Tanzania was by Far the Best Trip.

It's always fun for me to meet clients before they leave for their Safari. I meet with Fr. Bierschenk in Dallas, TX at Starbucks. He was very calm and had no real questions for me -- this was his third Safari to Africa [Kenya and South Africa were his previous Safaris], his first one with Journey To Africa and Tanzania. He was excited to taking time off from his duties and submerge in the quiet Bush Life.

Thank you for letting us show you Tanzania, Fr. Bierschenk!

"Fr. Mocio and I want to thank you for all your work in putting together out wonderful trip to Tanzania.  It was our third trip to Africa, and we agreed that Tanzania was by far the best trip. We had a wonderful time.

The Guides: We enjoyed John Bingo very much.  He was very personable and showed us so much.  He is an excellent guide, and since we spent so much time with him, I appreciated his friendliness and interest in us and his sharing of so much information about the life of the people in Tanzania.

At Kimondo, we were picked up by our guide at the airport. He took us on a drive, and we witnessed a crossing by the Wildebeests, during which one was carried away by a crocodile, and as the animal was bleating, a lion ran out from the brush looking to see what he could get – it was amazing.

The Lodges:  Each was unique, well run and enjoyable to stay in.  The most fabulous was Kimondo, and we happened to be there on the night the that the owner of Asilia and his family were visiting.  We had a wonderful and interesting dinner with them.

We also enjoyed the camp at Rhotia Valley.  We had a wonderful view across the valley from our deck. There was one issue there you should ask them about before you book with them again.  They use solar power to heat the water for the shower.  Our first evening we took a cold shower, and I told them about the trouble.  The next day, we had the same problem, and during dinner the manager assured me that when we got back to the tent there would be hot water, but there was no water at all. They did comp our drinks for the inconvenience.  [*Journey To Africa note - we talked to the lodge owner and the assured us that this problem has been looked over and fixed ]

We enjoyed the hotel you put us in for the final night in Arusha.  It was very relaxing and restful before the long trip back.

From beginning to end Journey to Africa prepared a wonderful experience of Tanzania for us.  Everything we needed was taken care of.  I will be recommending you without any reservation.

Even though your literature says in many places that it could be cooler there in the evening, I was not really prepared for the temperature, especially in the Rhotia Valley.  A wonderful change from Texas in July!

Thanks again for assuring that our trip to Tanzania was so fabulous!"

Fr. Bierschenk.
July 2015

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Don't Mess with Me!

When Heather T. kindly shared her November 2015 Tanzania Safari photos with me, this sequence of photographs made me want to know more. What happened here? What was the end result?

I emailed Heather and this is her account.

” The elephant was chasing a lion couple because it was leading a small group of elephants which included a baby elephant they wanted to protect.  Indeed there was trumpeting and the elephant stood its ground, scaring the little cats away – twice!  The first time they did not move far enough away for her liking. ”

Oh, I would have loved being part of this conversation in the Safari vehicle with my friends.
“Here she comes.” “She’s scooting them away.” “Oh watch out lions. Don’t make her angry” “What, moving in again” “Go get them mama elephant.” “Oh, the look of defeat.” “Better luck next time.” “Pick another animal.” “She was so scared, she pissed in her pants”

Okay, this is what is going through my mind when I am looking at these photographs having read Heather’s account.

A memorable moment on Safari!

Write your on Safari Story!

Carlos's Top 10 / Client Safari Story

Journey To Africa client Carlos M. wrote this lovely blog post. He loves cats! When he and I first started planning his first Safari with his son Jeff to Tanzania in 2011, he told me he has watched every NatGeo show and going on Safari is a dream. As soon as he came back, he told me he is hooked. He took 3 of his friends for his second Safari in 2013 and this time we added Kenya’s Masai Mara.  

Asante Carlos for this post.

Carlo M at Oliver’s Camp in Tarangire with his Cuban cigar.

Here goes // Carlos’s top 10 //

… Mefi, it’s been less than a year since I returned from my second safari, and I have to admit, I can’t wait to go back. You going brings back so many memories. For some reason, other trips I take leave me with memories, but not great memories as safaris do. It is such a different experience from other things I have done.

I don’t know what people expect to see when they go on a safari. All safaris are different. Below I have captured my favorite memories to give others an idea of what they might experience in a safari to Tanzania and Kenya.

My top 10 Journey to Africa safari wildlife memories (in no specific order) are:

1. While on the walking safari at Tarangire, about ½ a mile from camp, and about 15 yards in front of us, a young male lion raises his head out of the tall grass, looks at us and runs away. It was so unexpected!!!

