fbpx

A life-changing journey to Tanzania

Watching wildebeests from trucks on a safari in Tanzania

In 2012, Jim and Ann Allen visited Tanzania through an educational travel program from University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies. The experience was unforgettable.

“We were awestruck by the parks and wildlife,” says Jim Allen. “The Serengeti was a different world. The vastness is hard to describe. It’s beautiful.”

Ann Allen was equally charmed by the Tanzanian people, particularly the local guides.

“They were astonishing,” she says. “They were all so smart, and so patient with our questions. They were wonderful ambassadors for Tanzania.”

Ease of travel

Continuing Studies will lead another tour to Tanzania on Feb. 1-11, 2017. The program includes three nights on the Ndutu plains amid wildebeests and zebras at the height of calving season, with predators on the prowl. Two nights off the beaten track in the dramatic Lake Natron region will allow for swimming, relaxing, and hiking to Tanzania’s only active volcano. The journey concludes in the savannah beneath Mount Kilimanjaro for a walking safari with Maasai warriors and a visit to their villages.

On their tour, the Allens appreciated the convenience of traveling with Continuing Studies.

“The cost was all-inclusive,” says Ann. “We didn’t have to deal with anything independent of that, other than our visa expenses and immunizations.”

The Allens also enjoyed their time with the tour’s leader, Doug Whittle, who will also head up the 2017 trip to Tanzania.

“He was a wonderful leader,” says Ann. “We knew that he had thoroughly vetted the places we would be visiting and the places we would be staying. He had done all of the hard work for us.”

‘Beyond our greatest expectations’

The Allens returned from Tanzania with a new perspective and a sense of wonder.

“We highly recommend this trip to anyone who has an interest in participating in a life-changing journey,” says Jim Allen. “’Safari’ means ‘journey’ in Swahili, and this one was beyond our greatest expectations.”

To hear the Allens discuss their experience, click on the video above. To learn more about Continuing Studies’ 2017 trip to Tanzania contact Doug Whittle, 608-263-7787, doug.whittle@wisc.edu.