Stories from the Field ::
When our clients come back from Safari, we love hearing their stories. Here are a few of our clients talking about their Safari.

" There are really not enough positive words to describe the experience we had in Tanzania. Everything was better than expected, even with the high standards we had anticipated! People were more than accomodating with our needs and near-endless questions. Thank you for helping us share your incredible country and I look forward to talking with you soon!"
Martin Hoffsten - Split Pixel Design

" We had a great trip. Our Guide - Michael - was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and enjoyable to be around. I was very impressed with your company when the office sent a courier to Ngorongoro Farm house with our changed park entrance itinerary when we had to change it due to Christina's stomach ailment. Everything went very smoothly. Both Michael and the guilde we had on the last day really made us feel like it was our trip to do as we wanted on our own pace. We were very happy with the service and quality of the lodges you chose for us. I will definitely recommend you to our friends. Thanks for a great trip!"
Fred Daley

"Journey to Africa made it possible for us to plan a trip that carefully took into account our personal wishes and needs. For this reason, we had our own dream trip to Tanzania!"
Richard and Barbara Cheatham

"We hoped our trip to Tanzania would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It proved to be MORE than that. It left us hungry for more…to see the country at a different time of year (when it is green, flowering, and the rivers are rushing), to visit more of its national parks and game reserves, to see the wildebeest calving, to see Lake Victoria, to spend more time looking and shopping for crafts, to actually see Mount Kilimanjaro, to visit Dar Es Salaam, to see Pemba, to sit in front of the fire at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge again….It looks as though once in a lifetime will not be enough."
The Goffs

"Jambo, asante sana for a safari mzuri!!! We had a most marvelous time, better than we'd dreamed of!! Every detail was taken care of, from beginning to end - who knew a private safari could be so organized and complete. The match of drivers to travelers couldn't have been better - we thoroughly enjoyed Mo's (driver-guide) expertise and experience balanced with his caring and thoughtfulness, making sure our experience was as awesome as possible. His humor often took us by surprise and we laughed and giggled our way through many a kilometer. We could have journeyed on with him across many more!!!!

As we asked, all places had running water and flushing - we were delighted!! Friends and family worried that we were camping out in the bush - if they could have seen our camps!!!!! Kisima Ngeda and of course, Mbalageti (outdoor tub - see right) were breathtaking surprises. Mo mangaged to keep Mbalageti downplayed, calling our last 2 nights "in tents," but never hinting at the luxury of the tent!! Those are places to return to, for extra nights, next trip around. Most arrivals into each camp had us oooohing and ahhhing. The Moivaro Coffee House was a lovely way to meet Tanzanian hospitality and kindness and the Ngorongoro Farmhouse was just plain breathtakingly lovely. Ikoma was a bit primitive, our tent was the last one out and had no hot water, but the incredible sunset and night sky full of stars we'd never seen more than made up for the chilly shower. Dinner under the evening sky, by candlelight, what a memory!! The Tanzanian Safari Lodge was amazing - we saw wildlife galore just lounging on the patio!!! In a few hours of afternoon viewing, I saw as much as on a day's worth of game driving.

The balloon adventure was well worth the expense - the story of the breakfast afterwards will be a memory that will last long after the others.

Zanzibar was a wonderful add on - it was Hawaii's beauty without all the crowd. The Stonetown Guide was highly personable and took us through the markets, buying us fruit to sample and encouraging us to interact with the vendors and have a good time. He even popped us into a local school, when I told him I was a teacher.

Matemwe Beach was breathtaking - we'll take many more days next time!!! I could go on and on and on - it was the trip of a lifetime, and I hope to return many times. What a lovely country you come from. You represent it well. I thank you for your choices and guidance, what a memorable journey, every minute. Asante, Deb"
Debra Bakos

"We had a great time with Paul. His car is older but well kept and we were comfortable. Keep in mind that means as comfortable as one can be driving across plains with no roads. It is roomy and very easy to see out of. The top does not pop up like some vehicles but comes off. If you have someone that wants to always be extremely comfortable then this is not the car. But then Paul's safaris are probably not for them anyway.

Lake Natron. The area is stunningly otherworldly like at the beginning of time. The first night there were two other guests and one was an employee of Paul's company. We literally had the whole south end of the lake to ourselves. One day we took a picnic and looked for some friends of Paul's that were filming a documentary about flamingos for Disney. That turned out to be a great day. We lost the very faint markings for the road and picked up a young Maasai man to show us the way. He had never been in a car before but was so very nice. Darrell had to hold his spear out of the roof of the car. Anyway, we found Paul's friends and had a good tea time visiting with the woman at their home. You could tell she was glad for the company. It was a great day, with lots of birds, hot springs, great vegetation and beautiful scenery. That is the kind of thing that going with someone like Paul really makes it worth it.

