We absolutely loved our trip and, most especially, our incredible guide Wilfred. We can’t recommend him highly enough.

From the moment he picked us up at the airport, he was professional, friendly, kind and always on the lookout for some way to delight us–whether that was spotting an adorable baby elephant, or picking up tasty snacks, or making a special stop so I could buy some beautiful fabric (for which he negotiated a great price). It didn’t take more than a day or so before he was one of us, laughing and singing and joining in our conversation, mock-interviews on the GoPro camera and just general silliness. I can’t remember the last time I laughed as much as I did on this trip. Wilfred told us that, at each camp, all the other guides would ask about our group because they saw what a good time we were having together. We weren’t even drunk, as many suspected, we were just enjoying ourselves tremendously, and Wilfred was a big reason why.

Wilfred had an amazing instinct for spotting animals, as well as an impressive amount of knowledge about each species. He answered all of our many questions and we could tell how much the subject interested him. It’s always so enjoyable to talk to someone who really loves what they do.

Wilfred’s expertise, professionalism, good instincts, and all around nerves of steel certainly came into play the evening we got stranded by a sudden, intense, blinding rain-storm. Within minutes, the dry riverbeds we had easily crossed became dangerous rivers with hidden rocks. He kept his cool and searched for a way to get us back to camp safely, refusing to go anywhere he felt might be dangerous to us. We never feared for our safety and his patience won out when, hours later, a particularly dangerous crossing eased up enough for us and several other trucks to cross. We reached camp only a half hour late for dinner and got a round of applause from the staff and other guides and guests. Wilfred made what could have been a very dangerous, scary situation something we could tell as a tale of adventure and bravery.

All of us cried when we left Wilfred behind at the Kogatende airstrip. If there had been enough time, we would have opted to take the long drive back to Arusha with him, singing and laughing all the way. We may have been strangers when we arrived, but we definitely left a dear friend behind in Tanzania.