A client and her beautiful family recently returned from a migration safari in Tanzania.
What follows is her description of her time on safari. I think it is safe to say they enjoyed their experience.
It was such a pleasure planning this safari for them and I hope to plan another one for them soon!
✨ A New Journey Begins ✨
Day 1, 2, and what feels like 3… 😅✈️
Saturday at 3 pm, bags packed and waiting by the door, we got a text that our flight to Kenya had been changed to 6:25 am (Miami airport). 😭🧳 Devastated, I started rearranging our itinerary, figuring out the whole day we’d miss. But then came the silver lining: a 16-hour layover in Qatar! 🇶🇦
I’ve never been to the Middle East (or Asia) before, so why not make lemonade out of lemons? 🍋🍹 Qatar turned out to be a cool adventure I wasn’t expecting. They put us up in a lovely hotel, and after landing at 3am, we took a 5-hour nap and explored a city I never knew existed. 🕌✨
Sure, we missed a day, but we gained an amazing one too (even if it was 115 degrees and we were in aeroplane clothes 😬🙈).
Finally, we arrived in Kenya (at 1 am!) and our African adventure begins in the morning. I Can’t wait to see what this journey has in store for us! 🌍🦒
🌍 **Day 3 in Africa** 🌍
Woke up in Kenya, and crossed into Tanzania in style! 🚙💨 Our new guide, driver, and safari Landcruiser welcomed us at the border. 🌿 Seeing life here is humbling—young kids, just 3 or 4, herding cows and goats alone. 🐄🐐 Stopped roadside to surprise school kids with balloons and glow bracelets—their joy was heartwarming. 🎈✨
Grateful our kids can see how blessed we are. 🙏 First safari at Arusha National Park didn’t disappoint—zebras, water buffalo, baboons, blue monkeys, colobus monkeys, and warthogs galore! 🦓🐃🐒 Off to our beautiful house for the next two days. 🏡
Day 4 in Arusha 🇹🇿✨
Our delayed flight threw things off, but arriving at Hamerkop House was worth it. This place is pure luxury! 🏡✨ The staff, the service, and the food were all 5 stars. 🌟
We had a full day planned with waterfalls and a coffee tour, but instead, we decided to sleep in and enjoy the house. The friendly staff made our stay even better. We went on two trail walks and saw antelope, impalas, and lots of termite hills right in our backyard. The girls had a blast making holes in the hills and watching how quickly the termites closed them up. 🐜
Hamerkop House was exactly what we needed to rejuvenate and get ready for more adventures! 🌿🦌
Day 5: Tarangire National Park
After a 3-hour drive to Tarangire National Park, we passed through so many diverse and humbling towns. Loved the drive, especially watching my kids take it all in.
Juliana was beyond excited to see the elephants, and Tarangire didn’t disappoint. We saw sooo many, and they came so close to our truck! 🌿🐘 Plus, we spotted stunning birds, a zebra and wildebeest crossing, warthogs, dik-dik, impala, eland, mongoose, gazelle, and tons of monkeys.
The kids were amazed, and Adrian showed off his sharp eye for spotting animals! 🦓🦒
We then headed to our next stop, Manyara’s Secret. I had almost forgotten how incredible these places are. An infinity pool overlooking Lake Manyara? Absolute paradise! 🌅🏞️
🌅 Day 5/6: Manyara Secret 🌅
I feel like this place deserves a post of its own. Manyara Secret is truly amazing! From the infinity pool overlooking Lake Manyara to the lands of a Maasai tribe, every moment here has been unforgettable. The food and service are top-notch, and our room has the most spectacular views. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience!
🌍✨ Day 6 Part 2: Lake Manyara National Park! 🌿🌳
This lush paradise, with its acacia trees and stunning landscapes, is home to the famous tree-climbing lions—though we missed them this time. 🦁 The park felt like a private adventure with fewer trucks around. We had a magical 20 minutes alone with a herd of elephants, watching them scratch on trees and take dirt baths. 🐘 We also spotted baboons, giraffes, zebras, and a variety of birds. 🦒🦓🐦 The afternoon was pure bliss at Manyara’s Secret, enjoying the pool, breathtaking views, and a stunning sunset. 🌅✨ The service here is top-notch.
**Day 7 in Africa: Part 1**
Ngorongoro Crater National Park and central Serengeti—this day is my favorite so far! 🌍
Starting off with a high-altitude ascent, it got super cold and foggy. We could barely see into the crater, and Mom was worried we wouldn’t spot any animals. But once we descended, the fog stayed up top, and the crater revealed the most beautiful scenery yet. 😍
Yesterday at the pool, a woman told me she watched lions take down a buffalo. Today, those same lions were still guarding the carcass, full and sleepy, right by the road! Nearby, hyenas were waiting for their turn. Seeing these majestic animals so close was mind-blowing! 🦁
We also saw hippos, a rhino from afar, giraffes, elephants, wildebeest, zebras, and so many more. This has been my favorite national park experience so far! 🦓🐘🦒
🌅 **Day 7 Part 2: Central Serengeti Adventure!**
As soon as we entered the park, we saw a lion strolling solo down the road 🦁.
