There is a new sight in the Serengeti and throughout Tanzania, game drive vehicles that proudly wear The Wild Source logo on their doors and inside contain exceptional local guides that are at the top of their craft. This is the result of a new partnership where The Wild Source is assisting two talented Tanzanian entrepreneurs establish a ground operation and we benefit by having the best in the business to privately guide our clients.
What Makes a Safari Great?
To me there are two essential factors for every amazing safari:
- Outstanding Safari Locations
- Brilliant Safari Guidess
While there is no shortage of outstanding locations, securing exceptional guiding in Tanzania can be difficult:
- There are no qualification standards to become a guide in Tanzania
- Many guides are simply drivers who follow radio calls of sightings
- Many drivers can name the common animals and have little skill beyond that
- Large safari operators often hire contract guides during busy times – making the experience hit or miss for clients
Meet Safari Guides Deo and Felix
One of my clients introduced me to a guide, Deo, that she thought had the unique mix of exceptional skill, professionalism and tremendous personality that I value in a guide. As luck would have it he was in the process of trying to start his own business with another outstanding guide named Felix. We began communicating and found we shared the same passions and work ethics.
Deo and Felix’s Qualifications:
- Each has 20+ years of guiding for some of the best safari operators in East Africa
- They have guided National Geographic and BBC film crews for months on end
- Both have guided professional photographers like Tom Mangelsen and Boyd Norton
- Deo was even the lead Safari Guide and Bush Lore expert for a South African television show that went from the Cape To Cairo one season and then Cape to Gabon the next.
Now I have met Deo and Felix, shared meals in their homes, met their families, and spent quality safari time in the bush. They are indeed very highly skilled, charismatic, and the type of safari guides that will ensure that each client has the very best safari possible. Deo said it best when I was asking for the big name clients in his guiding history to prepare his biography, “It’s hard for me to single anyone out as every client for me is a VIP.”
A major tenet of The Wild Source has always been to support local African communities and I could not be more proud then to partner with and assist these extremely talented entrepreneurs in their venture. I am also absolutely thrilled to know that my Tanzania bound clients will receive this exceptional level of guiding and support on every single Tanzania safari.