MEET OUR Mountain Guide:
James Makoye Tabula
James Makoye Tabula
About James
I am now 40 years old and finished my primary education at the Dutwa Primary School in 1999. Then in 2000, I began my secondary education at the Bariadi secondary school, graduating there in 2003. Afterward, my uncle took me to Arusha City, as he was working from there as a guide at that time. I started working as a porter for two years, and later I joined the Mweka College to enhance my guiding knowledge. I graduated in December 2006 and immediately started working as a guide.
Having married in 2008, I have since been blessed with four children. My first-born daughter is 12 years old, my other children are seven and four, and my youngest is only one month old. I love my family, and we live together in Sinoni in Arusha.
I have worked with many different companies in the tourist sector, but I would proudly say that I have achieved what I wanted to achieve since I joined Easy Travel in 2014. My wish is to have many more years with this company!
Favorite Park in Tanzania
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14 Questions and answers with James
My favorite route of Easy Travel is the Marangu Route, which is over six days because on this route, you ascend and descend following the same path. On this route, you also shelter in cabins with facilities such as a bed, solar power, and flush toilets.
The Marangu Route also has certain unique attractions, such as the Kifunika Historical Site and the Zebra Rock, which is famous for having stripes like those of a zebra. The Saddle area is also the only part of the sandy mountain floor. This route is also famous as the route taken by the first man to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Easy Travel is the best choice for trekkers because the guides provided by the company are knowledgeable, with much experience of all the routes. These guides have also achieved advanced medical training by becoming Wilderness First Responders (WFR), enabling them to detect altitude sickness and to know how to treat it.
Easy Travel porters are safety-trained, and the mountain teams are equipped with good-quality tents, portable toilets, and hiking gear. The health and safety of the trekkers is the company’s priority, and their trained mountain chefs ensure that the climbers get full nutritious meals. They also cater to special diets, such as gluten-free, pescatarian and fruitarian.
Pole pole, which means ‘slowly, slowly
Karibu, which means ‘welcome.’
Safiri salama, which means ‘safe journey
I would advise them to exercise daily because climbing a mountain such as this demands that a person is physically fit. Whenever you do exercise, you should increase the amount of exercise each day to prepare your body for the hike.
Also, I would advise climbers to maintain their health and have nutritious meals as part of their daily routine because they build up their muscles by eating healthy food. Also, climbers must drink enough water, between 3 to 4 liters daily, because 75% of a person’s body is water. When climbing a mountain, the human body is dehydrated, so the body needs to have enough water to give a good chance of a successful climb. Eating plenty of fruits is also a good idea because fruit is a great food for strengthening the body.
One of the big challenges when on the trail is when there is heavy rain. Once it rains heavily, the temperature changes and water flow passing down the trail can make walking very difficult.
Poor or insufficient equipment can make climbing difficult because of the tough mountain environment. Some areas have heavy snow, which can be cold and rocky underfoot. Proper, strong footwear is also essential – without that, climbing can be very difficult.
Climbing a mountain is not a competition; it should be seen as enjoyable! To avoid altitude sickness, I would advise climbers to walk slowly because it helps them to inhale and exhale properly. This helps people to adapt to higher elevations.
I would further advise everyone to eat balanced food and to sleep well. Getting enough rest is important, as this will help avoid altitude sickness. Also, I advise people to drink water to hydrate their bodies because much water is consumed when climbing.
The major challenges on a trek are caused when a climber gets ill, especially in some of the more remote parts of the mountain. In some places, a helicopter cannot reach a stricken climber, and it cannot be easy to provide immediate assistance to the trekker in these locations.
When climbers fail to provide us with full medical information in advance of the climb, this can also pose a challenge. At certain altitudes or with a sudden change in the weather, climbers can become affected. It can only be at that point that we discover existing medical conditions of which we were unaware. Knowing these conditions in advance is best to adapt as necessary.
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