2. Rhinoceros are getting increasingly hard to find. Beside a dwindling number, they are very shy animals. My son and I were very fortunate to see a mother and calf within about 40 yards. We had seen rhinos in the distance, but watching them this close was special. A few weeks before, one had been poached.

3. While staying at Olakira in the Northern Serengeti, we saw 4 or 5 wildebeest Mara River crossings. There were wildebeest everywhere, running in a single file in every direction. We saved the best crossing for last. On the last game drive before heading for the air strip, we saw a great crossing. Our vehicle was right in the middle of the herd as we inched our way along. They were grunting (I can still hear them) and kicking up dust. They got to the river and stopped. They left and returned several times. By this time we had left the herd and positioned ourselves at a high point to see the crossing. All of a sudden, a lone zebra starts across. When it got to the other side, it was pandemonium. The crossing started in masses. We watched for about 40 minutes and headed for the airstrip. WOW!! What a way to end the trip.

4. The Central Serengeti is loaded with cats. We saw more cats here than any place else. While on a game drive, we saw a very well fed lioness on a tree. We watched for a while and also noticed several lionesses beginning to congregate to our left about 50-75 yards away. They showed up one by one until there were 6. All of a sudden, the lioness in the tree climbs down, runs right in front of our vehicle, grabs one of the lioness, and they run to the left. In the meantime, we see a lone zebra coming to a nearby stream. The remaining 5 lioness get in crouch attack mode and start crawling forward. By this time, the 2 lioness circled behind the zebra. We see the zebra’s ears perk up, she starts to run, and in seconds all we see are 7 lions and 4 zebra legs sticking up in the air. It was perfectly orchestrated. It was spell binding and breathtaking. (By the way, this is my top memory)

5. Late one afternoon, while in the Central Serengeti, a female leopard went on her evening hunt. We were able to watch her for about 15-20 minutes. She came within 10 feet of our vehicle. We found out that night in camp from a fellow guest that she had 2 cubs. They actually stayed near her den for 6 hours earlier that day hoping to see and photograph the cubs, and they did.

6. Tarangire National Park is loaded with elephants. One of my favorite memories has to be watching 3 young elephants playing in the swamp. You could tell they were having a great time. The herd, consisting of several cows and babies was nearby. It was a beautiful sight. That same day, a lone bull in musk started chasing our vehicle. The guide said he probably wanted to mate with the Land Rover.

7. Shortly after landing at the Masai Mara on the way to Sekenani Camp, in the span of 1 hour we saw 4 of the Big Five. WOW!! We saw a large male leopard on a tree, several lions enjoying a Cape buffalo they had killed the night before, a herd of elephants, and a herd of Cape buffalo. Does not get any better than that.

8. While on a game drive in the Masai Mara, we came across a large pride of lions which included several cubs. After a waiting for a while, all 4 cubs finally lined up, looked at the camera, and gave me the opportunity to take one of my favorite safari pictures.

9. On nature shows, I have seen many cheetahs climb on a vehicle to get a better observation point for prey. Actually got to see it in person. We found 2 cheetah brothers lying under a tree. There were about 10-15 vehicles nearby. All of a sudden one of the cats jumped on the hood and onto the roof of one of the vehicles. Those of us in the other vehicles had the show of a lifetime. The occupants of the vehicle could not see a thing. We all thanked them for providing us a great show. The cheetah stayed on the roof for about 15 minutes then left. He did not even look at the occupants.

10. On the afternoon of the last day, our Masai guide in the Masai Mara asked us if there was anything else we wanted to see. I told him I wanted to see a male lion, a friend wanted to see a large herd of giraffe, and another friend wanted to see one last cheetah. Within 15 minutes, we were parked near a large male lion, 10 minutes after that a herd of 17 giraffe was in front of us, and on the way back to camp we had our cheetah. I don’t know if he could smell them, but he found them rather quickly!!

11. While these are my top ten memories, the list would not be complete without #11. While parked on a low hill, whether at the Serengeti or the Masai Mara, I found myself looking at the expanse of savannah below, and seeing wildlife in every possible direction as far as the eye could see. This was absolutely breathtaking and indescribable. This scene was repeated over and over.

May God bless the Serengeti, the Masai Mara, and all its inhabitants. This is a treasure to be preserved and enjoyed…

Hope you have enjoyed Carlos's Safari Story.
Don't you think it is time you write your own Safari Story? Let us give you lots of information and take you to the source of your novel.