Where do I even begin? Karen Zulauf and Jackie Cuyler crafted a once in a lifetime experience for my family. Our entire trip through East Africa lasted 3 weeks. We started our adventure in Kigali where we visited the hotel the movie “Hotel Rwanda”was based on and the Genocide Museum. We then made our way to Virunga Lodge where we experienced the gold standard of hospitality. Each room was the equivalent of a cottage, and the staff ensured we were well taken care of at all times. The lodge told us that the dinners were communal, and we were not sure what to expect, but I’m glad to say that the dinners were one of the best parts of the experience. We met an eclectic bunch of people, and the conversations were on another level. If the lodge was the appetizer, the Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park was the entree. Our group of 7 was assigned a medium level trek to visit one of the 24 Gorilla families that are habituated to humans. The trek itself was strenuous and took us an hour and a half to complete, but seeing Gorillas literally 5’ away from you in their natural habitat is a truly extraordinary sighting. What made this leg of the trip was having Abiaz as our guide; he was absolutely delightful. We had nearly every lunch and dinner with him during our stay in Kigali. We then made our way to Ngorongoro. We stayed two nights at the Wilderness Collection’s Craters Edge where we were given a room that provided picturesque views of the crater and had proximate access to the crater itself (think a 15 minute drive). In the crater, we were greeted by a plethora of animals such as Lions, Buffaloes, Elephants, Wildebeest etc. A core memory was having lunch near a lake teeming with hippos. Our next stop was the Serengeti. How did we get there you ask? We arrived there in a bush place which was a first for all of us and was an experience by itself. Whilst here, we experienced the Great Migration on two separate occasions - on the second occasion, we saw an hour and a half of nonstop wildebeest and zebra crossings. We also saw a Cheetah Hunt which included the stalking, killing, and the devouring of the animal. Finally, we participated in a Balloon Safari that was topped off by a bush breakfast. The Kuria Hills Lodge, where we stayed, was divine. The rooms were spacious, food excellent, views breathtaking, and the staff hospitable. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.Our next stop was the Julius Nyerere National Park where we stayed at Beho Beho. This park was nowhere near as busy as Ngorongoro and Serengeti. We spent 4 nights here, and if I were to describe our stay here in one word, it would be exciting but tranquil. I say it was tranquil because we didn’t feel the urgency to go on game drives because Ngorongoro and Serengeti provided us with ample game viewing, so on a few days, we said no to the morning game drives and relaxed at the lodge. And interestingly enough, we saw plenty of wildlife from our room. Now, why was it exciting? It was exciting because we got to do a walking safari where we literally walked into the bush with an armed guide and ranger to view game and saw a Bull Elephant and fresh tracks of a lion; and a boat safari where we viewed ample crocodiles, hippos, and birds from the confines of a boat on Lake Tagalala. We ended our trip on the island of Pemba in Zanzibar. We spent a couple of nights in Stone Town. While there, we got to tour Stone Town, take a Dhow ride during sunset, and participate in a spice related cooking class. After that, we spent a couple of nights on Pongwe beach before we concluded our trip. This whole trip could not have been done without the exhaustive efforts of Jackie and Karen. They were both incredibly knowledgeable and meticulous. But that’s not what stood out. What stood was that they were extremely likable and offered advice in an unassertive way; this approach was valuable because it allowed us to tailor the trip according to what we wanted. I couldn’t recommend the Deeper Africa team more.
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Unforgettable African safaris