Tami Collin & Kelly Witte, Chicago – USA

KENYA & ZANZIBAR – TOUCHED BY AFRICA

This was our first visit to Africa, we had planned every detail well in advance with the careful guidance of Anna at Stars of Africa!
We were excited, anxious, and a little apprehensive as we started the flight to Nairobi. Anna had walked us through all the details, the itinerary was set and the plan seemed perfect for us. 

The minute we stepped off the plane in Nairobi there were wonderful people there to greet us, and throughout the trip we were accompanied by someone the entire time.
Just like Anna was there for us, through all of the planning she had orchestrated guidance throughout the trip. The attention to detail and the care and comfort the Anna gave us through the whole planning process came to life in Africa, we felt like she was holding our hand through the whole trip.

We started in at Hemingways Nairobi – a perfect start, to get recharged after traveling and to meet 31 baby elephants at the Sheldrick orphanage. We had tears in our eyes as the babies ran towards us for their feeding. What a start!

Then off we went for our first safari ever at Segera Retreat. We were in awe from the minute our plane landed right next to the Retreat! The greeting was warm, the people were wonderful and the retreat was beyond beautiful. Anna had described it perfectly. Our experience here was truly life changing, Segera is a special place and you can really only feel what it is truly about by being there. Segera is a feeling!
It was hard to leave, we had spent only a few days there but we were very attached and cried a bit as the plane left… we thought, how can it get any better!?

And then we flew into Angama Mara – one of the most beautiful places on earth. The lush green land had our attention as we flew in and the animals, many animals captured our hearts on our drive up the hill to the tents. The view from Angama is breathtaking and every tent is placed to have this wonderful view. The tents were beautiful, strong and so well built. This would be home for 5 days. We had a fabulous team that took care of us – our meals, our room, our guide. This is where we were changed by the connection to nature and all the wild animals. We met them all! The hot air balloon ride was stunning, from the early morning balloon fill to the slow ride over the Mara to the beautiful breakfast in the bush. The whole experience was lovely. 

We then left Kenya, the place that feed our souls and changed us to venture on to Zanzibar in Tanzania. Anna thought this would be a perfect way to relax after Safari and she was right. We came into White Sands Villas ready to relax and we found our own private paradise. We hardly left our Villa, we had our own pool, and we were right on the ocean. This was a pinch me kind of place! What a wonderful way to experience Zanzibar and recuperate after Safari. We were rested and ready to start our trek home.

We headed back to Nairobi for a night and stay at the famous Giraffe Manor. Anna had asked if we wanted to try to get in for our last night and she was able to get us a room. We would not have wanted to miss this magical place. We had breakfast with the Giraffe’s, we were so close and personal with the Giraffes it was truly touching. We will never forget that experience. The Manor is extraordinary as well.
We are changed people coming out of Africa, we were touched by the people, by the culture, by the food and certainly by the animals. 

We honestly thank Anna and Stars of Africa for the trip of a lifetime. Thank you for all the heart and soul that went into every detail. Thank you for taking care of us!

You feel like family!