Seven-year old, Luke traveled with his family to Tanzania over the holidays. In addition to the excitement of celebrating his birthday and Christmas on safari, the highlights of his trip included:

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1. Meeting my pen pal, James
2. Hot air ballooning over the Serengeti
3. Soccer at the village school
4. Lots of football with Nyumba camp crew
5. Flying on single prop plane from Serengeti to Arusha
6. Playing Last Card and War
7. Making a zebra out of black ebony wood
8. The tents and sleeping with the animals
9. Mt. Kilimanjaro (Mt. Kili)
10. Christmas and My Birthday in Africa
11. Crazy Abel!

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Luke loved his guides and according to his blog – yes, he submitted a blog post – he learned a lot from them about the wildlife and Tanzanian culture.

Click to read Luke’s blog!

I wanted you to know how much we appreciated our recent safari with you. We were so fortunate to spot two black rhinos just yards from the car; they stayed around long enough for us to get some really good photos. The lions were so close we could have reached out and petted them!

Zebras

Migration

River House

River House

River House

Serengeti rhinos

Serengeti lions

Hot-air balloon flight over Serengeti

View of Ngorongoro Crater

I like your committment to the communities and environmental issues and really enjoyed interacting with the locals, especially the children. I have learned so much.

Nancy K.
Signature Thomson Safari, November 2012

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Read more about Nancy’s safari on her blog via the links below!

Ngorongoro Crater	Thanksgiving	Animals, animals, Animals!

My kids will remember this trip forever. It will be difficult for our family to top this trip. The last stop at the Maasai village was very well done. MY HIGHEST COMPLIMENTS AND THANKS!

While the wildlife and scenery are breathtaking, the people of Tanzania are what make this country so special. This video (below) is our way to thank the people of Tanzania for their warmth and hospitality. Asante Sana!

Sandy W.
Private Family Thomson Safari & Zanzibar Extension, June 2012

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See photos from Sandy’s safari in his video “Tanzania the Beautiful” below.

]]> http://blog.thomsonsafaris.com/the-buzz/people-tanzania-family-safari-review-sandy/feed/ 0 http://blog.thomsonsafaris.com/the-buzz/jennifer-s-cook-tanzania-blog http://blog.thomsonsafaris.com/the-buzz/jennifer-s-cook-tanzania-blog#comments Tue, 04 Sep 2012 02:58:12 +0000 Thomson Safaris http://blog.thomsonsafaris.com/?p=4965 The following is an excerpt from Jennifer S. Cook’s blog.
Read about her Africa Through the Lens Safari below
or link to the full post titled, African Beauty.

I turned forty and went to Africa.  It was time.  My twenties were spent in New York, establishing a writing career.  My thirties were spent practicing law.  When I turned forty, however, the long banked aspirations of a little girl began to take precedence.  And so the winds blew me in the direction of Africa.  I arrived in Tanzania on February 25, 2012.  I walked into my room in the Arusha Coffee Lodge to find a gigantic bed, romantically draped in gauzy netting, a barrier to mosquitoes.  Old pipes delivering nonpotable water.  Outside, the southern cross hanging overhead.

I have been lucky in life.  I have been able to stare at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, trying to take in the whole of Michelangelo’s work.  I have seen the sun rise over Kata Tjuta rock formation in the Australian Outback.  I have lived a high pressured life with its demands, responsibilities and disappointments, but have these images to look back on as a touchstone of what beauty can be in the quiet of existence, when one has taken oneself out of the expected ambition of living and just looked around.  And now, fortunately, I have also seen Africa.

I had signed up for a ten-day photography trip in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park with a photographer out of Houston, Andy Biggs, whose photography I coveted and whose approach I appreciated—take in Africa…slowly.  Sit.  Allow it to reveal itself to you.  Wake up early enough to watch the light shift and then wait for the magic.  And no place is more magical than the Ngorongoro Crater, a volcanic candera located in the heart of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  It is the fact that this area is a crater that allows for such dynamic photography.  Images taken here have layers—striations of color, beginning with patches of dark green and yellow running through the grasses, then moving up to the hazy rock formations of the Crater itself, until your eyes rest on smoky or cumulous clouds that drift up into a deep blue African sky.

Not surprisingly, my best photographs came after long periods of time watching an animal, and fortunately, I was on a tour that allowed me the luxury of this time. One moment, we were watching a skinny lioness fight back six hungry hyenas from stealing a zebra kill from her cubs.  The next moment we were witnessing the birth of a wildebeest, watching the small animal take her first wobbly steps, and then, not ten minutes after birth, after recognizing solid ground, canter off with her mother to join the protection of the rest of the herd.  Over two days, we spent almost six hours watching a mother cheetah and her four cubs play—sometimes in the open sunshine, other times in a heavy rainstorm.  Just watching and waiting to see what would happen next…

For more, visit Jennifer’s blog

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Jennifer S. Cook
Africa Through the Lens Safari, February 2012

Tanzania is absolutely the most amazing place I have ever been and this was the most amazing trip I have ever taken.  I am so excited to share my experience with all my family, friends, and even those I don’t know.  Asante sana, Thomson Safaris, and to all your nyumba crews, your Kilimanjaro guides and porters, and your safari guides – job well done! It was above and beyond anything I expected!

Casmir is an amazing guide, and will always be a great friend.  He does not miss a beat! I would recommend Thomson Safaris to everyone, and request Casmir as a safari guide.

