Awaken to Africa

A fabulous 8-day safari to Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Oldupai Gorge, Serengeti, and Arusha

My family and I just returned from a 8-day safari to Tanzania, scheduled by Awaken To Africa. What a trip! This was my fifth African safari, though first in Tanzania, and my first with Awaken to Africa.

We arrived in Tanzania from the U.S. via Amsterdam, where we were met by Farida who quickly got us through the visa formalities. We then began our week-long journey wth Steven, our guide and friend.

All in all, Grace at Awaken to Africa put together the total package: just enough comfort while still camping, great food, great places, and the secret weapon: Steven our guide. We all hit it off so well for the whole week. He saw things while driving, that I couldn't see even on my telephoto lens. Besides his extensive knowledge of wildlife of all kinds, he's just a lovely guy and a great dinner partner. By the time we left, it was like seeing off an old friend, which he became over the week. The whole week was as great as it could have been: photographs and memories for a lifetime.

Grace selected great lodges and camping facilities in Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. At Ngorongoro Crater at the Rhino Lodge, we found a large elephant just off our back porch. Saw lots of wildlife (black rhino), both in the crater and out the back door of our Rhino Lodge rooms.

Drive to Oldupai was rough but the Gorge itself fascinating. The Serengeti was noteworthy for its beauty, great weather, a magical leopard encounter, and a similar lion encounter. The Serengeti Angkata Camp staff were unbelievable: very hard working and customer focused. (My personal favorite site).

Back in Arusha after a flight from Seronera, Grace scheduled a great lunch at River House and Shanga, which were another huge hit with my guys. Shanga is a project employing handicapped people making very desirable crafts, on the lovely grounds (no pun intended) of a former coffee plantation. Grace scheduled a day room to clean up prior to our flights back to Amsterdam for a day before proceding back to the U.S.

As we were sitting in the Amsterdam sun, drinking Amstels, we reflected on our favorite parts, places to stay, etc. Interestingly, all 4 of us had different favorite momements, different camps, etc.

Grace put together the total package: just enough comfort while still camping, great food, and great places. The whole week was as great as it could have been: photographs and memories for a lifetime.

I couldn't recommend her more highly.

A Fabulous Experience Expertly Managed!

We just recently returned from a memorable and trouble-free 16 day safari in Tanzania. Grace helped us plan a custom private safari, according to our "discerning" requests. She nailed it! We loved Albert, our guide, for his expertise and warm charm. The diversity of well-appointed, comfy tent camps and gorgeous lodges made it a pleasure. And of course, the parks of Tanzania speak for themselves. We felt cared for and secure, well fed and just delighted!

The Perfect Vacation!

The trip was amazing. Everything was taken care of! The whole experience was spectacular from the lodging to the food to the atmosphere. Justin was an amazing guide and knew everything. To see the wildlife in their natural habitat was breath taking. Our guide new all the good spots and would stop whenever we wanted to take pictures. Tanzania was a beautiful country - definitely book with Awaken to Africa for the trip of a life time!

Awaken to Africa is the best!

My family and I went on safari with Awaken to Africa in August 2013. It was a life-changing 10 days and such an amazing experience. Grace booked everything for us and her suggestions were perfect. She asked great questions in order to get an idea of how we travel and what we like to do and made a perfect itinerary. Each camp was perfect and our guide, Justin, is amazing! Everything, from the visa process at the airport to heading back to JRO to depart, was easy and well planned. The safari itself was amazing and we were able to see a lot of animals including the wildebeest crossing the Mara river. Justin is very knowledgeable and very nice. He is a wonderful guide and I highly recommend him. I would definitely use Awaken to Africa again!

Flawless safari

My family and I just returned from a 10 day safari with Awaken to Africa. Grace Evans planned the trip for us earlier this year and the safari was perfect. There was literally nothing in the least that was out of order or less than expectation. Grace's knowledge of the area and the various tent camps and accommodations, ability to plan an aggressive yet achievable safari and her attention to all of the details was impeccable. She arranged all of our local flights and transportation to and from Dar as Salaam. All of her planning was meticulously documented in both emails and documents mailed to our residence in the US. Her responsiveness to questions was prompt, clear, and comprehensive. That she is located in the US is very helpful. The trip was flawless due to her knowledge and planning. We stayed at four Lamala tent camps including the new and highly luxurious Kuria Hills camp in the northern Serengeti. We also spent a night and half day at the Gibbs Farm cottage/lodge in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which was one of the nicest, most pleasant stays I have experienced in my lifetime.

