9 Days Wild: Our Tanzania Safari
One of those quiet moments you don't expect to catch, two elephants pausing together mid-graze.
We're Back
It's been a minute. Life got full, we needed a break, and now we're back with a backlog of trips we can't wait to share. Starting with one of our favorites: Tanzania.
In June of 2021, we traveled to Tanzania, East Africa, for a 9-day safari through and around Serengeti National Park. It's one of the most memorable trips we've taken, and one that started to shift our perspective on wildlife-based trips.
Back in September 2020, Keith learned about a deal on a safari through Bucket List Friends, a monthly subscription from The Bucket List Family, a popular travel family on YouTube. We went back and forth: could we afford it, even discounted, and would the pandemic even allow the trip to happen by June 2021? In the end, it felt like a deal too good to pass up, and we hoped the world would be in a better place by the time we left. Once we booked, we were connected with Jim at Roane Travel Design, our first time working with a travel agent who handled everything: accommodations, transportation, meals. This allowed us to be present instead of managing logistics the whole trip. Jim and his team were attentive, responsive, and planned exactly the trip we'd hoped for.
Zebras and wildebeest rarely travel alone out here, safety in numbers, and safety in mixed company.
The Journey There (Days 1-2)
Tampa → Washington D.C. → Addis Ababa → Kilimanjaro, flying United and Ethiopian Airlines. After clearing COVID screening at Kilimanjaro International, Leopard Tours drove us to Siringit Villa, a beautiful home right on a golf course fairway: great rooms, warm staff, excellent food, a pool, and wildlife wandering the grounds. If you can, stay two nights here instead of one; it's a perfect place to rest and reset after a long travel day. The next morning, after breakfast and watching wildlife around the lodge (lots of dik-diks and gazelles roaming around), Leopard Tours drove us to Arusha Airport for our flight to the central Serengeti. As soon as we landed, zebras and wildebeest surrounded us. We then met our new driver, who would be with us for the next several days, and headed to our lodge, Siringit Serengeti Camp, for a quick lunch, then straight into our first afternoon game drive, followed by an evening fire and dinner.
Made it. First stop, first smiles, first of many signs we'd remember this trip for a long time.
Deep in the Serengeti (Days 3-5)
Up before sunrise for a full day on the move, didn’t have to wait too long because we found both a cheetah and a lion hunt within hours of each other. We had lunch at the national park visitor center and took part in a tour to learn more about the Serengeti with a guide-in-training. We then continued to the hippo pool before heading back for drinks by the fire and dinner.
Same morning, two different hunters, a cheetah stalking the herd, a lioness stalking the waterhole. The Serengeti doesn't pause for either one.
The next morning we relaxed at camp before our long drive to TAASA Lodge, where we were welcomed with dancing and singing. After settling in, we spent a quiet afternoon before heading out for an extended evening game drive with our driver and spotter, Logo and Loya.
Another pre-sunrise start, this time finding elephants just yards from camp. TAASA's rhythm is built around the animals: mornings and evenings out, afternoons resting by the pool while the heat keeps most wildlife in the shade. Later we took a bush walk and stumbled upon a tower of giraffes. Logo and Loya taught us to throw a spear (we were not very good at it, especially Jocelyn). That night, we went out on a night game drive and spotted the remnants of a leopard's recent hunt. We waited a bit to see if it would come back, only to learn from another group that it had been chased off by a pride of lions.
Somewhere between a nuzzle and a neck-wrestling match, giraffes have their own way of saying hello.
Ololosekwan Village (Day 6)
This day was a little different. We started with our usual sunrise game drive and a relaxing afternoon by the pool, but the evening drive began earlier than normal; this time, with a visit to Ololosekwan village. We walked through the village, met some of the locals, and toured one of the mud huts, learning firsthand about the Maasai way of life. Afterward, we were treated to a performance of the Adumu, the traditional Maasai jumping dance, performed by young warriors, or morani, as a rite of passage demonstrating strength, agility, and readiness for adulthood. We also watched the women's traditional dance, marked by rhythmic neck and shoulder movement known as Akus, balancing brightly colored beaded collars in time with deep, repetitive chants from the community. Where the Adumu is all high-energy jumping, the women's dance is about grace, endurance, and precise control, its own powerful celebration of womanhood and community. We were pulled into both, and Keith even competed in the jumping (he held his own, mostly). It's a rare, genuine window into a way of life completely different from ours, and it means even more once you talk with people there and hear firsthand just how much TAASA gives back to this village and everyone in it.
