MEET OUR SAFARI DRIVER GUIDE: Omega Victor Swai

ABOUT OMEGA
The first time that I realized that I wanted to be a guide was after I completed my procurement and management studies course at college in Dodoma. I felt like I was not really happy with what I had studied and recalled my interest in secondary school that I was an active member of “Mali hai” clubs, which dealt with the environment and nature. My love of nature was very relevant, and I changed my mind about my career. I planned to join a tour guiding college so I could work in an industry that I like.
From there, I joined a tour guiding college in Arusha and took courses for two years. I studied ecology, animal behavior, birds, ecosystems, first aid, guiding ethics, camping management, and different management rules of the various destinations. I did practical training in different parks to practice what I learned in the classes.
After I completed the course, I got my first job where I drove clients who were booked on game packages. Soon, I came to Easy Travel and began working with them! Easy Travel gives me a good and relaxed working environment which makes me perform my work without feeling too much pressure. For example, Easy Travel is always ready to provide their guides with new vehicles or improved communication systems to make trips more enjoyable for clients!
The best part about being a tour guide is being surrounded by the nature. I love nature, and I am not doing guiding as just a job, but as a calling. I love telling my clients about our nature and I feel so happy when I see clients appreciate the explanations that I deliver to them while on safari.
The biggest challenge, or the biggest responsibility that I feel, is the safety of my clients. We are going into the wilderness, so I always brief my clients very seriously about the safety measures we must take before going on safari. Most clients completely understand and will trust me as someone more knowledgeable about the wild than they likely are, but others can be difficult and will compare our rules to the rules of their home countries. Whatever your country does, Tanzania has these rules for a reason, namely your safety, so I always ask our guests not to break these rules.
Most people say that I am difficult to anger as they always find me smiling and happy (unless you break the rules on our tour)! Other people describe me as an open-hearted guy who will help anyone in the community. I’m married with two daughters. I got married three years ago to my beautiful wife and we adopted our first daughter aged 8 years old now. My second daughter is almost two months old. I live with my family in Njiro Tanesco, Arusha.
Favorite Park in Tanzania
Serengeti National Park is my favorite! It’s locally known by the guides as “shamba la bibi” or in English “grandma farm” because, for its size, a guide can drive anywhere and find a lot of interesting things to show people. Serengeti is known for its endless plains; however, it is anything but dull. Serengeti can be visited year-round, and you can see a countless number of incredible natural events. I am always excited and surprised when I visit Serengeti
Favorite ANIMAL
All wild animals are so unique and interesting, but my favorite animal is the spotted hyena. Spotted hyenas are social mammals that live in structured groups called clans and they have a strict hierarchy where females rank higher than males. The group is led by one powerful alpha female. These are also the type known as the laughing hyena because they can be heard cackling from up to 5 km away!
Favorite Food
Tanzania is a country blessed with beautiful land for agricultural activities that produce lots of crops for domestic use and export to foreign countries. From all the local food produced here, my favorite is Wali Maharage (in Kiswahili) which is rice with beans.
Favorite Hobby
I love singing, playing musical instruments like bass guitar, keyboard, and rhythm guitar
Favorite TV Show
Football is my favorite thing to watch on TV and Chelsea AKA “the Blues” is my favorite club. I started to love football because my father was a coach for one of the street teams locally and a referee for some matches.
Favorite Singer / band
I like John Lissu – he does live band gospel music.
10 Questions with OMEGA
I am pretty good at imitating people’s voices and accents. I’m also good at interacting with all kinds of people and I can tell stories that they can understand and enjoy, no matter what age they are.
TRAVELLER REVIEWS
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