Wilfred is the best!! He was our guide and he was wonderful. We were fully aware of how educated and knowledgeable he was but when we were around other guides (when dining, etc) we noticed how much more informative and helpful he was over other guides (not-A2T). He also made sure we were protected and kept us aware of areas not safe.
Just before we said goodbye to Wilfred and he put us on a plane to Zanzabar Island I found a problem with the tanzanite earrings I had purchased 2 days prior. That shop was 2 days down the road – we didn’t have time to handle the situation. I left the earrings with Wilfred, he drove to the shop, exchanged the earrings, confirmed they were perfect, drove them to A2T, shipped them to Zanzabar and they were waiting for me at the airport in Zanzabar when we were leaving. That took a lot of work, heck A2T already had our money and Wilfred already completed his job, they didn’t have to do all of that. Are they awesome or what?
We felt so lucky to have had him with us. That said, we spoke to others from A2T and they also felt the same about their guides so it is clear A2T chooses their guides carefully. But we still feel luckier to have Wilfred throughout our safari! What we really loved about Wilfred was that he was so fun to be with. We would love to see him again and would gladly open our home to him when he visits San Diego.
“Great! We picked A2T because it seemed easier to work with a US-based agent but we appreciated the fact that it is also a Tanzanian company, with regularly employed Tanzanians in the office and as guides. Karen’s recommendations for lodging and activities turned out to be spot-on; our guide, Willy, was terrific, and we appreciated Casey’s accessibility and willingness to problem-solve when the need arose. I don’t have a basis for comparison but I am an experienced traveler, and I was impressed at each stage of the operation.”