CLIENTS TRIP REPORTS EAST & SOUTHERN AFRICA – JAN-MAR 2020

Private Safari to Tanzania including Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti

Hi Kyle

What an extraordinary adventure I had in Tanzania. A wonderful 85th birthday celebration. Everything went like clockwork. 

Emmanuel Mkenda is an excellent guide. The lions, cheetahs , and especially the rhinos, were outstanding. 

Gold star to Chem Chem Lodge and Lemala Nanyukie camp, they were outstanding. The rest were very nice. Your company does a great job, I will pass your info to friends.

Thanks,

Nina Brandt, Feb 2020

Private Plains of the Serengeti Safari

Hi Szilvia,

Thanks so much for all you did for our trip to Tanzania. We had a wonderful time. We knew going into it that our trip it was going to be a unique experience. However, we can honestly say the trip was beyond our expectations. We could not have been more pleased. When we initially spoke over a year ago our main goal was centered on experiencing Tanzania’s wildlife and less on the food or living accommodations. What we found was not only was the wildlife viewing incredible, but we appreciated our time and food at the lodges and mobile camp you booked for us.

One of the reasons for such a great experience can be contributed to our guide, Ephata Lotashu. We have spent allot of time with Naturalists and Guides over the years on adventure excursions and travel and we can honestly say Ephata was the best. Not only was he a pleasure to be with he was also extremely knowledgeable about the geography, wildlife and Tanzania culture.

Please share our thoughts and appreciation for Ephata and the great work you did with those at Africa Adventure Company, your team in Tanzania and including the management teams. 

Thanks again,

Charlie Stahley, Feb 2020

“Wilds of Tanzania” Private Tented Safari

Dear Kollin and Africa Adventure Company,

Once again, The Africa Adventure Company delivers!  Not that we ever had any doubts. Our trip to Tanzania was everything we hoped for, thanks to Kollin’s enthusiasm and suggestions on itineraries, lodges, activities, etc. as well as the careful planning of your team which allowed for seamless and worry-free travel. In planning our trip, our goals were to see part of the Great Migration, experience the countryside when it was green, and participate in a cultural visit.  We were awed by the varied, vast and beautiful landscapes of Tarangire National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater and Conservation area, and the Serengeti as well as by the incredible number of animals and birds that inhabit those spaces.  Watching  the migrating line of wildebeests as far as the eye could see is something we will never forget. Our visit to a Maasai village where we got to sit in a mud hut and talk with the chief, and then visit the local school gave us insight into a world vastly different from our own. The smiles and singing of the children warmed our hearts while we were saddened by their lack of teachers and financial support from the government.

What made our trip most memorable was our private guide, Wilson Urio.  On a personal level, Wilson was caring, patient, accommodating and a wonderful companion for our 12 days. On a professional level, he was exceptional. His knowledge of Tanzanian wildlife, environment, culture, politics and getting unstuck from the muddy roads was impressive.  His ability to communicate this knowledge was what we really appreciated.  Rather than being lectured to, he would share information when it was appropriate to a situation/animal or when asked specific questions. His awareness of animal behavior led to two of the highlights of our trip: back to back kills:  one of a lioness catching a baby wildebeest and the following day of a cheetah stalking and killing an antelope.  In both instances, we were the only humans to witness these events. He knew when to wait and when to leave an animal sighting, and also how to navigate the crush of other safari vehicles in a way that was respectful of the animals.

We enjoyed meeting Anita, who met us at the start of our trip to go over the details and who also checked in at the end to make sure everything went well. The lodges were all well-run by friendly and accommodating staff and we appreciated Kollin’s suggestions to stay at Camp Zebra and also at Lemala Ngorongoro which gave us quick access to the crater floor, where we saw 24!!! lions that day. Bucket showers were also a first for us! Finishing in luxury at Siringit Serengeti was a much enjoyed finale. On our last night, the chef at Siringit made us a good-bye cake and the entire staff delivered it with drum playing and dancing and singing around our table. One of many special memories too numerous to list.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to a fabulous trip.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann & Kip Travis, Feb 2020

Plains and Primates Safari to Tanzania and Rwanda

Lisa and I both enjoyed our trip.  So many pictures.  We saw all animals except rhino.  Our guides were amazing.  They were there when you needed them.  Accommodations were really fantastic.  At one tented lodge we were the only ones.  Roads were a little rough on the safaris because of the rain they had before we got there.  Of course we brought the sun for two weeks.  The people are amazing.  We did not have any negative experience. 

Thanks for all the organizing.  Liz Vanexan, Feb 2020

Highlights of Uganda including Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest and Bwindi Forest

Dear Mark and staff,

We had a wonderful trip to Uganda.  As I am sure you have heard before—we went for the animals and fell in love with the people.  We have no negative comments to make about the trip, lodging and activities.  I will go into a little more detail on some things below to give you more insight…

First the guide, Eric Ndorere, was the best ever.  We all agreed that if we had a list of personalities and character traits, we could not have designed a better individual or guide.  He was attentive to each of the 6 people and made sure this was a memorable trip for everyone.  His enthusiasm just added to our trip.  He was always punctual, the safari jeep was clean and orderly, and he was available at all times to us.  He loves his country and was dedicated to making sure we learned the most we could.  His expertise in animals, birds, plants, and anything else you could bring up was very impressive.  And as a side note, he adores Mark Nolting, just reaffirming we went with the best company offering Africa adventures.

The variety of lodging you selected for us was superb.  The staff at each lodge were very agreeable and dedicated to making our trip great.  Only 3 of our party of 6 had been to Africa before, so it was nice to get a variety of camp type lodges as well as luxurious rooms.  At all lodges, our rooms were ready when we arrived and meals were good and served on time…

Floating down the Nile River was a highlight for each of us.  The bush breakfast was so fun and the dinners under the stars were spectacular.  Ishasha was probably our favorite lodge because of the safari type feeling.  We all felt like royalty as we flew away on our private charters and floated in our private boats and the Lion Researcher was a big hit.  Of course the chimpanzees and gorilla experiences cannot be topped…

We chose Uganda because of the gorillas, but the abundance of other wildlife was fabulous.  We felt like we got a real immersion into the Ugandan culture and as I said in the beginning, we fell in love with the people…This trip will leave a lasting impression on each of us 6 women and we wish more of our friends could experience an adventure like this.  We would all enthusiastically recommend Africa Adventure Company to anyone interested in visiting Africa and we REALLY REALLY appreciate all you did for us.  I hope to see you again soon!

Ginny Van Buren, Feb 2020