Awaken to Africa
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- TTB & APTA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
Reviews
Incredible, memorable vacation
My wife and I just finished an 8 day safari with Awaken to Africa and couldn’t be happier with our experience. We had never been on a safari before and had a lot of questions. Grace did an amazing job helping us pick out lodging, counseling us on what to expect, and providing a detailed packing list. Once on the ground in Tanzania, our guide David Mshana led us through the experience of a lifetime. We visited the four major northern parks (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti) and saw more wildlife than we could have hoped for. Highlights included 47 lions in one day (>70 overall), 5 rhinos in one day, leopards on 4 consecutive days, and the “Big 5”in a single day! It soon became evident that David’s spotting ability was second to none. In comparing our daily experiences with other tourists on safari, ours was always significantly better. In addition David’s easy-going and kind manner made the trip essentially perfect, and saying goodbye felt like leaving a good friend.
We would recommend Awaken to Africa without any hesitation and hope to experience Tanzania with this wonderful company again in the future.
NZ
Email Alan B | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrific Tanzanian Safari!
Our safari experience with Awaken to Africa was truly excellent. Very good communication, itinerary, and accommodation organized by Grace. Our guide David, a most genial and likable man, took such good care of us. He is a hugely experienced naturalist, with encyclopedic knowledge of the Tanzanian fauna and flora and was selfless in going the extra mile to ensure our safari was the simply the best. Our experience with Awaken to Africa was 5 Star and I have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending this company to future safari travelers.
Email Joel Delmaire | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best 11 days in Tarangire, Lake Eyasi, N'gorongoro crater and Serengeti
My wife and I toured Tarangire, Lake Eyasi, N'gorongoro crater and the Central and Northern Serengeti in 11 days. The experience was absolutely flawless, thanks to Grace's perfect preparation and David's fantastic guiding!
We initially requested some information from multiple tour operators, and Grace's was by far the most comprehensive and detailed response, and the closest to the brief we had given. Grace then took the time to tailor further the tour through multiple emails, improving it to the point where it looked absolutely perfect on paper.
And David absolutely delivered on it! It was clear from the beginning that he was very experienced, but every day we spent on the tour confirmed it further. David has been guiding for close to 25 years, and has an incredible knowledge of the parks (where to find what animal and what time of the day), the animals (from the scientific name to their place in the ecosystem to interpreting why a specific animal behaves the way he does, and what he's likely to do next), the people (he seems to know absolutely everyone) and how to be an awesome guide (he clearly cares about making your experience memorable, and managed to surprise us with something new every day). He has the sharpest eye you can find, which means he doesn't have to rely on the radio to find animals like many tours do. You will often be the first, and sometime the only one, to see a leopard in a tree, or a lion family playing. But the best is that he clearly loves his job, which means every day will be another great experience for you.
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Email Danny | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Better than we could have ever imagined!
We went on a 7 day Safari in Tanzania with Awaken to Africa and couldn't be any happier. We went to Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti. Our guide, David, was exceptionally knowledgeable about everything from the animals to the culture and answered every question that we had. He was an absolute pleasure to spend the week with (and had quite the eye for animals!) He was able to spot things that no other guide could. We saw every animal that you can think of: elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions (and lions in trees), leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, wildebeest, buffalo, hippos, impala, gazelle, baboons, flamingos, ostrich...just to name a few.
As for the company, Grace made the planning exceptionally easy and made sure that we saw as much as we could while we were in Tanzania. Each day was something completely different with totally new landscapes. Being a smaller company, we felt like it was a much more personalized experience. I would recommend this company to everyone going on a safari!
US
Email Susan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari!
I did a lot of research and made several inquiries before deciding to go with Grace and Awaken to Africa. It was a great decision. Grace had so much first-hand experience, and she patiently answered our questions and provided recommendations and tips that were spot on! I also liked the fact that the company was jointly owned by Grace in the U.S. who covers the planning, and David, a Tanzanian, who owns the ground operations in Africa. Grace's attention to detail and her communication skills were top notch. I felt very comfortable that she had covered all the bases and prepared us well.
