A Dream Come True
 

We just returned from a safari we booked with Africa Dream Safaris and I can't say enough good things about them. ADS did a great job with all the details from start to finish including:
-the materials sent prior to the trip
-their quick response to our many questions
-we were met at the airport, our VISAs were expedited and we were whisked off to our first lodge
-our inter-country flight
-the sturdy vehicles
-our well-appointed accommodations
-the many wonderful meals
-and our knowledgeable and accomodating guides (there were 10 of us so we had 2 vehicles)
We can not say enough good things about how wonderful our guides were - their ability to drive over those horrendous roads while scouting for animals was amazing - and their knowledge and expertise was endless! Their pride in sharing their beautiful country with us was so appreciated. And their ability to spot animals was astounding.

If any of you are considering a safari, I highly recommend booking a private safari with ADS based in California. You can certainly book a less expensive trip using a tour group but you would be at the whim of the tour company. And you can certainly pay much more for a tour - but I don't think you would receive any better service or have a better experience than we did.

Wendy

Hi Wendy -

What country(s) and camps did youvisit?

Susan

We were in Tanzania - our itinerary is below:

Day 1 Kilimanjaro Arumeru River Lodge
Day 2-4 Northern Serengeti - Lobo Wildlife Lodge
Day 5 Central Serengeti - Mbalageti Luxury Lodge
Day 6 Western Serengeti - Mbalageti Luxury Lodge
Day 7 Central Serengeti - Mbalageti Luxury Lodge
Day 8-9 Ngorongoro Crater - Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 10 Ngorongoro Crater - Plantation Lodge
Day 11 Lake Manyara - Kikoti Tented Lodge
Day 12-13 Tarangire - Kikoti Tented Lodge
Day 14 Tarangire - Arumeru River Lodge (Day Room)

Our visit included a trip to the Mara River; a Lake Victoria fishing village and boat ride on the lake; a visit with a traditional healer; a bush dinner; a night game drive in Tarangire and a visit to a Masaii Boma. We found the people of Tanzania to be most gracious and welcoming. And as mentioned before, our Africa Dream Safari guides were outstanding!

Hi Wendy - When was your trip? We need pictures and a trip report!

Glad you had fun. And I agree, a trip report is in order. Although I'm one to talk. I have been back a week-and-a-half and have posted no report. I will though!!!

How did you find ADS? They seem very responsive and helpful. Are you from the States? How far out did you book? Why did you pick them? Did someone recommend them? I seem to like all that I have found and from other response. Please advise. Thank you, mutt

Mutt,
Our group is from St Paul, MN. We all volunteer at Como Zoo so were very particular about seeing as much wildlife as possible with knowledgeable guides. We began our research on-line in January, 2006 and found positive feedback on ADS mentioned on this Fodor's site . We did some further research and asked for some referrals and determined that ADS was our top choice. We made our committment at the beginning of February so we booked about 7-8 months in advance. We are very pleased that we chose ADS and would definetly use them again!

Wendy,
How did you find the north Serengeti at this time of year, up near the Mara river and lobo....were there any of the herds, and, if not,was there enough of the year-round wildlife?
thanks

And what were the crowds like in the north?
thanks so much

Yes - we saw a large herd of Wildebeest attempting to cross the Mara River. We saw crocodiles snacking on a recent misjudged attempt. We also saw elephant, hippo and other resident wildlife in the Mara River area. It was really kind of cool as we were the only ones there. There was plenty of wildlife viewing in the Lobo area as well - lots of lions, elephants, zebra, wildebeest, baboons, giraffe, various antelope, buffalo, safari ants and a beautiful leopard! To be honest, I didn't realize the wildlife was scarce in this area in September until I got back and was reading through these postings and realized it was a concern - we certainly didn't feel there was a shortage of animals to see and were constantly amazed at the sheer numbers of animals. Perhaps we just got lucky or will just be dumbfounded when we return on our next visit during the migration!

Wow, that is great to hear, as I am going to the North part of the park next year. Can you tell me exactly when you were there, how many days you think are appropriate(could you have spent 5 days between the Mara River and the Lobo areas?), and how it compared to your experience in the more popular areas like the crater, in terms of crowds and what you saw.
thanks so much