From the moment Nandi contacted us to our return to the states the experience was incredible. We contacted PAS through the Internet and soon afterwards received a return email followed by planning the trip via lengthy phone conversations. Nandi listened to what we were interested in and made suggestions and then put together different itineraries with different price points.
We researched where and when the best times and places for game viewing was to be, Originally we planned to go in October because we had heard that would be the best time to view the great migration, but decided to go earlier rather than latter as we were trying to get pregnant.
The month of May made the most sense but we were apprehensive as it is supposed to be the rainy season. Given the choice we would undoubtedly pick May again! The Serengeti and other areas where incredibly beautiful and in the Serengeti we would go hours and hours without seeing other travelers. It rained briefly two afternoons which is an experience as well, a thunderstorm in the desserts of Africa is truly something worth experiencing. One of the times when we were driving we came upon a pride of a dozen lions and watched them play together in the rain. As the sun was setting we watched a thunderstorm roll in across the savannah with a beautiful rainbow as a backdrop.
Our strong advice is while it may be fun to plan ahead of time you need to put your total trust in the PAS itinerary. Our guide was Adam, who is also a Masai warrior, grew up in a village and is now an Owner/Operator of PAS and his expertise was truly incredible. Adam is the type of person that after spending several days with him you leave wanting to be a better person. As a guide and as a person he tremendously exceeded any expectations we could have had.
When we arrived Zubetta greeted us with flowers and she took us through the process of getting out luggage and visas with ease, we did not have to wait in lines to do so. You are totally in their care, they chauffeured us to our lodging (which was incredible) and the next day sat with us and listened to our desires and outlined the plans for the trip. Both are fluent in several different languages and speak English with ease.
There was no shortage of game viewing, Wildebeest? Try a migrating heard of tens of tens of tens of thousands, stampeding, running, and trotting past our Landover for hours on end. We can’t name all of the wildlife we saw, it would be easier to say what we did not see. Herds of elephants, wildebeest, prides of lions, jaguars, leopards, crocodiles, rhino, zebra, warthogs, baboons, giraffes…you name it; all in abundance.
We saw kills taking place, feedings, lions playing, monkeys and baboons playing, crocs feeding, cats with their young; about the only thing we did not see was an actual birth.
The air is so fresh you can almost taste it, the entire time we were there we did not see one airplane (except the plane we flew out of the bush on the last day), just miles and miles and miles of blue sky and fields of grass and savannah.
We saw other safari groups and I am sure they had wonderful experiences as well, but the knowledge and professionalism of PAS cannot be surpassed. We looked into booking with other companies… all I can say is that when we return we will not consider booking with any service other than PAS. Adam is an Owner/Operator, not a hired driver. His knowledge of the culture and ecosystem must be one of the best if not the best on the continent, certainly in the region. The respect that he has earned was immediately apparent everywhere we went. He is humble and will not boast but it was readily apparent after getting to know him that we were with someone that has truly distinguished himself and is in demand as a guide. We have relatives going this December and have insisted they book any safari time with PAS, they are hands down that good.
Even after our trip our friendships continue with Nandi, Zubetta and Adam. This trip has touched our lives and especially the lifetime friendships that were made with PAS.
Our return trip we smuggled our firstborn back into the states with us, due to this world February 10, 2012.
Sawa,
Mark & Lorraine
PS – misc advice: Don’t get caught up in “what to wear”, Safari clothing etc. If you look at the pictures you will see most people in t-shirts and pants. Next trip we will absolutely bring a video camera, wish we had brought one this trip. We shot video with our cameras and over 4,000 pics. A hat is a must, and although it may sound goofy next trip I will get one with mosquito netting. The flies can be an annoyance. Skeeter Beeter Gel, recommended by Nandi is awesome and actually smells kind of good. Bring lots. You don’t need that much cash outside of tipping Adam and Zubetta, everything is taken care of and there is not too much to spend money on. Souvenirs we spent probably less than $200, as you have to be able to fit everything in your luggage or have it shipped back. Visa and MasterCard are accepted everywhere. We exceeded the recommended tip allowance for our guide, just felt compelled to do so because the experience was so fantastic and Adam jus blew us away.