We stayed a night just outside of Arusha, then spent the next 8 nights at 4 different camps across the Northern circuit with our Awaken to Africa naturalist guide, Albert. He was very personable, knowledgeable and a great spotter and tracker of animals. He not only had a keen memory of all the roads but also of all the bumps and dips! Of course we saw both the Big Five and the Mara river crossing a number of times. We also happened to see 2 lion kills in action just a couple of hours apart! Albert was always on top of things, and seemed to be thinking two steps ahead. He was also quick to smile and laugh, and very accommodating. We felt safe and very well taken care of with Albert. He was such an enjoyable person to be around.
The time of the year is very important to picking the optimum locations to visit, and Grace suggested wonderful accommodations for us to choose from. Also important is unlimited mileage to make the most of the safari drives - Awaken to Africa has no limitations. And the overall key factor to a successful safari is the guide, and we were very lucky to have Albert as ours. Our Safari was memorable and even more than we hoped for. A big thank you to Awaken to Africa!
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Email Margo Zauner | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Ideal Safari
My brother and I spent 14 days on safari with our guide David. This was a long anticipated trip and my experience Exceeded Expectations! We visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Oldupai Gorge, the Seronara area of the Serengeti and the northern Mara River area of the Senengeti. Aside from 1 night in Arusha we stayed in tent camps 100% of the time. This decision was based on Grace's expert advise as well as our inclination. Grace guided me gently through the process of choosing camps by presenting a list of these accommodations in our chosen park and allowing me time for research. When I had narrowed the selection to 3 she presented pros and cons of each camp. Each place we chose was wonderfully unique, comfortable, friendly and allowed us to feel connected to the park and the animals 24 hours a day. She also suggested a little time on our last day to visit the Cultural Heritage Center and Shanga in Arusha, both great shopping opportunities. Overall the trip planning advise was excellent.
David was an outstanding guide who seemed to "see animals" where untrained eyes could not.
His 24 years of experience in all the Tanzania parks has earned him respect among many guides we met on our trip. We were stopped in the parks multiple times during the day to answer questions about our animal sightings and David was generous with his time and information. His easy going and friendly nature and sense of humor made him a wonderful meal companion and day long friend. We also appreciated his knowledge of the different tribal cultures, his willingness to go off the beaten path to see places most guides would not take visitors and his extensive knowledge of plants and birds. His collection of books in the Land Cruiser was a wonderful resource for pictures and scientific details about all the flora and fauna we were seeing. David took great pride in showing us a small portion of his country and teaching us Swahili words and phrases.
I am already planning another trip to different parks in Tanzania and you can be sure I will use Awaken to Africa as my outfitter.
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Email Karen K. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb Safari Experience with Awaken to Africa
My outstanding experience with Awaken to Africa started with the very first communication from Grace. Unlike the other tour operators I contacted, Grace sent a personalized email and responded to the specifics of my inquiry (the others sent form emails). She spent many hours working with my friend and me to put together an itinerary that matched what we wanted to experience on a safari. We told her we wanted to be off the beaten path, and not feel as though we were surrounded by other tourists all the time. And boy did she deliver. The itinerary could not have been better. The accommodations were all outstanding (special shout out to Gibbs Farm, Neptune, Kisima Ngeda, and Kiota Camp). Grace is a wealth of information and despite the barrage of email questions I sent her, Grace responded promptly and with specific answers to all of my questions. Only a relatively small tour operator can provide this kind of personal attention. I've never met Grace, but I've had so many communications with her, I feel as though I've known her for years.
And then there was our guide, David, co-owner of Awaken to Africa. I could not have dreamed of a better guide. From the minute David picked us up at the airport to the day nearly 2 weeks later when he saw us off on a prop plane in the middle of the Serengeti, David was a delight to be around. His smile is infectious, his sense of humor endearing, and holy cow, this man can spot animals like no other. There were a number of times when we noted that other vehicles drove by animals because the guide did not see them. David's vast knowledge of all things wildlife enables him to sense if there is an animal in the area, a hunt about to take place, or perhaps some sparring between males of the same species. Seeing animals is exciting in and of itself, but having someone explain the animal behavior while the action is taking place is a true enhancement to the experience. My friend and I were simply amazed at David's wealth of information, which included all creatures (animals, birds, vegetation, tribes). David is genuine, sweet, smart, patient, funny and knowledgeable. Your guide can make all the difference in the world, and we are so thankful that we were fortunate enough to experienced our safari with the very best.