For the 11 nights and 10 days of safari, her co-owner for Awaken to Africa, David Mshana, was our full time guide. He met us at the airport in Kilimanjaro and was with us 24 by 7 until he dropped us off at the Kogatende Airstrip inside Serengeti National Park 11 days later. David guided us through Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and the Serengeti National Parks along with the Ngorongoro Crater. We also had an impromptu stop at a local outside market in Karatu and a planned stop at Olduvai Gorge where the Leakey’s did their most noteworthy anthropology work. David suggested and coordinated a guided tour to the bottom of the gorge where all of the famous Leakey excavations occurred. Seems no other tour operators did so. David also coordinated a walking safari and a night safari in Tarangire.

David is simply the best. He has incredible knowledge and experience with the area and paced the 10 days perfectly. He was able to provide excellent insight into the regional fauna and flora and is highly intuitive on animal behavior. This intuition allowed us to see things that other tour operators either were not aware of or did not have the patience to endure. For example, we came upon a number of safari vehicles watching a lioness in the Serengeti. David immediately noted that the lioness was calling her cubs and patiently waited until she disappeared in the brush near her cubs. While all the other tour operators left the area, David drove us near the brush and we were able to see the lioness with her three cubs from a less than 10 yards away. Only then, did a few of the other operators return. He also showed us a recently abandoned Maasai village outside Serengeti National Park. It certainly helps that David seems to know half the drivers in the various parks and is well connected to them via a radio in the safari truck. We seemed to be in the know at all times as to where the animals were. The best experience with David, however, was his knowledge of the migration at the river crossings. We saw six in total, including four in one day and one with over 3000 Wildabeests. David knows exactly how to observe the beginning of a crossing without getting so close to distract the animals and disrupt it, unlike too many other operators who where consistently disrupting crossings. In all we were able to see everything we expected including Cheetahs, Leopards and their cubs.

In summary, the trip was completely flawless and I highly recommend working with David, Grace and Awaken to Africa for all of your Tanzanian safari needs.

Awaken to Africa is an amazing safari tour company!.

We are extremely happy that we chose Awaken to Africa for our Tanzania Safari!! Grace was extremely helpful to us as we developed our travel plans. She spent a number of hours with us, answered all of our questions, listened to our desires and planned an outstanding safari itinerary and within our expected budget!! We had checked into a number of other Safari Tours and did not find the same personal attention to create the perfect safari trip

Both of our guides were extremely knowledgeable gentlemen and were our teachers throughout the safari. They were great at finding animals across the various parks and were very accommodating to whatever time we wanted to spend watching the animals – we never felt rushed. They answered all of our questions and we even learned some Swahili.
We had a fantastic Safari each day.

Each night we arrived at spectacular lodges/camps chosen by Grace. Each lodge had outstanding customer service, accommodated our dietary restrictions with fantastic meals and had beautiful rooms and dining areas.

The ‘young men’ were always available to take us to and from our lodges/tents at the end of the evening. We had wild animals in view from all our camps. The morning sunrises were fantastic and the coffee delivered every morning was a real treat!

Grace planned the trip perfectly around a 3 day window when I could visit my daughter who was volunteering in Tanzania and to coordinate with a nephew joining us on the trip.

We feel so fortunate that Awaken to Africa planned our trip. The Safari far exceeded my expectations! We were thrilled every day with the Safari experience! We recommend them highly!!

Every detail of your trip is planned and explained to you. You get options and details to allow you to customize your trip to fit your travel style. The guides are some of the best in the industry. When we are back at the camps at night sharing experiences we always see and experience more than all others. Grace takes the time to get to know you and offers suggestions and keeps working with you until you have the trip planned. David awaits for us when we arrive and we feel like we have a family member waiting on us. We have used Awaken to Africa on both of our trips to Tanzania and we will use them on all our trips to Africa where they travel. David and Grace (the owners) make you feel like one of their family. All of your needs are taken care of and the detailed documentation you receive allows you to travel with confidence.

