Safari in Tanzania involves a lot driving and early wake up calls, but they are absolutely worth it. We left Arumeru Lodge in Arusha and begun our long drive to the park. Meet our home for the next few days. "The White Elephant" (Veronika Sieben)
They call it the white elephant. The 4x4 had a pop-top roof that allowed us to easily and quickly stand up for prime animal viewing. While the bumpy roads can make you sore and the long drives can get tiring, you forget about that the second you see something new. On our first day we visited Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is known for its large herds of elephants, Baobab trees and tree climbing lions. We didn’t start off with these, but we did see a few antelope, giraffes and zebras. But even with these sightings, we stopped and got in a few hundred shots with our cameras. Zebras in Tarangire National Park (Veronika Sieben) Giraffe in the Serengeti (Veronika Sieben)
Then, we saw the elephants. There were so many we couldn’t count them all. In particular, we had fantastic sightings around the watering holes. Elephants in Tarangire (Veronika Sieben)Elephant herd drinking water from the dry river bed (Veronika Sieben) Water hole in Tarangire (Veronika Sieben)
The animals all seemed so serene. Despite being overwhelmed with animals, we couldn’t ignore the beauty of the plant life. Baobab tree in Tarangire (Veronika Sieben)
We learned from our guide, Amani, that the magnificent Baobab trees were largely used by poachers hunting ivory. The large spaces in the trunks allowed for coverage from the herds of elephants so the poachers could surprise them.
It was nearing the end of our time in Tarangire and we were about to start making our way out of the park when our guide spotted lions. Lionesses in Tarangire (Veronika Sieben)
That’s right, I said lions! It was our first day on safari and we had already seen both elephants and lions.
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
