Cross to Africa Safaris

12 day - private trip around the Serengeti and neighbouring parks

We booked a 12 day special trip with Anthony directly. As seasoned Africa travellers we knew what we would like to do and see. With Anthony we had a great sparing partner who understood our aims and wishes and tried to cater to all of them producing a comprehensive tour itinerary for us. From there we tweaked bits and pieces, which went well as Anthony was very responsive and constructive all along.

Once we arrived in Tanzania Anthony picked us up and took us to the Hotel in Arusha where we could organise everything and prepare for the trip ahead. As requested we spent the afternoon with our chef at the market and told him what we like and our food preferences. This was a great experience as the local market has this buzzing vibe to it (not suited for squeamish people). Our chef showed us around and gave us insights into the local food, we gave him hints what we like most.

The next day we set off on our trip into the wild, with our guide Ahadi, chef and Anthony. Our route took us through Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Lake Easy, Ngorogoro Crater, central Serengeti, northern Serengeti and lake Natron NP.

The route was well thought out and we managed to visited almost all planned sites, parks and tribes (we missed the occasional one due to exceptional sightings which we stayed with and watched on). The time and distance approximations given, where sometimes rather guesses than approximations, changing schedules a little during the day, but nothing serious. We took some "easier" routes or D-tours which in some cases felt like excuses to kill some time. Rather driving to the camp slowly instead of reaching the next camp early and doing an extra game dive around the area after we settled in. But nevertheless we saw everything we could dream of and more.

Ahadi did a great job driving us around and showing us the wonderful wildlife and nature, as well as being a great source of knowledge; telling stories all the way and sharing facts&figures. He did a great Job a spotting wildlife and sharing it with us. His driving was second to none, making it an agreeable journey wherever he took us.

Our chef had a hard time remembering what we told him at the market, but as we went along and guided him when he restocked supplies, he did a phantastic job feeding us well the entire trip. The African diet is usually very filling and heavy on carbs, which is normal - looking at the reasons for eating around here.
Although, if you spend most of the day in the car not moving too much, three full meals and loads of carbs are a heavy load to take in. With time and some guidance we managed to reduce on meal to a salad snack. In general he made awesome meals and varied them from day to day, we never got board of eating. The fresh popcorn after long drives and game drives where a treat :-)

What we haven't understood - it seems to be an African-thing (not only Tanzania) - why don't they appreciate the local produces. We drove by avocado trees, papaya trees, Banana and Mango trees, Corn and beans fields. But in our lunch pack there was an apple (imported from somewhere) and for breakfast or as a side it was canned (Heinz) backed beans (why not the local ones?).

For the immersive experiences Anthony organised some great local guides with whom we visited the Datoga tribe's blacksmith, the Hadzabe bushmen and the Maasai.
With the Hadzabe, what started as a leisure walk with tourists to show them how hunting works turned into a full blown hunt and kill of a wild boar. An experience that is not for the feint hearted but better than any BBC or NatGeo documentary.

All in all it was a great 12 days of full-on Tanzania wildlife and culture. Anthony prepared and executed a great trip for us with many highlights and some downs. When there was anything to talk about, he was open for it and took the feedback immediately acting on it if that was possible. Ahadi did a wonderful job and our chef never left us hungry during the trip. Ahadi was fully dedicated to show us the best his country has to offer, which occasionally was cut short by Anthony wanting to return to camp, for him to look after his business, instead of us pursuing a distant sighting or track we spotted. But we guessed this was due to Ahadi and Anthony joining the trip and jointly looking after us.

Summarising it; we had a great trip with cross to African and can fully recommend them for any safari first timer and repeat safari booker. Just let them know what you are looking for and they will cater to your needs.