The day we traveled from Lake Natron the Ndutu is probably my favorite day of the trip. We traveled across the plain through the middle of the migration. There was still so much rain that water was everywhere. Paul was concerned the drive might be difficult because of mud but everything worked out fine. We probably drove through the middle of 500,000 animals before we ever got to the road into Serengeti Park. There was not a single car to be seen anywhere. We drove through part of the Gol Mountains and it was truly beautiful.

Once we got to Lake Ndutu and Olakira Camp we saw cars and people. Olakira is a very nice camp. Well done and the staff were great. I think the camp was full but we did not seem to really see anyone except at meal times. Weather was thankfully cool and our laundry actually dried and we slept like babies in spite of the hyenas and lions and zebras running around camp all night long . Very nice area but because of the abundance of water everything was very spread out. We saw so many very fat lions and cubs that we got tried of seeing them. Over 30 one day. Lots of birds, beautiful sunsets and night skies."
The Howtons

"Quality of guides – outstanding!!!
Everyone who we met took such good care of us, was unbelievably friendly, and did everything they could to make us comfortable. As far as I’m concerned, the most important part of a trip to Africa is the quality of your guide because it will make or break your trip. And…you spend A LOT of time with them, so it’s not someone you click with it can be a long journey.

Quality of vehicles used – excellent.
We saw many tourist piled into safari cars and we had just the two of us in ours. I was interested in doing a lot of wildlife photography, so it was important to be able to spend as much time as I wanted at a site. Also to get the views we wanted. This would not have been possible in one of the other types of tours where there are more people in the car. Many times we were the only ones there (for hours) watching lions, elephants, cheetahs…it was amazing. "
Sue Spielman

"Dear Mefi,
First, I want to thank you for all the work you did with Erik to plan a trip of a lifetime. Everything we did, and I mean everything, was fantastic. The places we visited, the accommodations and the people we saw along the way provided a wonderful experience. I believe we really got a good picture of Tanzania. I must admit that traveling to the lake area along the rutted, dirt road had me wondering about what is Erik had planned for us. It was worth the two hour drive in the heat to see the beautiful oasis at our camp. The experience of hunting with the bushmen will be remembered forever. I had the opportunity to "dance" with some of the local women as well. It was fun. It is amazing how women worlds apart with different languages can still manage to communicate and laugh together. I must admit that I was not going to let Erik bring back a new, younger second wife though! She was much prettier and more vibrant than I am. We all shared a good laugh about this.

The Lodge at the Crater was something I never experienced before. Erik and I couldn't stop laughing with delight when we were escorted to our "hut" by the butler. The view was exquisite and the furnishing was so beautiful. I especially loved the scene we returned to on Valentine's Day. A fire, a steaming bubble bath complete with rose petals and candles were delightful. I felt like a Princess.

I have saved the best part for last. Our guide was truly a gentleman. He spoke English perfectly and was knowledgeable on numerous issues. He really listened to the things we wanted to do including visiting a few schools and an orphanage. During our entire trip I felt totally safe and protected. Even when we were hunting with the bushmen he was always on the lookout for a wayward snake or other creature. His knowledge of animals was phenomenal. Although Erik and I was fantastic at spotting lots of loins and other critters in the termite mounds and dead tree stumps, he found things that we would have passed right by without knowing they were there. During our trip we saw hundreds of elephants, loins, giraffes, zebras and others. We even had the opportunity see five Black Rhinos from a distance. I am so glad we did the private safari. It gave Erik the opportunity to take thousands of fantastic pictures. Our guide was so patient as Erik waited for just the right light and angle for the shot. That's one of the reasons our pictures are so fantastic. He is truly a great guide and made our trip such a phenomenal experience. I would never hesitate to recommend him to anyone for a safari."
The Hoffers

The trip was incredible - I've been dreaming about it since i was about 13 and it exceeded my expectations. Everything from the scenery to our lodges.
I'm a photographer at heart and it gave me a great opportunity to rediscover photography in the beautiful scenery. When our plane touched down, tears began to flow down my face. I couldn't believe that I was there. Each day was filled with adventure and a chance to see something new and to bond with the people and to experience the culture. It was a great reminder for what is truly important in life and Dave and I are now stepping into marriage with that reminder in our hearts.
The Hartleys

"We had a wonderful safari and Mohammed is an excellent driver, guide and all-around helpful person and we very much enjoyed meeting and travelling with him. Mohammed is so knowledgeable about the wild animals and birds and shared his expertise with us very willingly. Also, we want to thank you for your help in making all of the safari arrangements! This has truly been an adventure of a life-time and I know that Rainer and I will never forget the experience."
The Falkenstein