Beautiful Maasai mom with her baby helping to milk the cows for the morning.
My husband and I spent two weeks exploring Tanzania by eating good food and fruits, built huts with the local people in a village, exploring the plains, spotting the "Big Five" and other wildlife on safaris in the Serengeti. We also enjoyed the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar. We had a wonderful trip!
We had a forced overnight in Amsterdam on our way to Tanzania, which originally frustrated me. It was unknown, we don’t have experts to tell me where to stay/what to do. But as soon as I embraced it, I knew I wouldn’t regret the extra night. I read up on recommendations, looked at areas to book a hotel, asked friends and coworkers what they suggested and started to get really excited for our 20 hours there. I ended up booking a highly rated AirBnB that was very affordable and close to the airport. It was a tiny house located on a beautiful hydrangea flower farm. This hostess was very much like Joanna Gaines with the decor/overall atmosphere and had this place set up so comfortably. They were my best resource as I told them what we hoped to do that day we were there and gave great local advice. Our hostess, Bruna, recommended the Albert Cuyp Market for a fresh stroopwafel and to take a canal cruise. I wasn’t sure how we’d be feeling when we arrived at 1 PM (feeling like it would be early in the morning for us) and didn’t book anything in advance. The best feature of this AirBnB was that they offered rides to and from the airport. We entered confused and exhausted to Amsterdam but happy to have someone to give us a ride to our “home” for the day.
Our Tiny House in Amsterdam (Franny Friesz)
We ended up booking an Uber ride into town after we settled in which was between $30-40 USD each way. We were dropped off at Albert Cuyp Market which was perfect for strolling and seeing food and gifts to buy. We made a quick stop at an ATM so we had enough cash to get a delightful stroopwafel that was freshly made.
Most amazing stroopwafel of my life - fresh from Albert Cuyp Market. (Franny Friesz)
We wove our way through the rustic streets until we found the main canals and a place where we purchased a cruise for about $20 USD per person. The cruise was about 1.5 hours and gave us a glimpse of beautiful Amsterdam. We had a couple of Heineken on board just to enrich our experience. It definitely tastes a little better where it was made. We caught an Uber to take us back to our tiny home and were grateful for a comfortable place to rest for the night. Sleep didn’t come as easy and we both woke up in the middle of the night. It was then that I was so grateful for the extra night to try and adjust to the time change. We didn’t have to prepare ourselves to go on safari the next day, just for another long flight to Kilimanjaro.
A canal cruise was the perfect way to see the city in the short time we had. (Franny Friesz)
I would recommend an extra night to any of my travelers. I think it was extra special to have time in Amsterdam as it was totally different than Africa. It added to the adventure having a hot second in Europe before heading to Tanzania. Even if it means two extra nights in Tanzania at the beginning of your trip, do it. Make room for it in the budget because you won’t regret it and you’ll be all the more ready to soak up every second of your adventure ahead.
Our team is waiting and ready to talk with you about your next adventure.
So go ahead and book an appointment with one of our specialized trip planners.
Kassandra understood what we were looking for right from the beginning! She gave us two perfect choices (destinations) that made it hard for us to decide, only because both met our needs and wants.
Quick replies, detailed itineraries, flexibility to add or remove activities.
This is our second time vacationing with Adventure Life and I am sure there will be more!
Galit Flasterstein
5 months ago
Wow, where does one start. This will be our fourth trip through Adventure Life. The first three where flawless, perfectly organized trips. I love the system with this company, you have a travel planner Franny who is simply the best. She listens to exactly what you want, makes suggestions if we are off, and then delivers a fabulous itinerary. After that is done you have a travel planner assistant who knocks out all the details up until you leave for your trip. Phen is my idea of wonder woman. All questions/concerns were always answered the same day and updates were often. Thank you Franny and Phen for all your hard and thorough work!!!
Barb
6 months ago
Adventure Life put together an amazing trip for our families’s first trip to Africa! We loved our safari experience in southern Tanzania, which were off the beaten path from the more traveled parks in northern Tanzania. The logistics were smooth, all of the details were attended to, and they really listened to what our family wanted from this trip of a lifetime. Highly recommend!
Brianna Randall
6 months ago
Everyone at Adventure Life was amazing to work with! They organized a family trip for 17 to go on Safari and it was a trip of a lifetime! Every detail was covered and they had some amazing local partners that provided wonderful service! Would highly recommend Adventure Life for any trip!
Sarah Barker
8 months ago
We just took our fourth trip with Adventure Life, and will definitely look forward to traveling with them again in the future.
