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After 12 hours of flying from Amman, Jordan, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to finally landing at Kilimanjaro International Airport, I was in Tanzania. As soon as I landed, I saw Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain, in all its magnificence, and I was awestruck at how it rose above the scenery.
Even though I had just arrived, I could tell the country was going to be a beautiful place. As I got off the plane and walked across the tarmac, I saw gardens with vibrant flowers and noticed Air Tanzania's plane with a blue tail featuring an illustration of a giraffe — Tanzania's national animal. I made my way to the yellow fever screening, and after they took my temperature and checked my vaccine card, I officially started my journey.
This trip to Tanzania would be my third and shortest solo trip. I was drawn to its safety, outstanding tourism sector, rich culture, friendly people and abundance of wildlife.
After leaving the airport, I took an hour-long taxi ride to Arusha, where I stayed for a day before heading out on safari. The streets were filled with markets selling a mix of traditional and Western clothing, an assortment of toys for the upcoming Christmas holiday, and vibrant fresh fruit like guava, avocados and bananas. Colorful vans whirred by, adorned with religious sayings like "Jesus is king," representing the churches they were donated from.
As I strolled through Arusha, I noticed that many of the shop signs written in Swahili, the predominant language in East Africa, were almost like Arabic words written in English letters. I found out that Swahili is a mix of Arabic and local African dialects, hence the similarities. A wave of excitement washed over me as I used my first language to piece together meanings. I felt like I was in the right place.
I came across a young man selling beaded bracelets — something I love to collect. He explained that the blue beads symbolize the oceans around East Africa, green is for the savanna of the west, yellow is for the sun and black is for the African people. Together they represent the Tanzanian flag.
After my first night in Tanzania, Alfred, a safari guide with over 17 years of experience, came to the hostel I was staying at. He is a tall man who wore a beige button down shirt with matching pants, and most distinctly, a striking pair of James Bond-style aviator sunglasses throughout my entire trip.
For the next eight days, he showed me around the jungles and savannas of Tanzania. Alfred's favorite word is happy. His smile never faded throughout the trip and his most spoken words were "I like for everybody to always be happy."
Meet Alfred
During my time in Tanzania, Alfred and I became great friends. Me, being Arab, and Alfred, being African, we bonded over the similarities and differences in our cultures. Alfred's full name is Alfred Ignas Kiwia. "I was born on the slope of Mount Kilimanjaro 45 years ago," he said.
Born and raised in the village of Marangu, Alfred moved to Arusha as an adult to pursue his career and start a family. After studying engineering in college, Alfred spent a few years working for a tourist company. Realizing he wanted a more hands- on career, he decided to pivot and go back to school at the College of African Wildlife Management in Moshi to study wildlife management and tourism. Three years later, he began working as a safari guide in 2007.
In 2010, National Geographic approached the company Alfred was working for at the time. They were interested in filming a documentary on wildlife in Tanzania, and the company decided to send Alfred out with the team.
"It took about 28 days in the bush — Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and in the other game reserves," Alfred said. "You have special permission to go off-roading and everything because filming, it needs for you to go more miles to find animals."
Alfred took the National Geographic crew out to some of the most remote areas of the national parks where they followed different animals. "We go for the wildebeest migration, we go for the lions, we go for the leopards, we go for the cheetah and finally, we go for the giraffe," he said.
The National Geographic team was impressed with Alfred's talent. "Many people, many tourists, say, 'Alfred, you have a talent, you are a super guide, why don't you run your own business?'" he said.
He sat with the idea for years before investing in his own safari company in 2024. In January 2025, he officially registered his company as "Vantage Explorations Africa." I jokingly suggested the name "Adventuring with Alfred," but I'm no marketing expert. Alfred plans to begin tours later this year and take new guides out into the wild with him to train before sending them off on their own.
Alfred explained that as a safari guide, there is no option but to be in top physical shape. Alfred had to drive through rough dirt roads, and when it rained, these roads would turn into mud. At one point, the car got stuck, and a fellow safari guide driving by had to attach a rope to our car and reverse to get it out. All part of the adventure.
Aside from being a safari guide, Alfred is a husband, a father and a devoted member of his church. Religion plays a big role in Tanzanian life. Roughly 60% of Tanzanians are Christians, 30% are Muslims and some follow traditional African religions. But aside from religion, people around Tanzania take pride in being a part of the nation and being African. Tanzania is one of the most diverse countries I have ever seen — over 120 tribes call the country home.