Talk about a good start! Then, we spotted a cheetah! The cheetah was sitting on a rock nearby watching us.
To top it off, we saw a leopard lounging on a stunning rock as the sun set 🌄. In one day, we saw the Big 5 PLUS a bonus cheetah! 🦁🐘🦬🦏🐆
We stayed at Zawadi Camp in a beautiful family tent. My mom heard lions right outside her tent, but I was fast asleep 💤. What an incredible day!
🌍 Africa Day 8: Adventures in the Serengeti! 🦁 🌿
Today was absolutely epic as we explored more of the west and central Serengeti before heading north. We were thrilled to spot so many hippos! 🦛 We spent nearly an hour just watching them play, sleep, poop, and listening to their unique chatter.
The highlight was definitely the super pride of lions, probably between 20-25 strong! Two majestic male brothers, lots of females, and their adorable cubs. 🦁👑 Down the road, we just missed a lioness taking down a zebra. She was guarding her prize until the rest of the pride joined in. So bummed to miss the action!
We also had some serene moments watching elephants, and finally, a giraffe crossing the road. Giraffes are truly my favorite! 🦒
Now, we’ve settled into our new home for the next three nights at the intimate Zebra Camp. Ready for more adventures! 🌌✨
🎈African adventure day 9: 🎈
Early alarm (4:40am) set to fulfill one of my ultimate bucket list items – the hot air balloon ride! I was so thrilled when both girls wanted to come with me. I knew Juliana might, but I didn’t think Belle would. From start to finish, it exceeded all my wildest dreams.
We started by laying the basket down because of the wind. Belle wasn’t too happy about that, but I calmed her down and before you knew it, we were up in the air! 🌅
Watching the sunrise from the balloon with hippos in the Mara River was the perfect start. Next, we saw a herd of elephants and giraffes strutting their stuff. We spotted thousands (yes, thousands!) of wildebeest here for the migration. Belle even spotted a serval cat, which is apparently one of the hardest animals to find. 🎉
We saw other balloons start to land, but the girls asked our pilot to keep going. He said he’d get us a little closer to the migration. Then the winds picked up and we couldn’t find a safe spot to land so we got an extra 25 minutes in the air! The pilot was super calm, and I knew no matter where we landed, we’d be safe. We ended up an hour’s drive away and the land cruisers had to go off-roading to get us. We were smack dab in the middle of the Serengeti and it was AWESOME!!!! What an epic experience for us all. 🚀🌅🐘🦒🐆🦓
🌅 African Safari Day 9, Part 2 🌅
One of the main reasons people flock to the northern Serengeti is to witness the wildebeest migration. But here’s the catch: it can happen anytime from June to October, with no guarantees. People spend weeks and hours hoping for a glimpse. Here’s what I learned: wildebeest are… not the brightest. They race to the water’s edge, change their minds, and walk back sometimes more than 10 times in a day. All it takes is one to go in, and the rest follow. But if one doesn’t think it’s time, they all retreat. Walk back, mingle for a while and race right back. Over and over again.
Luckily, we didn’t sit there for hours. After our hot air balloon ride, we watched them for 2 hours, then returned to camp for lunch and tried again at 4:30. We had drinks in the car and chilled, but by 6:30, we were over it. Our guide told us to be patient, but I couldn’t help it—I knew there were lions nearby and wanted to see them instead. I really didn’t think they were going to do it and pretty much everyone had left.
As the sun set, we left to see the lions. Just as we arrived, the wildebeest started crossing! We raced back, and out of hundreds of cars, only around 7 were left to witness this amazing crossing at sunset. What an unbelievable experience! 🦁🌅🐾
🌍🦁 African Safari Day 10 🦁🌍
Today marked our final safari adventure, and what an incredible journey it’s been! Although we didn’t witness a live kill (the girls weren’t too keen on that anyways), today felt like a perfect bonus. Here are some of my favorite snapshots of the majestic animals we encountered. 🐘🦓🦒
More than the wildlife, what we’ll cherish most are the people. The warmth and spirit of the people here truly make Africa extraordinary. Their gratitude for what they have, their unending smiles, and their eagerness to help others are simply inspiring. In nearly two weeks, only one person asked for a tip after helping us. Just one! 🤯❤️
Our safari guides were always lending a hand to each other, and when I asked, “What’s that going to cost you?” our guide would smile and say, “Nothing. We always help one another.” This beautiful culture of kindness and gratitude is something we hope our children carry with them.
At first glance, we might see what these cities lack. But to the people here, they have everything they need. I can’t recommend this experience enough; it was truly magnificent. 🌟🌍
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