We had a fantastic trip using Monkey Adventures with Frank as our guide. He took care of us so well! We had three different places to visit and Frank managed it all without stress. Traveling from Arusha to Tarangire, then to the Bush Camp and Ngorongoro Crater. Frank is so knowledgeable and helpful. We really could not have asked for a better experience!

Monkey adventures was absolutely perfect! We were beyond impressed with their ability to set up and execute this safari. They picked us up and dropped us off at the airport. They set up our accomodations in Arusha and were perfectly on schedule for departure on our Safari.

We were told that the rainy season encompassed April and May, the heart of our trip. We saw ZERO rain on the Serengeti and in the crater. The set up in the vehicle was perfect and was ideal for roughly 3-4 people. My fiance and I took the trip with another friend of ours and we were all BLOWN AWAY by the experience and plan to not make this our last safari.

The first day we saw a large heard of Elephants just outside the park. Our guide Banana did a fantastic job stopping and helping us see as much or as little as we wanted. His knowledge was beyond expectation which made the trip very educational for us as well. During our trip into the park, Banana offered us a slight detour to visit a Maasai village. We were indifferent but glad we did as it gave us an awesome insight into what it was like to live on the edge of the Serengeti. As we drove across the Serengeti to our resort, Banana stopped the truck and pointed at a cluster of rocks, over a half mile away. He told us, "there's a Lion sleeping on the rocks out there". At first we thought he meant they normally spent time there. He clarified, saying that there was one sleeping on his back on the right side of the rocks. After zooming in with the camera, we were all VERY surprised by his ability to drive the truck and see animals that we had to look hard to find under a zoom lens. This was the standard for the entire trip. He was able to find a Cheetah hinding in the tall grass, Leopards in trees, and Rhinos halfway across the Ngorongoro crater. As we entered the second gate of the park, half a dozen Giraffes were right next to the road looking at us as curiously as we were looking at them. Banana did a great job showing us as much of the Serengeti as he could before sunset and taking us to the lodge.

Monkey adventures was kind enough to upgrade our safari as we had originally booked in February but had to delay until April. We had planned on staying in preset tents, but were pleasantly surprised to arrive at an all-inclusive resort. The resort had a perfect view of the Serengeti, bonfire, and the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail and watch the go all the way down. The dinner was a set menu, but had plenty of options for every palate. Hot water was limited to certain hours of the evening and morning, so showers were planned.

The second day was a tour of what felt like the entire Serengeti. As we left for the day, monkeys were running across our balcony. The staff there anticipates much larger animals and are always around to escort you to and from the rooms. Once out of the resort, we quickly saw more animals we didn't think we were going to see. The smallest antelope on the Serengeti: a Dik Dik. We also saw a family of Hippos bathing in the river as we left the resort. Throughout the trip Banana did an excellent job of talking to other guides on the radio about where unique animals were. We were quickly directed to a female Lion walking along the side of a small creek. This entire day was excellent as we found a heard of Elephants and Banana quickly drove to where they would be walking to for an afternoon drink from another creek. We sat and had a boxed lunch provided by the hotel. Boxed lunches had several options and included drinks and fruit as well as chicken or vegetable wraps. During the rest of the day we saw more Zebras, Wildebest, and Giraffes than we could count. As the sun went down we stumbled across and male and female Lion laying in the tall grass. The sunsets as we traversed the Serengeti back to the resort were absolutely stunning.

Our third day took us to Ngorongoro Crater. Banana had a very detailed history of the crater and talked to how many species lived in the crater. The surprise of the trip were several Rhinos grazing in the middle of the crater. From our distance they looked just like Wildebeast. Banana stopped and said they were probably Rhinos if we could get our camera on it. Sure enough, Banana nailed it again. Being able to see an extremely endangered animal in the wild was absolutely incredible. The icing on the cake was a drive to an isolated part of the crater. As we pull into what looks like a quarry three Lions were sleeping on the rocks right next to where we stop. The incredible thing about all the animals were their ability to act like a safari truck was completely normal. None of the animals were scared by our presence and barely looked at us.

As we departed Banana was great at being flexible and allowed us to stop to shop for souvenirs from our trip. Monkey adventures met us at our hotel in Arusha and happily helped coordinate for our flight out the next morning.

This was an absolutely unforgettable experience. Monkey adventures were great at providing exactly what we wanted and the trip was an EXCELLENT value. The initial cost sounds expensive, but between the all-inclusive resort on the Serengeti, the driver, car, gas, hotel before and after the trip, and food for the entire trip, the cost quickly made sense and we realized what a great value we had found.

I researched locally and in Tanzania and this was by far the best value. Our family (2 adults and 2 children) had a great time and we were well looked after. Personal and professional. We saw as much or as little as we wanted. Accommodation was great, we couldn't have asked for more.