lived…

Overall, the safari was first class.  This was a nice comparison to the previous safari Cindy and I experienced in Tanzania.   Highest complements to our drivers and guides, Martin and Solomon in Amboseli and George and Jimmy in Maasai Mara.  They were encyclopedias of knowledge and had a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of animals, birds and plants.

Regards,

Don Williams, Jul 2024