What it takes to be a safari guide
Safari guides go through a long process before they put on the khaki uniform, set foot in the beige Land Rover and descend into the bush. They first attend wildlife colleges where they spend three years studying wildlife, environmental science and tourism management. After completing their studies, they train for years with more experienced guides before leading their own safaris.
The roads in the national parks are rocky and winding — the guides jokingly call it an "African massage." The lack of signs and GPS navigation means that if you are lost, it's definitely an emergency. After years in the bush, Alfred has memorized the roads by heart and can identify any animal in a heartbeat.
Going into the national parks means you will be up close and personal with wild animals. At one point, I got to see a lion feasting on a freshly killed buffalo. When we went back to the site the next day, the lion's family had joined, leaving nothing but bones behind. It's the kind of thing you only get to see once in a lifetime.
Tanzania is known for the big five — lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant — all of which I was privileged to see. It can be difficult to spot some of these animals, especially leopards, as they are secretive, independent and territorial. Many safari guides, including Alfred, are so skilled they know exactly which leopards live in certain areas, increasing your chance of a rare sighting. This expertise was what allowed me to spot one leopard in the wild. It walked right past our car, gave us a little show and ran off into the tall grass.
What it means to be a safari guide
While tourism poses a big risk of causing environmental degradation, the tourism industry is a key pillar of the Tanzanian economy. To combat the risk, the country is serious about protecting its nature and has found ways to promote sustainable tourism.
In a rapidly modernizing world, Tanzanians still follow many traditional practices, many of which stem from the Maasai people, enabling them to care for their wildlife. Natural resources are not overused or depleted from the environment, trash bins are not permitted in any national parks and single-use plastics are outlawed nationwide. Safari guides are not just there for tourists — they are part of the ongoing effort to conserve nature.
One of the many reasons tourists are not permitted into national parks without guides is the risk of poaching. Poaching was a huge problem in Tanzania, and it nearly led to the extinction of black rhinos and the African elephant. Night safaris are heavily restricted, as poachers have the most luck getting hold of an elephant tusk when no one is around. The national parks are heavily monitored by park rangers who may carry firearms in case they have to use them on poachers.
"Before it was not like now," Alfred said. "There was a big chance of poachers coming to shoot our animals — especially elephants, black rhinos, leopards, cheetahs — so the number of animals in the 1940s and '50s was decreasing." After the government employed trained park rangers, the crackdown on poaching increased the number of animals in the wild.
Aside from wildlife conservation, many safari guides strive to give back to their country. Unfortunately, many safari companies are owned by foreign investors, meaning a large part of the profits never make it to the Tanzanian people, according to Alfred. He seeks to combat this issue.
In 2011, a group of Australian tourists went with him on a trip and wanted to give back to the Maasai people, a nomadic tribe living across Kenya and Tanzania. Many Maasai people struggle with accessing safe, clean water sources, and the tourists wanted to raise funds to build a well in a Maasai village. The tourists raised money in Australia and sent the funds to Alfred, which he then used to organize a team and build wells in 15 different Maasai villages. He also organized a project to buy warm clothes for Maasai people living in Ngorongoro, an area of high elevation that experiences cold weather.
As a father, Alfred values education for all children and wants to use funds from his business to pay for education in villages, build wells and buy supplies. This is the culture among safari guides — they seek to help tourists and give back to their countries.
My highlights
I went to three national parks on my safari: Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti. Tarangire was filled with giraffes, elephants, baboons, monkeys and I even spotted a mongoose family. Ngorongoro is a volcanic crater located at a high elevation. Given its lush habitat, year-round flowing river and cooler temperatures, it is an animal paradise. I was lucky enough to spot two black rhinos, one of the most difficult animals to encounter in the wild. I saw flamingos in the river, herds of zebras and wildebeests endlessly grazing, and hyenas hiding in the tall grasses. Serengeti, the park that inspired "The Lion King," had no shortage of lions. It was mid-December, and zebras and wildebeests were still migrating. Hippos filled the rivers and crocodiles sunbathed on boulders nearby. Most notably, I saw a leopard hiding in a tree with its swirly tail dangling down.
There really aren't enough words I could use to describe my time in Tanzania. It was beautiful, safe and life-changing. The people of the country are some of the friendliest I have met, and their loving nature and hard work inspired me. The best part of solo traveling is the friends you make along the way, and for me, Alfred is a lifelong friend.
Edited by Savannah Dagupion, Leah Mesquita and Audrey Eagerton.
This story is part of The Culture Issue, which was released on February 26, 2025. See the entire publication here.
Reach the reporter at banihanijude@gmail.com and follow @jud3moody on Instagram.
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Jude is a junior studying finance. This is her second semester with The State Press.
