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35-50 years of age
Botswana was beautiful, wild, warm and true
Camping our way through several Botswanan and Zimbabwean parks was one of the most transformative journeys I have ever made. (And I have traveled). The land has a sense of immensity that is humbling and awe-inspiring. The camping was very basic, with no modern amenities or fences, so the feeling of being in the wild, versus watching a performance of the wild, was complete. The guide was truly learned and local: A dedicated naturalist not a tour guide. And the camp hands were amazing. Warm, knowledgeable, friendly, and excellent cooks given one pot and a fire. The wildlife. What can you say? I was perpetually transfixed, even when rooted to the spot with terror (a face-off with a Bull elephant and hyenas raiding the cool box in our truck come to mind). The cats (the big drawcard for me) were astounding. Many lions, a close-up with a leopard in a tree above us, and a dusk sighting of two cooperating cheetahs hunting. At night we saw a serval, so incredibly hard to spot and very high on my list. Crossing into Victoria Falls was wonderful: despite the woes of its country, a town and a people so warm, funny, smart and welcoming. And I was surprised by the quality of the wildlife there, too (as well as the white water rafting and nightlife). Botswana and Zimbabwe are countries that will sear images onto your retina and memories into your mind, and and these things conspire over the years to produce a kind of soul-magic not easily found in other places. They call you back to Africa.
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50-65 years of age
Review about Tarangire National Park by Sally
Wonderful wildlife viewing.
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50-65 years of age
Review about Serengeti National Park by Sally
Thrill of a lifetime to see the Serengeti.
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50-65 years of age
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50-65 years of age
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Sally
A place frozen in time - trying to preserve these endangered species.
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50-65 years of age
US
20-35 years of age
Review about Selous Game Reserve by Athena
While the wildlife was a bit more difficult to spot - more spread out - but the "bush vibe" was intense. We had plenty of wildlife in our camp at night - monkeys and monitor lizards during the day, with bush babies and more monkeys at night. You have to fly in - giraffes were on the runway and had to be chased off.
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50-65 years of age
Tanzania offers world-class wildlife viewing - plus historic sites such as Zanzibar Stonetown.
Tanzania has very good infrastructure to support tourism. Most folks understand the benefits of the tourist dollar, and work to be sure guests have a positive experience. On my multi-day safari, we saw all the big five, plus many, many other animals. I'm not a birder, but the birders in the group were thrilled with all the species they observed. Weather was generally fine, although unseasonably cold and wet (snow) on the Kilimanjaro climb, oh well. Accomodations were quite adequate, especially if you have traveled in third world countries before and are not expecting western standards. It's just not the same. Not a foodie place, but that's not why you're going to Tanzania. A visit to Tanzania is a life experience - be sure visit Zanzibar, too.
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20-35 years of age
Review about Tanzania by Athena
There are lot's of safari destinations in Tanzania, more than a few the size of a small country and the wildlife viewing is incredible. The landscape is varied and gorgeous and the people of Tanzania are welcoming. I enjoyed birding considerably, though am not a serious birder - my trips to Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, however, convinced me that birding is an exciting and fun hobby.
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50-65 years of age
Review about Zara Tours by Sally
Woman owned; very professional; excellent English speaking guide (John); Zara gives back to its community by offering English classes and other training to employees, and also supports various conservation efforts in Tanzania.