We feel we got the best guide in Tanzania. Every day, Mr. Maningo asked us what we wanted to see, and then he would find it. He loves to laugh and joke. He left his wife and newborn child in the hospital to fulfill his obligation to us. He knows how to network with other drivers to find the great sights of the Serengeti. He has the patience of Job in tracking and waiting; he is sensitive about when we want to continue watching something and when we had enough. He is mature and very experienced. When we got a flat tire, he changed it with minimal fuss (fortunately no lions about!). If he ever gets vexed, he doesn’t show it. If we wanted to head out at sunrise or be the last straggler out of the crater to catch the rhinos, he was agreeable. A great person to spend a week with.
“What an amazing family experience. From the moment Willy picked us up at the airport to the moment he dropped us off we felt right at home. It’s hard to put into words the experience because it was truly life changing. You’d expect that we would say seeing lions (and boy did Willy the lion whisperer know how to find lions!) was the highlight. Don’t get me wrong that was wild! But our connection with Willy and doing things like visiting an orphanage and going to his house for a typical African dinner were outstanding. To have a little glimmer of how people in another country and culture live is to forage a lasting connection. We cried when we had to part with Willy because he had become family to us”