We started the day near Lake Manyara (read about my arrival and first few days in Tanzania HERE) and drove about two hours to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A couple of things to understand (because I didn’t). The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the entire area which includes Ngorongoro Crater which I’ll talk about in a minute. You’ll pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area if you are driving to the Serengeti. Unlike a National Park (like the Serengeti), in Conservation Areas wildlife and the Maasai, live together. The Maasai have lived in The Ngorongoro Conservation Area for over 100 years. They aren’t hunters – the Maasai are livestock farmers, mainly cows. In fact, the Maasai named Ngorongoro after the sound a cow bell makes “ngor ngor”.

Ngorongoro Crater is a large volcanic caldera – the largest in the world! The crater, which formed when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself two to three million years ago, is 2,000 feet deep and its floor covers 100 square miles. I’ll share more about The Ngorongoro Crater in a later post – we will actually descend into the crater later in our trip!

Our first stop in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area was the lookout. As we took in the view I was overcome with emotion.  The incredible beauty brought me to tears. The picture below doesn’t do it justice. It was a little overcast this morning which wasn’t as evident to the naked eye. 

My safari mates Denise, Vlado and Erin at the lookout

We headed closer to the Serengeti and stopped at Olduvai Gorge – The Cradle of Humankind

I was once again crying at what I saw. To see what I learned in school so many years ago and the profound piece of our history and creation was very emotional. This is where humankind began! 

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We had a picnic lunch overlooking Olduvai Gorge. I loved this lunch. The food was excellent, the views were incredible and the company was fantastic! 

My safari mate Vlado and our other guide George

Then we headed on to the Serengeti!  We saw so many animals up close and personal. The first animal we saw upon officially entering the Serengeti was the Thompson Gazelles. It was so exciting we stopped for a picture. Little did we know that over the next week, we’d see no less than 2,000 of them! 

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It had rained on that day Serengeti, and we came across a truck that was stuck in the mud. Our guide Elisha being the helpful person that he is, tried to help. We backed up in front of the truck and they attached a chain to our Land Cruiser. Sadly we didn’t get very far as the chain snapped, but Elisha said he once pulled a bus out of the mud. 

We had a long way to go on this day and covered a lot of ground across the Serengeti. I was struck by the beauty of the landscape and how rapidly it would change. It was dry season so I wasn’t expecting much greenery or thick brush, but it was there. 

On our drive, we saw wildebeests and zebras (more animals we would literally see thousands of over the next several days!), giraffes and even a little turtle on the road!

After a very fun, bumpy, and muddy drive arrived at our tented camp for the evening which was beautiful! Ikoma Hills is located just outside of the Serengeti in the Grumeti Wildlife Management Area. Perched on a hill this luxury tented camp provided us with outstanding views and very comfortable accommodations. You can watch a room tour HERE.

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Ikoma Hills offers night safaris in specially equipped battery-powered safari jeeps. This gave us an opportunity to see animals a little more active and close up.
 

The vehicles didn’t have doors and were a little too ‘open air’ for my comfort. We saw quite a few lions including this guy who I will never forget. Shortly after this picture he stood up and got just a few feet from us. 

My safari mate Vlado took this picture. You can just make out the fact that he is missing one paw. He likely lost it in some sort of fight. Our guide told us a beautiful story about it though. Since he’s injured, his pride will hunt and leave a portion for him since he can’t hunt for himself, so he won’t go hungry. 

We covered a lot of ground on this day. More than you would on a typical safari. I went to bed this night exhausted from the day but also exhilarated by what I’d seen. 

We once again heard the flapping of the tent for most of the night. We were old pros now and that didn’t concern us that much. What did was the lions roaring not too far away from us.

As I mentioned before, the Maasai have lived in this area for over a hundred years. They are well-versed in the behavior of all of the animals who live here. Maasai Warriors were guards at every resort that we stayed at. Once the sun goes down they escort you around the property and even stand guard all night watching for those lions. We never saw or heard those lions again. 

All of the details of my trip are saved as highlights on my Instagram.

If you would like more information on going on safari, click here to get started! 

Last August, a Travel Agent friend mentioned a FAM Trip to Tanzania. (FAM = Familiarization Trip. These are trips that Travel Agents attend to become familiar with a destination or resort) She had applied a year earlier, and the trip was canceled, so they were rebooking her for 2023. She mentioned she knew other travel agents who may be interested, and they encouraged us to apply.

