We had a forced overnight in Amsterdam on our way to Tanzania, which originally frustrated me. It was unknown, we don’t have experts to tell me where to stay/what to do. But as soon as I embraced it, I knew I wouldn’t regret the extra night. I read up on recommendations, looked at areas to book a hotel, asked friends and coworkers what …

I think what surprised me most about Tanzania was its diverse landscape which resulted in many different climates. Our guide, Rama, explained the cause of this landscape by themovement of tectonic plates and volcanic activity. The Rift Valley can be seen from Lebanon all the way to Mozambique in southeastern Africa. This is a serious of geographic …

This may be the first trip I returned home and I didn’t double my weight from the food we ate. Not to say I didn’t eat - I ate A LOT. But, the food was delicious, healthy and plentiful. The first meal I had in Tanzania started with a warm soup the evening we arrived. I have never tasted anything so amazing and that set the stage for …

The Big Five - what every traveler hopes to see when they go on safari in Africa. If you don’t know it, I’m talking about the Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Cape Buffalo and Rhino. The best thing you can do for yourself is to expect nothing. We were lucky enough to see all five and I can thank Rama for trying so hard to make that happen! He …

When you travel to Tanzania, you hear mostly about the animals, safari days and incredible guides who stick with you along the way. You don’t expect to encounter a rich and vibrant culture of the Tanzanian people let along the Maasai tribes. They are such an integral part of anyone's experience of Tanzania, I think that it is vital to …

If you are traveling across the world like we did, you may wake up before your alarm and in the darkness of your tent enjoy the sound of bugs and wildlife stirring outside. At 6:00 AM, your alarm sounds and you begin your day. If you prefer to shower, you knew to ask the staff to set it up for you the evening before. You’ll hear them filling …

The most difficult planning part of any trip for me is how much money do I bring and how do I think about tipping my guide well? I’m not one to carry cash in my everyday life, so it is against my nature to carry hundreds of dollars especially while I’m traveling in a foreign country. It’s a stressful part of travel that I …

I appreciated the order of how we did our trip. Mostly because it gave us a foundation of learning about the people of Tanzania and built knowledge of the landscape and then the animals. The experience was all the more rich with building the layers that this country has to offer. Lake Manyara National Park was our first stop and where we first …

I told my coworkers that I was a bit nervous to take a balloon ride as I’ve always been afraid of heights. One of them said, “oh, just think of it like you’re in an airplane!” They couldn’t be more right. We were picked up early in the morning to arrive to where the balloons were being filled at 6 AM. When we arrived, …