My friends are stunned at my photographs as they cannot believe the many types of animals we saw, the vast number of them and our proximity to them. And for those of you who may want to try something a little different, I highly recommend spending the morning on a hunt with the Hadzabe tribe. I admit that I was a bit skeptical when Grace recommended we include this in our itinerary, but this turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. It is a truly special and unique experience. It is best if you are in at least halfway decent shape as the pace is quite fast and you walk for many miles (you do not need to be an athlete). But, after being in a vehicle for much of the time, we found it was a nice change to get so much exercise in one morning! If you want to feel as though you are not just off the beaten track but truly in the middle of nowhere, go visit the Hadzabe tribe and Lake Eyasi. You will not regret it.
Awaken to Africa will plan your trip of a lifetime. They are really something special. I found them through this website and I am so thankful for the other great reviews here that caused me to contact them. I hope that my review encourages you to reach out to them as well.
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Email Ray & Libby | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous all around for Bibi (grandma), Babu (grandpa) and 2 collegiate grandkids
This was the second safari in Tanzania for my wife and me. We had visited northern Tanzania four years earlier. This time we were taking two of our grandchildren who are now in college. We wanted to visit some of the same areas but also wanted to expand to some more remote and "off the grid" locations. Grace and David came highly recommended from friends and we could not have been more pleased. Grace walked us through the options available to us to accomplish our goals. She was thorough, pleasant, and easily reachable. She never made us feel rushed in the planning process. Once we arrived, David (company co-owner and experienced guide) met us at Kilimanjaro airport and was both a terrific guide and a wonderful human being. I could not get over his amazing vision. His knowledge of animal behavior including birds is broad and deep. He is very kind, well-educated, and a strong advocate for the African wildlife. After a week with David in Manyara, Ngorongoro area, and throughout the Serengeti, we continued our trip in Ruaha and then at Greystoke Mahale. These were our "off the beaten track" locations and were exceptional. We used the camp guides (Asilia's Kwihala in Ruaha and Nomad's Greystoke in Mahale) and they were also quite knowledgeable and personable though no one quite matched David's amazing vision. We wanted to stay in tented camps and the arrangements Grace and David made were ideal in every way. The trip was everything we had hoped for both us and our grandkids. We recommend Awaken To Africa highly if you wish to have a personalized exciting safari experience.
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Email Sherry | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fantastic once-in-a-lifetime safari experience
Our safari was an amazing experience and Awaken to Africa played a big role in this. I spoke to Grace exhaustively while in the planning phases of the trip, not knowing anything about safaris or having any experience in it whatsoever, and she answered every question promptly and extensively, displaying an impressive wealth of knowledge in any subject we asked about. She was able to suggest an itinerary for us that worked with what we wanted, after many back and forths and changing our minds multiple times about many things (initially the trip was to include climbing Kili also). All the communications were top-notch.
The information package she provided for us prior to the trip was very helpful also. We followed it pretty closely and I didn't feel that anything was left out or that we were ill-prepared. If anything, we overdid it a bit on the electronics (brought extra batteries, even a solar charger thinking there might not be places to charge the equipment -- although it's good to be prepared).
David, our guide, was magnificent -- had extensive knowledge of everything from animals to culture and was a pleasure to be around. I maintain that he was the best wildlife spotter on the trail -- he saw things that no one else found and often we were the first on the scene. One of the things he mentioned that I really liked was that the animal is never "just there" -- they are always there for a reason, doing something. There is a story behind everything you see. One afternoon I offhandedly suggested that we might try to go find the black rhino that was supposed to be about -- and lo and behold, about 90 minutes later we actually found it! I don't know if we were just extremely lucky or what but we saw two black rhinos, so many lions, leopards, cheetah -- even a serval hunting! Absolutely amazing.
All the camps Grace suggested for us were top notch, clean, providing great service, and had excellent food. I highly recommend the tented camps where you can hear the animals outside your tent in the night. We stayed with several Asilia properties (Olivers, Dunia, and Sayari, all of which were amazing), the Ang'ata camp on the rim of the crater, which was a excellent suggestion as it enabled us to get down into the crater at sunrise, before everyone else, and Kisimi Ngeda, which had an excellent location and just was a lovely place all around.
I highly recommend Awaken to Africa for your safari needs.