MEET OUR Mountain Guide:
Marwa Stephen Nyamasasi

Tanzania - marwa stephen nyamasasi standing - marwa nyamasasi
Position: Mountain Guide
Date of Birth: 3rd September 1984
Place of Birth: Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
Language Spoken: English and Swahili.
Number of years in the travel industry: 15 years, three years as a porter, and 11 years as a guide
Number of years working with Easy Travel: Since August 2022

About Marwa

I am 38 years old and live in the Kisongo area on the outskirts of Arusha City. I live with my wife and two children, my nine-year-old daughter Cassandra and my ten-month-old son, Cassian. I was born in Dar Es Salaam, in the Kinondoni district. First, I attended the Umoja Primary School before 2003, attending the Kigamboni Secondary School to get my O-level education.

In 2006, I moved to Arusha to do my national service. Unfortunately, I did not qualify on health grounds after having a medical check-up. In 2008, I attended the Mount Meru Tour Guide and International Language School to study a Wildlife Management course. I was delighted to be awarded the Advanced Certificate in Tour Guiding. In 2009, I started climbing Mount Kilimanjaro as a porter, and in 2012 I enrolled in training conducted by the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority to become a mountain guide. I was awarded a license for guiding on Mount Kilimanjaro. From 2013, I worked with several companies, which gave me great experience.

In August 2022, I was very pleased to get an opportunity to join Easy Travel, which gave me great insight and experience in how to operate mountain climbs in a better way, especially how to take care of the trekkers and the mountain crew, how to manage daily activities and the schedule on the mountain, and finally how to ensure that we provide the best possible service. I was impressed when Easy Travel introduced a new course on first aid, which updated all the mountain guides on the correct evacuation procedures on Mount Kilimanjaro. This makes the trek much safer for the trekkers and crew. I can honestly say that my experience so far has become much deeper and broader since I joined Easy Travel.

Favorite Park in Tanzania

My favorite park is Kilimanjaro National Park, which offers visitors the excitement of climbing an extraordinary mountain – a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Kilimanjaro National Park is in eastern Tanzania, famous for its wildlife and mountain trekking. Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the whole world. This is what makes it so special. It resulted from volcanic activity millions of years ago and is located 205 miles from the equator.

Favorite Route

My favorite route is the Lemosho Route, trekking for eight days.

Favorite Food

My favorite food is ‘Ugali,’ which is a local dish that is a type of stiff porridge. Normally we will have ugali for lunch or dinner in our tribe. We often eat it with vegetables, fish, or beef.

Favorite Hobby

My favorite hobby is traveling to different countries in East Africa. It is exciting to exchange details about our lifestyle and to experience living with different people. My favorite country out of the ones I have traveled to is Rwanda.

Favorite TV Show

My favorite shows are the sports channels, especially when showing football. I support Simba Sports Club in the local Tanzanian league and Liverpool in the English Premier League.

Favorite Singer/band

My favorite singer is Hillisong, who sings Gospel songs, which I love listening to. 

14 Questions and answers with Marwa Nyamasasi

A trek up Mount Kilimanjaro is unique because you can experience all four seasons and see many different vegetation zones on one mountain. The five vegetation zones are the Cultivation zone, Montane Forest, Moorland, Alpine, and Ice cap or Arctic zones.

My favorite route is the Lemosho Route; I walked for eight days. This route begins in the Montane Forest zone. You also get to experience walking on the Shira Plateau and enjoy visiting the famous Shira Cathedral – if your body has enough energy left at the end of the day. Also, on this route, you can see Kibo Peak, the summit and the final destination for all climbers. The Lemosho Route also allows you to witness all formations of the ancient volcanic activity on Mount Kilimanjaro. Lemosho Route has a high summit-success rate because it allows time for your body to adapt slowly along the trail.

Easy Travel trains its guides to be professional, providing the best experience for crew and trekkers. Not only does it provide great equipment, but also the best training for its guides, cooks, and porters. The training covers acute mountain sickness, evacuation procedures, and improving communication skills. Easy Travel also respects all the Mount Kilimanjaro Park regulations for the trekkers and crew.
My favorite month of the year for climbing Kilimanjaro is in September. This is summertime – the dry season. The weather does not change rapidly during this period, and it rarely rains. Most of the time, trekkers in September enjoy the best views hiking on Mount Kilimanjaro, compared to other months. When it comes to the summit, although it is cold, most of the trekkers manage to reach the top – the Roof of Africa. 
My favorite part of Mount Kilimanjaro is the Shira Plateau. Shira Plateau is at an elevation of 3600m, up in the Moorland zone. You can experience this by taking the Shira Route or the Lemosho Route. You can see different features here, such as ridges. An example of an attraction here is the Shira Cathedral. Sometimes you can see buffalos, jackals, small antelopes, and wildcats here. Even if you cannot see them, you may see their footprints or dung in the morning.

