Safari driver Evarest
By Easy Travel
Published May 21, 2022

MEET OUR SAFARI DRIVER GUIDE: Evarest Thomas Mboya

Tanzania - mboya - safari driver evarest
Position: Driver Guide
Date of Birth: 26 October 1968
Place of Birth: ): Hai district, Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania
Language Spoken: Kiswahili, English, and Chagga
Number of years in the travel industry: 30 years
Number of years working with Easy Travel: 5 years

ABOUT EVAREST

I first realized that I wanted to become a guide in 1986 when I was working as a motor vehicle mechanic at State Travel service. It was a famous tour company that had many branches around Tanzania, but I was dealing with servicing and the maintenance of their safari vehicles in Arusha.

I had the opportunity to meet different tour guides and hear their stories about guiding clients and how game drives are conducted. They would even share pictures that they took with clients in the bush and explained to me how much they loved tour guiding. I was encouraged by their stories and developed an interest in becoming a tour guide.

In 1987, I joined the Mali Hai club college and took a tour guiding course for two years. I learnt about animal behavior, habitats, birds, plants, tour guiding ethics, and geography. I did my field study in Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti as well. Once that was finished, I began working with different tour groups around Tanzania and even in Kenya and Uganda with some companies. I’ve been lucky enough to experience a handful of different companies around Eastern Africa, and have been working with Easy Travel since 2016.

I love so much about being a guide, but my favorite thing must be sharing my culture with different people and having them share theirs with me. I wouldn’t have become a tour guide if I didn’t love learning, so learning every day is the best part about being a guide.

I chose to work with Easy Travel because they are a complete tour company. Everything is done within the company, and they don’t outsource vehicles, tour guides, logistics, etc. I also like how organized Easy Travel is – they are always prompt with paying park permits, government levies, insurance, and staff salaries. This commitment to detail shows me that they really care about the services they offer to their guests.

I have heard people describe me as a helpful person. I have been married to my wife since 1997 and we are blessed to have two daughters aged 24 and 16. I also have two stepdaughters aged 33 and 26 years. I live with my family in Arusha city.

Favorite Park in Tanzania

I’m going to cheat and say that all of our national parks are my favorite. Each park is so different from the next and has something unique that makes it stand out. I love nature and I enjoy it when I see the different patterns of it – wild animals, birds, landscapes, reptiles, and weather. For example, Tarangire has huge groups of elephants and tree-climbing pythons. However, in Manyara, you can see the Rift Valley and thousands of flamingoes. No two places are the same!

Favorite ANIMAL

My favorite animal is Maasai giraffe. They are elegant and polite animals that only very rarely fight (usually just sparring during mating season). To me, they represent the peace and harmony of Tanzania, which is why they were chosen as our national emblem.

Favorite Food

My favorite food is ugali with fish. European people usually understand ugali as polenta. I really enjoy it because it is filling and also energizing to help people perform tasks that need strength.

Favorite Hobby

I like to exercise and keep my body active and healthy. I mostly enjoy jogging, push-ups, stretching and skipping.

Favorite TV Show

I like keeping up to date with news channels like BBC News, Al Jazeera, and news from our local channels. Through the news, I get to learn about different events happening around the globe.

Favorite Singer / band

My favorite artist is Diamond Platinum A.K.A. Simba. Diamond releases many hit songs which I love but he also empowers many artists through his label “WASAFI”.

10 Questions with EVAREST

I have conducted many tours in various national parks around East African countries such as parks in Kenya and Uganda – but nothing can compare to Tanzania. There is an extra effort made in Tanzania towards conservation so everything here feels more natural, making the experience that much more authentic.

Honestly, I have seen a lot of superb things during my guiding career, although one day in North Serengeti I saw a crocodile pulling a wildebeest into the Mara River. On the other side, a lion was pulling at the same wildebeest. After some time, two other crocodiles came and joined the effort to pull that wildebeest, so the lion gave up and left the wildebeest to the crocodiles. It was very rare to spot four predators fighting over the same prey. An unlucky day to be that particular wildebeest!

My favorite tour that Easy Travel offers is the below:

Day 1: Arrival and overnight – Arusha city.

Day 2: Drive to Tarangire National Park for a game drive and overnight.

Day 3: Drive to Manyara National Park for a game drive and overnight.

Day 4: Drive to Serengeti for an afternoon game drive and overnight.

Day5: Full day game drive in central Serengeti and overnight.

Day 6; Full day game drive in central Serengeti and overnight.

Day 7: Half-day game drive in Serengeti and overnight in Ngorongoro.

Day 8: Crater tour – Arusha/departure.

With this tour, there is a good chance of seeing many animals and the beautiful landscapes without feeling rushed. Clients can also opt for a Maasai village visit at Mto Wa Mbu for cultural experiences, a walking safari at Lake Manyara/Tarangire, and a balloon ride in Serengeti.

Easy Travel is the best choice for clients coming to Tanzania because it offers inclusive packages to clients and excellent services before, during, and after safaris. They always employ the most knowledgeable guides (like me!) and prioritize customer experience by making sure every aspect of your trip is catered for.

All months of the year are great to visit Tanzania, but my favorite months are March and April. I like these months because they are within our rainy season where all the parks are green, and animals are all over the place. It is a calving season for both wildebeest and zebra in the southern plain of Serengeti and northern part of Ngorongoro so you can see a lot of newborns.

My favorite part of the Great Wildebeest Migration is when the herds are in the Ndutu region. I like this park because Ndutu is an open area that offers a wide scope for viewing many animals and landscapes from afar. It is also the best place to see predator action like a cheetah hunting the wildebeest babies.

I have heard many clients saying they have travelled to different African countries, and they didn’t get to see cheetahs, rhinos, or leopards. But when they travelled to Tanzania, they saw all these animals.

I like the carving practices of the Makonde tribe. I will never get tired when watching the way these people can take a picture and make a statue of it just by using a piece of wood. They are very famous in Tanzania with their home in the Mtwara region.

Hakuna matata – No problem.

Habari ya asubuhi – Good morning!

Lala salama – Have a good night.

I have the ability to predict things in advance that happen exactly the way I predict them. For instance, I predict that the person reading this will soon travel to Tanzania!

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