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CLIENTS TRIP REPORTS EAST AFRICA – JUL-SEP 2019

September 17, 2019 Client Trip Reports

AAC’s Signature ‘Primate and Plains Safari to Uganda and Rwanda’

Hi Szilvia,

This was a really special trip and I really appreciate everything you and your team have done for us!  

Nelson, our guide in Uganda was phenomenal – can’t say enough good things about him.  He went above and beyond many times on this trip. 

Nelson also made sure we liked our next accommodations at Ishasha Wilderness Camp.  What a special place.  Didn’t think it could be topped – until we arrived at Gorilla Forest Camp – breathtaking!

Ishasha Wilderness Camp

We had our first gorilla trek which was thrilling.   We were very close and two 3yr olds even touched me!

Thank you for all the special memories we will have forever!

Sara Van Slyke, Sep 2019

African Journeys’ Safari to Kenya and Tanzania

We had a wonderful time; thank you for your careful arrangements and leave-no-prisoners attention to detail. And especially thank you for arranging to have Ephata and Precious as our guides. In Tanzania, Ephata was terrific.  He knew the animals, knew the terrain, had an instinctive grasp of what his passengers were capable of, wanted to do, and willing to do. Precious, in Victoria Falls, is deserving of her name. We found her to be an utter delight…

Our trip was definitely a journey (I learned that “safari” is the Swahili world for “journey.”), a life changing one. I am attuned to forests and mountains, never dreamed of the overwhelming grandeur of those vast, seemingly endless plains and savannas, the golden grass accentuated by the occasional acacia tree. Seeing those magnificent animals in their natural habitat, so used to the vehicles prowling among them they ignored us and focused on being what they are…I’ll never be able to go to a zoo again. Even came away with an appreciation of hyenas. Especially those expressive faces! I miss hearing the wildebeests’ droning; and had no clue how flat out NOISY hippos are! Especially at four o’clock in the morning! They sounded like they were right outside the door zipper of our tent – and I was NOT getting up to check!

All the “locals” we encountered are lovely people. The world needs more people like them. I made numerous “fifteen minute friends.”…

Thank all of you, so much, for helping us make this incredible journey. I’ll never be the same after this experience.

Jo Byrd, Aug 2019

Tanzania and Zanzibar Island Getaway

The trip was just fabulous.  I loved both Kigelia (Ruaha) and Sand Rivers (Selous).  Five days in each camp was perfect.  Amazing food at both, great staff and great guides.  We saw a lot of game.

Kigelia Ruaha
Sand Rivers Selous

One great moment – I ran into my guide from Sayari in the Serengeti from 3 yrs ago at a leopard viewing!  Saw him again at the airport in Ruaha – quite a moment…

Thanks for again organizing such a great trip. 

Nancy Gubman, Aug 2019

Kenya Flying Safari to Amboseli, Laikipia and the Maasai Mara

Hi Alison,

Thank you so much for planning an incredible adventure for our family. We don’t know what to expect with our first safari, and we were truly blown away. You really understood what we were looking for, and our entire experience was unforgettable. From the accommodations (which included Tortilis, Ol Lentille, Sirikoi, Mara Expeditions and the Giraffe Manor) to the great service, the quantity of animals in the Mara and the quality animal interactions in the smaller conservancies, the bush meals, and the birthday celebrations, we loved it all. Kenya will forever be a special place for us.

Can’t wait to plan our next trip to Africa!

My best,

Caroline Rhine, Aug 2019

Great Migration Safari to Tanzania and Kenya

Dear Elena,

Took a few days to get over jet lag but we want to thank you for arranging an absolutely marvelous trip. Except for that minor snafu at the beginning, the rest of our journey was nothing less than memorable. Everything went smoothly. Truly all the t’s were crossed and the i’s dotted.

As for specifics: The camps and staffs were marvelous. Our favorite was Chem Chem. Jared is an outstanding host and the meals were unbelievably good.  Our least favorite was Kaz Kaz but that’s not a criticism. Of all the places we stayed it was probably the most rustic so in comparison it could not compete with the others. Game rides in all our stays were wonderful…

Chem Chem

We went for the great migration and were rewarded in every way possible. Witnessing the vast number of animals, crossings of the river in both the Serengeti and Maasai Mara, crocs catching zebra and lions catching wildebeest and zebra just to name a few.  

We packed just fine and your list was very helpful. I have included one of my favorite photos – the lioness at sunset captures the feeling of being in the Serengeti.

Our thanks again for you help and knowledge.

Bob and Marge Frank, July 2019

Family Wildlife and Wilderness Safari to Tanzania

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.

First, I want to tell you that your ground operator in Tanzania, Anita and our guide Servuli were terrific.  Anita was a lovely hostess and we appreciate her help in organizing the soccer match with some local players in Lake Eyasi.  My boys had a blast and it was so fun to watch them navigate around goats and cows and the very good Tanzanian players on the dirt field.  It was a great way to bridge two cultures together and there was something very special to watch one of the Tanzanian boys put there arms around my son when he scored a goal.  We also shared a nice dinner with Anita and her family to help celebrate her daughter’s birthday.

Servuli, our 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.

