Tanzania African Safari 2026

This morning Daniel our waiter, apologized for being five minutes late delivering my delicious coffee. It was still pitch dark outside - and there was a buffalo on the property. Don’t worry, he was safe; he was armed with my latte. The drive from Ngorongoro to the Serengeti takes about four hours, and by the end of it, I understood why so many people choose to fly. At the gate of Ngorongoro Crater, which we had to transit through to get to Serengeti, we bid farewell to paved roads for the rest of our safari. The roads are rough, dusty, and rarely level. The jeep spends much of its time leaning at an angle that your body doesn’t agree with. The road noise is too loud for conversation and your hands are constantly occupied finding something to hold onto. Our brains are rattling. Items from the back of the jeep jump to the front. Every passing jeep leaves behind a cloud of dust. There isn't much to do except look out the window and watch the scenery slowly change – hoping the Afri...

I never thought these words would come out of my mouth on a trip, but the beautiful room and lodge scenery made it wonderful to have a late 9:00 a.m. start to our safari day. Coffee was delivered early, and I spent the morning savoring the surroundings. As an added bonus, we didn't have to pack up and check out. Not today. On our way out for the day, we bounced down the most rutted, bumpiest road we had encountered so far. Young kids ran from nearby homes and waved enthusiastically as we passed. Edward didn't wave back. They were shouting something. "What are they saying?" I asked. "Zawadi," he replied. "It means gift." I had suspected as much and tried not to let it change the interaction. Regardless of their reasons for running to the road, one thing was impossible to fake: the joy on their faces. The smiles were genuine. We were headed to nearby Lake Manyara National Park. At 360 square kilometers, it is considered small. Nearly eighty percent o...

“I kept dreaming something was crawling on me,” Greg said when he woke up—even though we were safely enclosed inside a mosquito net. I spent the night dreaming that I was trying to take a shower before the hot water turned on at 6:00 a.m. On our way - safari day #2! Leaving early in the morning at 7am, I expected something different than yesterday. Edward announced, “It’s a good day. The air is fresh.” It was quiet and peaceful - just us - and a massive park to explore. The animals must’ve felt it too because today they were happy to see us. Today, they made eye contact. They know we are there - watching them - watching us. And they don’t care. Right off the bat we see more elephants Before this trip, if someone had asked me which animal I should worry about most, I probably would have said a lion. But Edward explained that it's actually the unpredictable African buffalo. Watching them, they look like a herd of cows; you don't feel like you're in danger at all. Yet ...

No surprise here, but I woke up early today. It is our big day: officially the start of our safari! I’m lost in thought, writing the blog, and hear stirring next to me in bed. My mind automatically assumes it’s Kate, who I’ve spent the last 2 weeks traveling with. Until I hear a fart. Nope, definitely not Kate . After breakfast, we meet our new friend for the next 8 days: Edward, our safari driver and guide. He welcomes us to make ourselves at home in the Land Rover – we are free to use the Wi-Fi, ice box full of drinks, wipes, bug spray, binoculars, and a welcome gift (a Maasai blanket and t-shirts). If yesterday was about getting here, today was about why we came. We left Arusha heading into our first real safari day—Tarangire National Park. A lot of safaris start here because it is the closest national park to Arusha - about a 2½‑hour drive. But it never felt like just a drive. There was always something interesting to see. In reference to the food he’ll be serving us during ...

Check back later after pictures are added... Today our flight paths crossed; Greg and I met up in the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia airport to take the remaining segment together. Well, kind of together. Greg continued his fancy business class flight while I continued in economy… but at least we were on the same plane. Although we landed at Kilimanjaro airport, we didn’t get to see the tallest mountain in Africa. At ~20,000 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro likes to be shy and hide in the clouds. As our massive Boeing 777 lands at a tiny airport that’s barely bigger than a small building, we quickly step into our surroundings. We’re given hand sanitizer, our temperature is taken, we learn our first word of Swahili— karibu (welcome!)—and we show our visas. Then our driver, Fabian, whisks us away—on the opposite side of the road from what we’re used to—toward the safari hub of Arusha. Immediately I spot an elephant and comment, “Wow, an elephant already!” Fabian laughed at my joke about the life-li...

  About a month ago, I discovered that the US had changed the Tanzania travel advisory to a Level 3 (of 4): Reconsider Travel - due to unrest and violent crime (and targeting of gay and lesbian individuals). When your own government says, “Have a plan to leave in an emergency that does not depend on U.S. government help,” it is a bit unnerving. This announcement, along with spreading Ebola on the African continent, could be a solid reason to cancel the trip. But travel comes with risks, and these were not enough to stop us. A safari has been on our bucket list for years!   After many years of losing out to active vacations and countries with incredible nature or man-made sights, a safari has finally risen to the top of our bucket list. Leading up to the trip, I kept wondering how exciting can a safari be? What if it is not any different than a zoo or the Disney Magic Kingdom Lodge? What if all we see are a bunch of birds and some wildebeest? Or what if it’s just over-explo...