I have thousands of photos from my trip. I bought beautiful beaded work and other treasures, but nothing touched my heart or brings a bigger smile to my face as when I reminisce or tell my friends about the beautiful, kind and caring people of Tanzania.  I did leave a part of my heart behind…and I am so looking forward to coming back.

Deb H.
Kilimanjaro Western Approach Route & Safari,  February 2012

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Read more about Deb’s adventures in Tanzania in two Wisconsin news publications:

1. Brillion News
2. Post Crescent
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I want to share a few comments about the wonderful adventures my wife and I have experienced on multiple Africa Through the Lens safaris led by Randy and Kathy Hanna. Finding the right words to capture the essence of an experience of this nature is nearly impossible, but without a doubt these photo safaris were life-altering events for us in a very positive manner. We approached these safaris with very high expectations, yet Randy and Kathy, along with the wonderful support staff from Thomson Safaris, managed to exceed those expectations in every way.

As amateur photographers, having immediate access to an experienced professional photographer, while in the middle of some of the best photographic opportunities in the world, was invaluable. Randy freely shared his expertise, doing so in a manner that benefited everyone to include the novice photographer. In the end, Randy ensured everyone (photographers and non-photographers alike) walked away with a wonderful experience and “once in a lifetime” photos.

While photography was a big part of these safaris, the experience involved so much more.  The opportunity to meet the people of Tanzania, see the landscape, and get the “red dust of Africa” on our boots, changed us forever.

I have been on three Africa Through the Lens safaris with Randy and have a fourth scheduled, so I guess you can say I’ve been bitten by the “African Bug”.  Anyone looking for a life-altering experience with an emphasis on photography cannot go wrong with a Thomson Safari Africa Through the Lens adventure led by Randy and Kathy Hanna.

Steve & Lori K.
Africa Through the Lens Safari

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Steve and Lori are planning their 4th Africa Through the Lens Safari with Randy Hanna.
Read Steve’s blog entry about their visit to a Tanzanian village on their most recent safari.

My grandson, Jacob, and I had a wonderful experience and I am sure its something we will always remember.

Your Kilimanjaro staff was just great and looked after us at all times, the porters & guides made the trek a success. Our safari was just as wonderful, Jacob especially enjoyed the balloon safari.

Our holiday just wasn’t long enough. We hope to come back someday. Thanks again for all your help while we were preparing for our journey.

Judy G.
Kilimanjaro Western Approach Route & Safari, February 2012

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Read more on Judy’s trek and safari blog

John, Hashim, and Abu are amazing:  Great naturalists who can explain about everything from elephants to baobab trees while tip-toeing a jeep down an impossible road. Please tell them Asante sana!!

I did not expect to be as affected by people and their lives as I was. The schoolkids were great. We were impressed by the level of the 5th-grade math books we saw, and happy to learn that Thomson helps support them. Even the food was good…the last thing I thought about in anticipating our trip. Tasty and healthy!

Thomson really does put a lot of time and effort into anticipating all the details of each trip to produce the best visitor experience possible.

Michal S.
Highlights of Tanzania Safari, October 2011

See Michal’s photo diary of her safari!

We see a lot that day. There are giraffes so close to the road that if they choose to bend their long necks in our direction, we would almost be able to touch their heads. We see enormous herds of wildebeest, mixed with zebra, impala, and gazelle – especially the variety known as Thomson’s gazelle.

…but the day has something else in store for us. As we pass by some zebras walking through the high yellow grass, Harrison stops the Land Rover. They are three adults and one foal. We wonder why he has stopped. We have seen plenty of zebra and they were a lot closer to us than these four.

While peering through his binoculars, Harrison utters the word, “lion.” We look, but we see no lion. We tell him so. “Yes,” he says. “He is lying in the grass.” We continue to scan the high grass. “Where?” we ask. “Straight ahead.” he says. “You can see the tips of his ears.”

And yes. There is the slightest bit of movement, as the lion’s head begins to rise out of the grass, with his eyes trained on the zebras, which are now walking in single file, with the foal at the end. The lion is between us and them. We watch as the line comes to a halt.

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The above is an excerpt from Bruce C.’s blog.
Bruce and his wife, Elodia, traveled with Thomson Safaris in October 2010 on a Signature Thomson Safari.
Read the full story of this day on safari with Thomson.

Thomson Safaris is one of only a few outfits that are allowed to have facilities right in the middle of the action. They have a tented camp right in the Serengeti, no fences, no barriers, just you and the animals sharing the same space. During the day we would often see animals in the vicinity of the camp, from zebras to giraffes, from warthogs to gazelles. At night, it was not unheard of for these animals to actually venture into the camp. Right outside the tent you would hear warthogs dig around, and if you’d shine your light into the edges of the camp, shiny eyes greeted you. And while you’re trying to sleep, zebras would call for alarm, while hyenas grew more and more excited. It is a feeling that’s difficult to describe.

The tents are also quite luxurious as far as camping goes. They have large beds with mattresses, a vanity area with sinks and mirrors, a bathroom and a shower. Hot water is provided on request, usually right before taking a shower. It’s not a fancy lodge, but it’s very comfortable and the experience is worth it. Being right where the animals are beats anything else there is.

…everyone agreed the Thomson tent camps are actually nicer [than the permanent lodge]. Even the food was nicer at the tent camps. I don’t know how the cooks in the tents do it, but it’s amazing that they could out-cook the permanent accommodations of a lodge.

As one of our guides told us, you can not visit Africa only once, and truer words were never spoken. Africa is in our hearts now, and we’ll certainly be back.

Cor & Julie
Africa through the Lens, February 2011

Visit Cor and Julie photo gallery and blog