February 17, 2017

Well, we can put a bow on this one because that’s a wrap! We heard from IMG senior guide Emily Johnston last night over in Tanzania. She was checking in from their luxury safari lodge as the team had just finished off their last day of game viewing and were enjoying a very nice dinner.

They started the day with a game drive on the Serengeti, exited Serengeti National Park mid-morning, and had lunch at the historic and unique Oldupai Gorge. The Oldupai Gorge is famous because it’s where some of the oldest human remains on earth have been discovered. To say it’s full of history is a tremendous understatement.

For the afternoon they headed into Ngorongoro Crater — a truly special place in the world.  It’s a  huge volcanic crater filled with all kinds of African wildlife, from hippos, to buffalos, elephants, rhinos and everything in between. This place really has it all and is usually one of the highlights for almost everyone. I love that this is how the safari ends!

Finally, they made the drive out of the crater and up to the very comfortable safari lodge for their last night. It’s hard to put this lodge into words, but I’ll try: “5 Star Tropical Resort.” Unfortunately this doesn’t even do it justice. Flower gardens, coffee plantations, vegetable gardens, mango trees, giant storks, private, thatched-roof bungalows and gourmet food! A superb spot to spend the last night of the trip sharing stories of all they have seen and done over the past two weeks.

Tomorrow they’ll have a leisurely start to the day, and after breakfast, they’ll head back towards Arusha. They will definitely do some souvenir shopping along the way before picking up the rest of their bags and heading to the airport for their evening flights home! Guide Emily Johnston will be staying in Tanzania where she will welcome our next group arriving on February 20th, and then she’ll do it all over again!

This has been a super fun trip follow, and we hope you’ll follow us along on the next one starting next week.

Dustin Balderach

February 16, 2017

We heard from IMG senior guide Emily Johnston over in Africa earlier. They just finished their second day of the safari on the Serengeti. It went something like this. Wake up in your luxurious ‘tent’ to see the sun rising over the Serengeti. (I use the term ‘tent’ loosely here as these tents have full beds and bathrooms.) Enjoy an incredible buffet breakfast before hopping in the Land Rovers to go spot some wildlife. About the time the wildlife is getting ready for their afternoon nap, head back to camp for a delicious hot lunch and a little nap of your own. Then, head back out in the afternoon to watch the wildlife stir back to life as the temps cool off. Cap it all off with a fabulous dinner and swap stories around the campfire while enjoying your Serengeti Beer. Finally, fall asleep to the sound of zebras snorting outside your tent. I’m not making this up, this is a very typical day on the Serengeti! Kind of hard to beat a day like this one. Tomorrow the team will head over to the Ngorongoro Crater for more incredible game viewing. This is one of the highlights of the safari for me. You are probably picking up by now that this whole safari-thing is a real workout… for the eyes that is! I can’t think of a better way to finish off the incredible experience they had on Kili than several days looking at elephants on the Serengeti. Just doesn’t get much more fun that this trip!

Dustin Balderach

February 14, 2017

We just received more good news from IMG guide Emily Johnston and her team over in Tanzania. They are all back at the hotel in Moshi now, clean and happy! They made short work of the hike out this morning and enjoyed lunch, showers, and clean clothes back at the hotel. They spent their afternoon relaxing and packing up for the safari. Right now, they are celebrating their climb over dinner and drinks. Sharing stories and talking about the safari. They have certainly earned it after their past week of climbing!

Tomorrow the fun continues, this time without much work! After breakfast they’ll head to the city of Arusha a couple hours away to catch their early afternoon flight to the Serengeti. Once the wheels of the plane touch down, the game-viewing will begin. Most people are surprised how quickly they are engulfed in the safari. One minute you are taking off from a city of 1 million people, 50 minutes later you are spotting wildlife out the window of the plane on the final approach. It amazes me every time. You know this crew is having a good time from all the smiles in the photos Emily just sent us. And I know the team will really enjoy the next 4 days and they have earned it! Congrats again Team!

Dustin Balderach