Designing excellent custom African safaris means we spend a lot of time talking with guests before they embark on their adventures. But, we also listen when they get back, hearing trip highlights as we learn how we can further perfect our safaris. When it comes to explaining what makes a Serengeti safari so inspiring, our travelers certainly say it best. Their different experiences also show how custom safaris, even in the same region, can vary to address individual interests.
Serengeti + Beach Time
The Neerhout Family | Itinerary: Serengeti – Selous – Zanzibar | Time of travel: July
“Having gone to Tanzania in 2009 with John’s daughter and grandkids, we vowed to return with my daughter and her two boys and do a similar trip. We witnessed the amazing migration across the Mara River and boated up the Rufiji River amongst the hippos and crocodiles, and fished for catfish for dinner at sunset. From there we flew to Zanzibar and boated over to Mnemba Island, a gorgeous, sugar-white sand island resort. The boys earned their Open Water Scuba certificate and dove the reefs in the Indian Ocean, swam with dolphins, and watched the green turtles hatch (and protected them in their dash to the sea). It was a chance for us all to wash the safari dust away.”
Serengeti + Masai Mara
The Louie Family | Itinerary: Tarangire – Serengeti – Masai Mara | Time of travel: August
“When Mimi and Lily (our now 15-year old twin daughters) were in 4th grade studying the earth and its continents, we decided as a family to try and visit all seven continents before they went away to college. Having already visited four continents, we made the family decision to travel to Africa. Our epic African adventure matters to us for so many reasons: for the lifetime memories, generational storytelling, family bonding time, and getting to experience Africa in our individual ways together.”
Serengeti + Photographic Interest
Art and Pat Hoeft | Itinerary: Ngorongoro Crater – Serengeti – Masai Mara | Time of travel: July
“This was our first Africa visit. We’d thought about it for years and then in my husband’s semi-retirement we thought that if we didn’t do it NOW it would never happen. We arranged to travel with my husband’s brother and wife. The photographic opportunities were myriad and truly stupendous. We were up and out in the Land Cruiser before sunrise each day to catch photos of wildebeests and, one morning, elephants sihouetted with acacias on a ridge as the sun rose. We ended our days with late-night nibbles, a choice of “one more for the road,” and new friends from across the English-speaking world.”
Serengeti + Gorillas
Tamar Sherer & Chris Cooper | Itinerary: Serengeti – Masai Mara – Samburu – Volcanoes N.P. | Time of travel: late August
“This was our fourth trip to Africa, and by far the best. We keep going back because we love the whole experience: the people, the wildlife, their behavior, the environment, the accommodations, the music, everything. We chose Bushtracks for this custom adventure with two goals: to see the migration and to see the gorillas. WOW! It was perfect! Twelve river crossings, four leopards, several cheetahs, countless lions, 500,000 wildebeests, at least 100,000 zebras and on and on. Amazing!”
Serengeti + Mount Kilimanjaro Climb
The Noguchi Family | Itinerary: Mt. Kilimanjaro – Tarangire – Ngorongoro Crater – Serengeti | Time of travel: July-August
“We usually plan all our own travel adventures, but to climb Kilimanjaro, we knew we wanted a travel expert to help us design a fabulous family vacation with our twentysomething children who have heard us talking about Tanzania for years. Our successful summit on day seven brought on huge smiles and high fives while our guides celebrated by singing their boisterous version of the Jambo Bwana song! From our wish list for the climb and safari, Bushtracks organized multiple expedition outfitters over our 21-day trip with incredibly smooth coordination of overland and air transportation through five of Tanzania’s national parks.”
Serengeti + Selous
Wozniak Family | Itinerary: Ngorongoro Crater – Serengeti Central – Serengeti North – Selous | Time of travel: June
“The experience is pretty much un-explainable to people that have not gone. It is hard to appreciate what it meant to all of us. All of us love animals and cherish the diversity of the animal kingdom. We had our family time together in close quarters, in awesome camps, and with the fantastic staff and people of Tanzania. We saw the animals in a deep and extended way. Our guides were not in a hurry. We would sit and observe and discuss. We would take in the sights, the animals, the entire environment. They would tell us about the animals, the plants, the trees, the behavior. We would not worry about time. It was, in every way, a trip of a lifetime for us.”
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