When we returned to camp, we were excited for the night game drive we'd arranged earlier with some new friends we'd made along the trip. To our surprise, TAASA made the night even more special. They set up a beautiful fire and dinner under the stars for us before we all piled into one of the safari trucks, drivers and spotters included. It's one of our favorite nights, one we still reminisce about to this day.
From the mud walls of the boma to the warmth of the people who call it home, Ololosekwan gave us a window into a way of life we won't forget.
Chasing Rhinos, Full Day in the Bush (Day 7)
We broke from the usual morning/evening rhythm today. Along with another truck, we pushed deep into the Serengeti, tracking the Mara River through areas that hadn't seen a vehicle in over a year because of COVID shutdowns. The goal: spot a rhino. Twelve and a half hours of driving, a delicious lunch in the bush, a truck stuck in mud, smoke on the horizon from a controlled bush fire, a chase from a herd of elephants, and more wildlife than we could count, we finally made it back to camp for dinner. Even without the rhino sighting, this was an exciting day.
Twelve and a half hours in the bush meant a truck stuck in the mud, smoke on the horizon from a controlled burn, and a herd of elephants that made it very clear we weren't welcome any closer.
Bush Breakfast and Final Days (Days 8-9)
Our morning game drive turned into another surprise: a camp-wide bush breakfast with everyone at TAASA, guides and drivers included. After breakfast, we took a short game drive, then had a quiet afternoon before one last evening and night drive.
Our final day consisted of one final breakfast, a last game drive, and hard goodbyes before catching our regional flight from Lobo Airstrip back to Arusha. We had lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge with our original Leopard Tours driver before our flights home.
From our first evening out to our last quiet afternoon, the trip had a way of alternating between us soaking it in and the animals doing exactly the same.
Where We Stayed
Siringit Villa — A large home on a golf course in Arusha. Great food, friendly staff, a pool, and wildlife right on the property. We only stayed one night, but it's easy to see why others extend their stay here to rest before or after a safari.
Siringit Serengeti Camp — Fall asleep to the sound of wildebeest and hyenas. Each room is its own private space with a patio for watching wildlife pass by, comfortable beds, and full bathrooms. There's a central social tent near the kitchen if you'd rather not be alone, and every night ends with sundowners by the fire before dinner.
TAASA Lodge — This place felt like home. As a private-reserve lodge, they can off-road and drive at night to catch wildlife at their most active, but the pace is entirely up to you. We chose to stay busy, up before sunrise, resting through the heat, back out for evening and night drives, but you can spend as much or as little time out as you like, and the staff will help you make the most of your stay either way. Beyond the drives, it's built for comfort: relax by the pool or your private patio, or share a meal and stories with the staff.
Nine days, one leopard mystery, one rhino we never found, and a herd that always seemed to know exactly where it was going.
Wraping Up
Nine days, one leopard mystery, one rhino we never found, and a village that stuck with us long after we left. Tanzania gave us more than a trip. It gave us one of the best stories we've ever gotten to tell. Seeing animals roaming free, something we never thought we'd see with our own eyes, changed how we think about wildlife travel going forward. We've become far more drawn to experiences like this, animals in their natural habitat, on their own terms, than anything staged or enclosed. We loved every bit of this trip, and we'll keep recommending it to anyone who'll listen. We also recognize we were extremely privileged to experience Tanzania during this time, with fewer safari trucks crowding the animals and more time to actually search for wildlife.
This trip wouldn't have happened without Jim and the team at Roane Travel Design. If a trip like this is on your list, they're the ones to contact.