Most trekkers do not expect to struggle with acute mountain sickness, even though they may come from high-altitude regions. This comes due to the location of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 205 miles from the southern equator and yet has snow/glaciers and extreme cold. The temperatures can drop from 20 Degrees Celsius to -15 Degrees Celsius. This is something unique that people do not expect.

On Kilimanjaro, when you talk about the temperature dropping, this may still be the normal temperature for some trekkers because they come from the colder northern parts of the world. However, on the mountain, when you talk about -15 degrees Celsius at 5500m above sea level, our bodies do everything slowly due to the lack of oxygen in the air. The oxygen level is only 75%. This is what makes the ‘temperature drop’ such a shocking experience. The lungs struggle to adjust and supply the body due to the reduced oxygen level at this temperature. The lungs constrict and produce mucus to protect themselves due to the dry, cold air. Due to that, trekkers can sometimes struggle to get to the summit of Uhuru Peak.

My favorite culture in Tanzania is the culture of the Maasai tribe. This is a tribe that is very famous in Tanzania because they preserve their culture and their fascinating, traditional ways. The lifestyle of the Maasai is unique. They do not like to live in urbanized areas but rather in remote and rural areas because they depend on their cattle that survive on the green pastures. As a result, they live close to the wild animals of Tanzania, as they also like these pastures. One of the main locations the Maasai live in is the Ngorongoro Crater.

The Maasai train their young to become warriors and fight and protect against animals and hostile human beings. The young Maasai are trained to protect themselves from dangerous animals by smearing oil with a strong fragrant smell on their bodies. This deters dangerous animals such as the lion, leopard, and wild cats from attacking them as they graze the cattle on the pastures. Once they reach 15, the young Maasai train in the forest to fight against potential human enemies.

‘Habari gani?’ which means ‘how are you?’

‘Nzuri Sana,’ which means ‘I am fine.’

‘Karibu’ which means ‘welcome.’

Guests will be surprised that I know some other East African Countries because I have traveled to Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. For example, when I was in Kenya, I could compare the lifestyle of the Kenyan people to that of us Tanzanians. Some tribes are similar to those in Tanzania, such as the Kurya, Jaluo, and Maasai.
You must get the right mountain gear, and on the mountain, pay attention to what your guides advise about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. This climb is different from other mountain experiences. You have to stay positive and believe that anything is possible.
I have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro more than 100 times as a guide via all the various routes. My best experience is on the eight-day Lemosho Route; the most challenging route is the Umbwe Route.
One of the big challenges in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is when the weather changes. This happens quite frequently, which makes our bodies hard to adapt to the altitude. Rainfall can occur at any time, and it is unpredictable. If an evacuation of the trekkers is required, this can become a challenge depending on the location.
The key to minimizing the possibility of altitude sickness is walking ‘slowly, slowly’ (or pole pole), giving your lungs time to adapt to the increase in altitude. Drink plenty of water, up to 3 liters a day. When you arrive at the camp, take enough time to rest to avoid exhaustion. Eat as much as you can when you have an appetite because sometimes you may not have an appetite or enjoy a meal. Sometimes trekkers experience a loss of appetite. Always stay warm. Consider using walking poles; many trekkers find these useful on the ascent and the descent. Keep a positive mindset toward accepting the challenges ahead.

My biggest challenge during my climbs was on the Umbwe Route. This is a very tough route because the trails are very steep. The trekkers on this route do not get enough time to adapt to the altitude because the hike is only 5 to 6 days. The Umbwe trails are not friendly towards hikers, so the disabled, elderly, or children cannot use this route. Danger results from the possibility of falling rocks on this route.

TRAVELLER REVIEWS

See what our guest have to say
Tanzania - mount guide reviews - marwa nyamasasi

For more reviews, click here and type Mount Kilimanjaro on “Search reviews” box.