Travel Spotlight

Behind the Scenes with Indagare: Tanzania

At Indagare, we believe that each trip should be unforgettable and every single vacation is designed specifically for each member. Pairing our in-depth destination expertise with knowledge of your needs, we match you with the best and most appropriate itinerary, hotels, guides and restaurants. Here, we dive into a behind-the-scenes look at the trip-planning process for the Richard family’s incredible trip to Tanzania. We talk to Senior Travel Specialist, Marley Lynch, who orchestrated the memorable journey as well as Indagare members the Richard family, who reflect on their favorite Indagare-planned experiences from the safari. Contact Indagare for assistance planning a trip to Tanzania. Our specialists will book you at the lodge that is right for you, plan great meals and activities, arrange behind-the-scenes access and introduce you to our favorite guides.

The Request

Sunset on the Serengeti at Singita Grumeti Reserve.

In the fall of 2016, the Richard family reached out to Senior Travel Specialist Marley Lynch about planning a top-end, wildlife-focused safari for June 2017. Here, Marley explains the planning process: "We quickly honed in on Tanzania for its mix of incredible lodges and abundant game. Even though the inquiry came in about nine months in advance, we had to chase waitlist space to find availability for the family of seven. After nearly a month of waiting for space to clear, we were able to secure reservations at our top lodges in Tanzania, including Mwiba Lodge and Singita Serengeti House (singita.com)."

Related: Just Back From...Tanzania

The Solution

Singita Serengeti House

"Since it is a challenge to get a family of seven to travel altogether often, we understood it was important for them to complement the communal experiences at small lodges with family time just for themselves. We suggested Singita Serengeti House, an exclusive-use home in the Grumeti Reserves with full staff and access to the facilities (such as a gym) at Singita Sasakwa Lodge nearby. Given the time of year, it was an ideal spot for the Richard family to witness the Great Migration. We arranged for a variety of experiences, from glamping in the Serengeti to cultural interactions with local tribespeople."

The Indagare Advantage

"The family was interested in cultural activities, so we arranged for a walk with the Hadzabe tribe, one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in Tanzania. This can only be done from Mwiba Lodge due to the local contacts of one of their guides. We also organized a special celebration with a bonfire and cocktails at sunset to celebrate one of the Richard's daughter and son-in-law's second wedding anniversary, which fell during the trip."

Member Testimonial

"Having a large family has always made it slightly more challenging to plan a vacation, but Indagare has helped us immensely in creating dynamic adventures that cater to all of our interests. After experiencing phenomenal trips to Morocco, Iceland, Québec City and Turks and Caicos, we gave Marley a new challenge with a safari in Africa. However, our trip to Tanzania was hands down our favorite and most life-changing trip yet!

Every morning in Tanzania we woke up with new adventures awaiting us. We would drive in our open jeep for several hours a day with zebras, wildebeests, giraffes and elephants grazing in the savannah alongside us. Hours were spent without seeing any signs of human life. It was remarkable to see these animals in their natural habitats and witness just how the circle of life works. Within the first few days we had close encounters with the big five: lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. Some of our favorite sightings included lion cubs playing king of the mountain, hunting dogs on the prowl, hundreds of wildebeest participating in the migration, a leopard and her cub having dinner and an elephant greeting ritual. Our guides made our trip so special with their extensive knowledge about both animal life and the Tanzanian culture. They also made a tremendous effort to get to know us and really personalized our game drives each day.

We especially enjoyed becoming immersed in the hospitable culture of the Tanzanian people, as well as learning about the local tribes. On one of our first days, we headed to a Maasai village where we were welcomed by beautiful singing and dancing. The Maasai people then dressed us in their traditional garb as we walked through the village. They showed us how they made fire with natural resources and welcomed us into their homes and school. On another day, we went on a walking expedition through the bush with the Hadzabe tribe. Two translators were needed for us to communicate with them, translating English into Swahili into the Hadzabe dialect. During the walk we watched as they gathered berries and other plants. At one point they suspected honeycomb was in the trunk of a certain tree. We watched as they started a fire inside the trunk in order to smoke out the bees. After they extracted the honeycomb we were able to taste it for ourselves, using sticks as spoons.

We are so grateful to have found Indagare and to have made such a meaningful connection to Marley. The experiences Indagare has planned for us have positively impacted our lives in more ways than we could have ever imagined." ~ The Richard family, Indagare members since 2016

Related: Tanzania 101

Contact Indagare for assistance planning a trip to Tanzania. Our specialists will book you at the lodge that is right for you, plan great meals and activities, arrange behind-the-scenes access and introduce you to our favorite guides.

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