Obviously we went quite high end on the accommodations and these did not disappoint at all.  The Lemala camps were awesome.  We actually ended up staying at 4 different properties (even though the plan was 3), so got a wide view of their different places…The level of service and food at the Lemala camps blew us away.  The variety of food, the high quality and the surprising offerings far exceeded our expectations.  The placement and arrangement of the facilities was also spectacular… 

Lemala

One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the Hadzi Bushmen and I highly recommend this singular experience to any of your clients looking for a really unique cultural experience…

Hadzi Bushmen

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, July 2019

Migration Safari to Tanzania

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.

Arusha Coffee Lodge

Elewana Tarangire Treetops:  our favorite place out of all we stayed.  The most unique, comfortable, exceptional personal service, great food, etc.  Would definitely make arrangements to go back there.

Elewana Tarangire Treetops

Lemala Mara Mobile Tented Camp:  the most unusual place we’ve stayed ever. We would put it right up there next to the Treetop Lodge.  Very unusual, and while primitive, they worked very hard on making it a fine dining experience–and given the remoteness of the location as good a ‘glamping’ experience as one could hope to have.  Particularly enjoyed the large bull elephant that came through camp and push over the acacia tree in front of the dining tent!!  What an experience.  Both Tarangire Treetops and the mobile Tented Camps were literally “sleeping with the animals” — listening to zebra bark, hippos chuffle,  lions roar and elephants trumpet randomly through the night–and we found we absolutely LOVED it.

Bosco was our guide for the Serengeti, and we would also ask for him again.  Warm, friendly, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable about all the wildlife.  

Ilala Lodge Hotel in Victoria Falls was simply elegance.  Spoiled from the time we arrived, and a great way to end our trip.  Food was outstanding, and location couldn’t have been better.  Cynthia was our guide at Victoria Falls, and was engaging, lovely, and warm.  We spent a few hours with her and we both really enjoyed her.  All the activities we chose were wonderful.  The Elephant Sanctuary was a highlight for me.  To be able to touch and feed the elephants was simply nirvana.

Ilala Lodge

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

Luxury Safari to Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda

Dear Szilvia,

EVERYTHYTHING on our trip that you put together was absolutely PERFECT!

We do NOT have 1 single complaint.  It was exclusive and luxurious.  We loved and enjoyed every minute of our 3 week trip to Africa.  We were treated like royalty.  The lodges (including Oliver’s, Sanctuary Ngorongoro Lodge, Lemala Nanyukie Camp, Sayari Camp, Governor’s Il Moran and Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge), the food, the hospitality, the guides, the transportations, the balloon ride  and the animal world were superb. More than we ever expected.

Thank you for all your good advice and excellent organization.  I will definitely recommend you and the Africa Adventure Company to all my friends.

John Meyer, July 2019

Safari Adventure to East and Southern Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe

Dear Ian,

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your efforts (as well as Irene and everyone at AAC) in making our trip so wonderful. Everyone who was there to assist us was on time, kind, welcoming and very helpful. The drivers were all excellent. The guides, parks, accommodations and food exceeded our expectations. The animals – well, if everything else had fallen apart (which it did not…), the trip would have been outstanding anyway.

The sequence of the trip was perfect – ending in Mana Pools was exceptional. Our guide Mitch was clearly a notch above our guides in Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana (who were all very good). 

We were part of a group of 6 in Kenya and our guide Jacob was terrific. Our group hit it off immediately and we all had an absolute blast together – friending each other and staying in touch.  In Tanzania, we had a 13 y/o young man and his grandmother – both wonderful to travel with and our guide Selemani – was very good. Our mobile tent camping in Botswana was an experience we will never forget. We traveled with a couple from Oslo who were terrific. Our guide C.J. was good and our chef K.K. was outstanding!!!  We had a great time with Precious in Victoria Falls – she was wonderful and we really enjoyed our time with her. 

Arriving at Mana Pools, we had the entire Little Vundu camp to ourselves. The accommodations were excellent and the staff was great. The manager, Natalie and all the staff at Vundu’s main camp were also wonderful. We really could not have imagined a better final stop. Being able to walk among the animals and get so close to the elephants was surreal. 

Little Vundu

I want to let you know that Jonathan Moko (Alais) – our guide who met us in Nairobi and spend the 2nd day with us was really exceptional. He was incredibly welcoming, informative and gave us good advice for making the most of our time on safari. 

Thank you again Ian!!

Dawn Rezak, July 2019

North and South Safari to Tanzania

Hello Ian,

Thank you for helping plan such a wonderful adventure!!  I had a marvelous time!! 

You may recall that after having made the commitment to include it, I experienced some anxiety about the Lazy Lagoon portion of my trip.  Thank you for keeping me at ease because it was so the right thing to do. It truly was a retreat for my soul after bouncing around in safari vehicles. My other anxiety was about small aircraft flying.  Well, after three flights on the 12 passenger Cessna, I am now a fan.

Lazy Lagoon

A heart’s desire was achieved when I experienced different types of safari adventures in the same region.  What a great contrast that served to provide a well-rounded experience – enclosed vehicle safari, open vehicle safari, boat safari, and walking safari.  I loved sleeping in the bush so Kati Kati was a treat.  Rufiji in the Selous, what absolutely delightful accommodations that really spoiled me! 

KatiKati

Many wonderful highlights but favorites that top my list are Tarangire’s large elephant population, Ruaha’s close encounters with lions, and Rufiji’s extensive birds & crocodiles!!

Warmest Regards,

Carolyn Tyson, July 2019