The trip was hosted by TATO – The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators in cooperation with the Tanzanian Government with funding from the United Nations Development Programme. Like many parts of the world, Tanzania was hit hard by COVID, and this FAM is part of their effort to rebuild tourism. 

Fast forward to March of 2023, and I received word that I was accepted and would be going to Tanzania for 14 days! Yikes. What did I sign up for? 14 days is a long time to be gone. 14 days in Africa? What was I thinking?

By July, it had set in that I was going to Africa on safari. I was scared yet more excited. I started shopping for clothes and preparing. While Africa had always been on my bucket list, and I had many dreams of safari, realizing it was finally happening frightened me. I’m not sure what exactly I was afraid of. Being eaten by a lion? Catching some flesh-eating bacteria? Dying of malaria, cholera, dysentery? (Spoiler alert: it was all in my head – this is not the Oregon Trail!) 

On Friday, September 15, my husband drove me to Chicago. The following morning I boarded a flight on Ethiopian Air to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and then to Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha, Tanzania. Luckily I had my travel agent friend Erin with me, because it was quite an adventure!

It was a VERY long day of travel. The flight was a three-ring circus. The bathroom door came off on the plane, and it was carried through the aisle, a woman trying to steal someone else’s seat while that seat occupant was in the bathroom. People were yelling at each other across the cabin. Guests throwing their trash all over the floor. We made it to Tanzania safely (with lots of crazy stories ????)

Tears ran down my face as I stepped off the plane and saw the Kilimanjaro International Airport sign. Africa has always been on my list, and to be here is a dream come true. After a very long process of getting our visas approved, we made it through the airport to meet our guide Elisha.

We didn’t know then what a huge role he would play in our adventure or how lucky we were to have been placed with him. Seeing his smiling face, I was immediately at ease and knew I was in for the adventure of a lifetime. 

Even though we hardly slept on the plane, it was nearly 4pm when we arrived at our hotel and we knew we needed to stay awake. Our hotel – Four Points Sheraton Arusha had a beautiful pool. (Watch a room tour HERE.) We decided to take a dip, and it sure woke us up…it wasn’t heated!!! While at the pool, we met another American. Tyler worked for the Commerce Department and was in Arusha for a conference. We ended up having dinner with him and many more meals over the next few days. We met our first friend of the trip! 

Our First Full Day in Arusha 

Like most hotels in Arusha, ours included breakfast. It was a great cold buffet with fruits, yogurts, cereal, and more. The hot station consisted of things like stewed vegetables, bacon, sausage, hard-boiled eggs, and potatoes. There was also an egg station where you could order eggs any way you’d like. I learned this is the norm throughout Tanzania. 

Elisha picked us up, and we started the day at Sanaa. This non-profit organization trains and employs the marginalized in Tanzania to create arts and crafts. We were able to tour the facility and see everything from shoe, bags, clothes, rugs, and blown glass being made. A kind deaf gentleman even showed me how to make a glass bead. It was an experience that touched my heart and was simply amazing! I picked up some of the handmade jewelry pieces I will cherish forever. Probably the most incredible thing was the handmade safari bags. I purchased one for my husband and we both absolutely love it!

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Then we toured the incredible Gran Melia Arusha a fantastic property that you would stay at upon your arrival in Arusha before you go out on safari or upon your return from safari before you head home. This luxurious hotel offered incredible views and plush accommodations.

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We had lunch at the rooftop restaurant and met the other half of our group. I was traveling with Erin and Denise with our guide Elisha. Erin, Denise and I all met almost 3 years ago to the day on a FAM trip to Cancun. Denise is the reason we were all here together! The other half of our party was Mia, a travel agent from San Diego (my hometown); Francis, a travel agent from Philadelphia; and Vlado, a travel journalist and influencer from Croatia. 

I sat next to Vlado, which would be a theme over the next two weeks. We enjoyed teasing each other but also enjoyed each other’s company and had lots of great conversations. Vlado suggested I try the fried crocodile – when in Rome right? Honestly, it tasted like chicken and I’m glad I tried it! 

Fried crocodile

We finished the day with a networking event where I met with over 50 safari companies, resorts, and more. It was like speed dating! Afterward, there was a cocktail reception where we got to speak to everyone in greater detail and begin to form relationships. 

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While this trip had many amazing parts, the biggest takeaway was networking with owners and operators on the ground in Tanzania. I have people whom I’ve met in person who I can work with to give my clients a first-class experience. There was a news segment produced about the event that you can watch HERE

Heading out to the bush! 

On Tuesday, September 19th we headed out to the bush. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was excited! We were really going on safari. Little did I know what was in store for us.