Amazing, life changing experience.

The African safari planned by Grace, was an amazing experience. She was very attentive to our needs, highly professional, and a pleasure to,work with. Once we arrived in Tanzania, our guide David was a joy. Not only is he extremely knowledgable about the animals, parks, and culture, he is a lot of fun to be with. We enjoyed every moment we spent with him.

I highly recommend Awaken to Africa.

The expertise and personalized service of Awaken to Africa gave us a fantastic trip !

We were extremely pleased with our trip to Tanzania’s Northern Circuit planned and executed by Awaken to Africa. Grace Evans gives very personalized service in planning the trip, combining her own expertise with that of her partner in Tanzania, David Mshana. Awaken to Africa is both the agent and the operator in country, so you’re not just “handed-off” to a sub-contractor once you get there. The excellence and effectiveness of coordination between her in the US and him in Tanzania is unbeatable. David has 20+ years experience in various types of safari trips. He is a walking encyclopedia on flora, fauna, and birds. (Even if David is not available to be your guide, he has such long experience and network, that I would trust anyone he recommends.) His experience is paramount for the in-country planning. This was especially critical to us, since we were traveling in the off-season, when roads were iffy, etc. Everything was great !

Grace spent a lot of time with me, not just e-mail, but on the phone, to determine our desires, priorities, budget, and expectations. She also addressed and reassured us on all concerns, especially those we had about health and safety, which are their top priority. She also provided examples of how the unexpected can happen on this type of trip and how they deal with that, which gained our trust. This resulted in her planning the trip that was all we hoped for, and went way beyond our expectations. Once we got there and were in David’s care, (and I do mean David’s care because he saw to our every need and concern,) everything was tailored to our preferences. All connections were made, from the moment we stepped into the Kilimanjaro terminal, until we were dropped there at the end, and all of the logistics were perfect.

He was so expert in how to use our time most effectively. Whether it was the last hour before the time when vehicles must be off the road in the national parks (so that poachers can be identified and caught), or the few hours before we had a plane to catch, he made the very best use of the time, or when we had what felt like an extra day that allowed enough time to drive a little farther where we saw the cheetahs ! He scheduled where we went, certainly based on what we wanted to see, but also on avoiding crowds. Yes, we saw the Big Five. He knows where to find them, and it was amazing how he spotted even the small animals. But the trip is SO MUCH MORE than just that. It is the overall experience in the place, which David’s experience just max’d for us. He’s also been in the business long enough, that he has relationship with all of the other experienced guides, and is able to find out real time something like where the rhino is right now! Seeing the migration was a top priority for us. For the time of year, he and Grace knew where the animals would be, so chose our lodging to be most convenient to it. So when we were there and asking if it was possible to “go back to see it again”, we were close enough to be able to do that. Again, it was this personalized service that was really great.

Another plus, was that given that safaris take a lot of time in the truck (which was clean, well maintained, and stocked with our choice of drinks, snacks. It’s also conveniently equipped with charging outlets for cameras, etc.), it’s nice to share that space and time with someone who is just nice to be around. David was so knowledgeable and very fluent in English, so we could have good conversation. He never displayed temper or impatience, or appeared tired of what he was doing. It's also evident that even after all his years of doing this, he clearly enjoys his work, still enjoys looking for the animals and watching them.

It matters that he’s a partner in the agency, so that he, too, cares about the quality of the overall experience, and “repeat business”( and there are groups whom he’s been guiding for years, who moved with him when he joined Grace.) He was so flexible with how quickly we did or did not move when we had stopped to watch animals, or enjoy a view. As he said, some people just check off the sight with “what’s next ?”, and the opposite is photographers who literally sit in one place for several hours. He’s happy doing both, and everything in between. I think that’s a good indication of how personalized the schedule planning and the service are.

One more thing in the course of our planning and on the ground over there, it was very evident that Grace will only operate with those companies (accommodations, activities, etc.) who treat the Tanzanians well, and that David cares deeply for the welfare of the animals. I respect and appreciate this very much.

Heard enough? Certainly from our experience, you can’t go wrong with Awaken to Africa!