Coming In December: Safari And Tennis With John And Patrick McEnroe In Tanzania

It would certainly be different to hear John McEnroe scream “You cannot be serious!” at a missed line call while elephants and giraffes wander by. But it could happen in December when a first of its kind tennis exhibition with brother Patrick McEnroe takes place in the middle of Tanzania’s Serengeti as part of a safari/tennis itinerary.

The eight day trip from Insider Expeditions on December 1-8 is admittedly part pure bucket list for both: John has been to Tanzania before because wife Patty Smyth is a safari fan; Patrick has been to Africa but not to Tanzania. But it has a deeper purpose as well. As he does with his organization, the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, John McEnroe works to make tennis available to youth who would not have access to it otherwise and he and Patrick intend to do the same in Africa, learning about the culture and teaching tennis to Maasai youth. “Increasing interest in tennis in Africa has long been a goal,” he explains. “To me, it’s always been a worldwide game. The win for me would be to make the game more accessible and affordable.”

Part of the experience will include the exhibition between the brothers, who coach the World Team together in the annual Laver Cup, to take place on a special tennis court being built in the middle of the bush . “This is an amazing opportunity to go to Tanzania with my brother and do something that’s never been done before,” says Patrick. “Also, hopefully, John will let me win a few games.” The 120 tennis fans traveling along with them on the trip will also have use of the court to play among themselves and take part in the welcome ceremony and group dinner; travelers who choose an upgraded VIP itinerary will have the opportunity to play against the brothers and share a private dinner and game drive. All tour participants will also accompany the McEnroes to their visit to a Maasai village for a cultural exchange and the introduction of the Maasai youth to the game with instruction in the basics.

Apart from the tennis component, the trip is organized as an upscale safari with accommodations at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge and the Gran Melia Arusha. On arrival the first day, the group will be welcomed at a reception with the President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan. The following morning, the group visits Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate located on 1,040 acres of African bush between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru for breakfast and a little tennis before flying to the Seronera Airstrip, the gateway to the Serengeti, and 4X4 transfers to the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti. The Serengeti is famous for its wildlife concentration as part of the annual wildebeest migration and is believed to have the largest concentration of lions in Africa with 3000 in residence in the ecosystem along with other significant populations of the other wildlife comprising the Big Five: leopards, elephants, rhinos and African buffaloes.

Over the eight days, game drives will alternate with bush walks with naturalist and Maasai guides and a hot air balloon ride over the savannah. The second part of the trip takes place in and around Ngorongoro Crater, a once giant volcano that collapsed, creating a crater 1,969 feet deep and 12.5 miles around in which the Big Five are in abundance along with cheetahs, hyena, zebra and 400 species of birds. Due to its containment, the crater has formed its own ecosystem including forests, swamps and lakes with grunting hippos—their communication with each other, not a rebuke for a bad call.