Safari driver Freddy
By Easy Travel
Published May 21, 2022

MEET OUR SAFARI DRIVER GUIDE: Freddy Venant Kapinga

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Position: Driver Guide
Date of Birth: 5 May 1978
Place of Birth: ): Arusha, Tanzania
Language Spoken: Swahili and English
Number of years in the travel industry: 21 years, with 18 of them working as a driver guide.
Number of years working with Easy Travel: 10 years

ABOUT FREDDY

I grew up wanting to be involved in nature. My father was a park ranger, so I grew up around wildlife. I used to see the issues surrounding wildlife since I was a kid, which inspired me to work and learn in the same industry. My father would tell me that being a park ranger is about sacrifice – you must sacrifice yourself to protect our animals and natural resources. He was always very proud of his job, because he was a protector. I decided to become a guide so that I could show people the animals and natural resources which my father worked so hard to protect.

Once I decided to become a guide, I attended different courses about wildlife, guiding, and driving. I also attended many workshops and passed several exams on related courses. I learned about customer care, first aid, mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, botany, and tour guiding ethics. All these courses helped me understand how to work with nature as well as how to prioritise clients at the same time. Once I finished college in 2003, I was finally recruited as a driver guide!

Being a guide can be challenging at times – such as getting surrounded by elephants who are all very curious about what you are doing! Sometimes it can be a big tree that has been knocked over by a storm, so you have to make a plan to get around it. However, I truly feel very lucky to be a tour guide in Tanzania. One of my favourite things about being a tour guide is seeing all the animals and other attractions – I never get tired of them!

Tanzania is a country that thrives off tourism, but Easy Travel was an easy choice for me. Easy Travel is a company that clearly cares for their employees, gives us benefits that aren’t always available elsewhere, and makes sure all of their vehicles and tools are of a high standard. I have always felt listened to and cared for at Easy Travel.

People tend to describe me as open – I try to share what I know and what I have learned in my life with the people around me: knowledge, stories, talents, etc. I try to help out as much as I can. I also love to listen to people and learn more – I love to hear about people’s stories. I am married and have been for fifteen years. I have been blessed with two children, Ibrahim and Boniface. During the holidays we travel to the southern part of Tanzania, Ruvuma, which is where I grew up. We currently live together in Arusha.

Favorite Park in Tanzania

While I love all the parks, Serengeti is probably my favourite. The size of the park and the ecosystem offers unique attractions like the Great Migration, making the park one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The endless plains of Serengeti from the southern area are also unique, especially from December to May when the Migration experiences calving season.

Favorite ANIMAL

The giraffe is my favorite animal. They are very peaceful and calm animals, and their height makes it easy for them to be seen during safaris. They are animals who are always walking forward, which is why they were chosen as the national symbol of Tanzania.

Favorite Food

My favourite food is Ugali fish and vegetables – it is so delicious and easy to get anywhere in Tanzania.

Favorite Hobby

I love football – to play it and watch it. Since I was a child, it is my favourite thing to do

Favorite TV Show

My favourite channels on TV are safari channels and National Geographic Wild. I really enjoy watching animal movies – I find that I always gain some new knowledge or skills regarding wildlife allowing me to work better as a guide.

Favorite Singer / band

I used to be a musician as a student and while there were many artists that I admired, my favourite must be the legendary Bob Marley.

10 Questions with FREDDY

I think visiting Tanzania is the trip of a lifetime because Africa is a huge continent, but three of the seven natural wonders of Africa all happen to be in Tanzania – Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Great Migration of the Serengeti. Tanzania also has the deepest lake in Africa, the biggest freshwater lake in Africa, and we have the best beaches in Africa. The hospitality, the calmness, the peace and love that our country has to offer is why coming to Tanzania can change your life.

As drivers, we are used to seeing some incredible sights, but one thing I saw will always stick with me. I saw a crocodile and a python fight for four hours one time in Serengeti. In the end, the python was able to kill the crocodile because the fight happened on land – crocodiles, though incredibly dangerous, are much less powerful out of water than they are in it.

Each of our tours are suited to the time of year you go, but my favourite is below – it allows for visitors to experience our culture, traditions, wildlife, and see a lot of iconic Tanzanian locations:

Day 1: Pick-up from the airport and road drive to the hotel in Moshi for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Day hike at Kilimanjaro Mountain.

Day 3: Cultural tour and surveying waterfalls around the base of Kilimanjaro. After lunch, we drive to Arusha for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Arusha National Park-Game drive.

Day 5: Tarangire National Park for a game drive, dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Full day game drive at Tarangire National Park

Day 7: Drive to Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Drive to Serengeti National Park for a game drive, dinner and overnight.

Day 9 & Day 10: Full day game drive in Serengeti National Park.

Day 11: Drive to Ngorongoro National Park for dinner and overnight. After half a day we drive back to Serengeti National Park.

Day 12: Game drive in the Ngorongoro crater; dinner and overnight at a hotel in Karatu.

Day 13: Driving back to the airport for departure.

I think that Easy travel is the best choice for guests who are coming to Tanzania because of their professionalism – they have a clear perspective of doing the right thing, and that means getting the best equipment, people, and plans for a trip through Tanzania.

I like Tanzania all year round, but I really enjoy seeing the newborn animal babies out in the parks. This happens usually around January, February, March, April and May with the Great Migration. Because of the massive herds, you can often see hundreds of new wildebeest a day!

My favorite great migration is in the southern part of the Serengeti National Park and the northern part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area called Ndutu

Most tourists enjoy seeing the variety of different animals. They end up loving to see the birds, insects, vegetation, and landscape – not just the animals. They love seeing the culture and traditions of our people.

My favorite part about our culture is the Maasai, who are located on the northern part of the country and the Makonde in the south. They each have very unique and fascinating cultures.

Lala salama – “Have a good sleep”

Safari njema – “Have a nice journey”

Karibu tena – “Welcome, again”

While following all the proper rules, I always encourage our guests to embrace the bizarre, to love our culture and traditions, and to enjoy our beautiful country which is endowed with beautiful scenarios.

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