We drove about two hours to Lake Manyara. Lake Manyara National Park is about 125 square miles and the sign said: “Home of tree-climbing lions” so that got me pretty excited. Then Elisaha told us that in all of his years as a guide, he’d never seen the lion in the tree. We didn’t either, so that was disappointing. 

We saw lots of birds, tons of monkeys and baboons. Even a few water buffalo. The other part of our safari group saw zebras but we missed them ???? 

Knowing now what was to come, this park isn’t my favorite. I think I prefer to see animals that could potentially kill me. It’s way more exciting to me. But Lake Manyara is a great park to start your safari adventure. 

Lake Manyara
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Then we headed to lunch at The African Galleria. This was a bit of a tourist trap, but the lunch was tasty.

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Then we toured the Galleria which was full of talented artists and beautiful art. The coolest thing was seeing the craftsman carve the ebony. There was also a huge shop where I purchased some jewelry and other items. 

Finally, we headed to our accommodations for the evening – Kirurumu Manyara Lodge This is a tented camp with the most incredible views of Lake Manyara! 

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This was our first night in a tented camp. I think I’ve slept in a tent maybe twice in my life and honestly, I was scared. If you know me, you know this is WAY out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The tent is on a slab and has concrete floors. Our tent even had doors. The bathroom was attached and had concrete walls. We had a toilet, shower, and even double sinks. 

The mosquito nets were a little frightening, but yet kind of exotic. Looking back now I can laugh. But at the time I was terrified of the mosquitos and other bugs that were going to eat me alive all night long. Add to that we were sleeping in a tent in the wild. With every gust of wind, the tent flapped, and I was sure a baboon was trying to break in. They weren’t. The Massai tribesmen stood guard all night. If we needed something they were right outside and we just needed to flash our flashlight or scream and they would be there within seconds. Remember that movie City Slickers? That was us but in the bush of Africa. 

We had a wonderful evening with our safari mates and guides. This was one of my favorite dinners we had. The food was fantastic and it’s where we all started to get to know each other better. Even though we are all from different corners of the world, we shared a ton of laughs over a great dinner.

All of the details of my trip are saved as highlights on my Instagram.

If you would like more information on going on safari, click here to get started! 

Nestled among lush vegetation and the natural beachscapes of the Uvero Ulto district in Punta Cana, Live Aqua Beach Resort Punta Cana welcomes adults to a luxurious haven designed to captivate the mind, body, and spirit.

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LIVE AN AMAZING SENSORY EXPERIENCE

See

See the smiling faces of the dedicated and friendly resort staff greet you upon arrival. Let your eyes sweep across the beautiful property, taking in the modern, clean lines and unpretentious luxury. From the comfort of a chaise lounge in the shade of your beach cabana, watch the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea caress the golden sandy shore. Take a dip in the pool and enjoy majestic sea views from a new perspective.

Hear

Listen to tropical birds call to one another from their perches atop the trees. Let the rustle of the palm fronds and the lapping waves lull you into a peaceful afternoon nap. Hear the tinkling of ice cubes as you sip from your handcrafted cocktail from The Strainer, the resort’s lobby bar, while people-watching or playing cards. Sway to the sounds of the evening’s musical entertainment and be carried away by Caribbean drumbeats.

Feel

Bury your toes in the soft sand. Feel the warmth of a sun-soaked towel as you drape it around your shoulders after a refreshing swim in one of the resort’s pristine pools. Allow your cares to melt away in the Feel Harmony by Spa Live Aqua when you treat yourself to a world-class massage. Visit one of the resort’s Zen sections and feel peace when you relax in a water hammock with the background soundtrack of waterfalls. Lie down to sleep at night after a fun-filled day and the silky softness of 400-thread-count sheets envelop you in comfort.

Smell

The scents of a delicious dinner tempt you to the resort’s numerous restaurants. Take a deep breath and let the salt air calm your spirit. Inhale the intoxicating aroma of a freshly brewed cup of Nespresso coffee from the balcony of your lavish suite. Immerse yourself in your suite’s lavish tub and inhale the scents of Molton Brown bath and body products.

Taste

From a sip of fine wine to the first bite of a sinfully scrumptious dessert, the tastes of the resort’s 7 themed restaurants are sure to delight. Whether feasting upon Italian, Asian, or local Dominican flavors, your taste buds will dance in response to exciting flavors.

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It’s time to treat your senses! Let’s book your next vacation to Live Aqua Punta Cana today!