OUR DIFFERENCE:
There’s no shortage of tour guides, expeditions, and companies that can take you to the same destination as us. But they don’t go off the beaten path. The real expeditions are the secret passages, where the sunset lines up with the rocks, and you drink from the waterfalls the locals savor and cherish for themselves. We’ll take you there, and make sure your trip is a unique, individual experience, that doesn’t follow a formula: it’s a rich memory you’ll help create, and an adventure you’ll never forget.
REAL CERTIFICATIONS:
We are a fully registered and licensed safari tour and trekking company located in Arusha, Tanzania. We have a tourism industrial license issued by TALA, also known as Tanzania Tourism Business License or TTBL, for all national parks, mountains, and Kilimanjaro. Be wary of fly-by-night tourism companies operating without these licenses.
TALA & TTBL CERTIFIED
ALL NATIONAL PARKS
REAL EXPERIENCE
We are pleased to offer adventurers a variety of choices of expeditions, each led by a local expert who has summited the mountain or navigated the park countless times. Our priority is always safety, security, and mind-blowing vistas, memorable moments, and, fulfilling your personal goals for the trip: whatever you’re searching for. Whether it be Kilimanjaro or Mt. Meru, or the national parks of Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Gombe, or Arusha, we’ve got you covered with a professional itinerary and countless memories.
LOCAL GUIDES KNOW BETTER.
Our guides are all local and have multiple safaris and mountain treks under their belt. They know where the animals gather to drink, where the lions feast, the safest way to trek each of Kilimanjaro’s routes. For Kilimanjaro, we only use guides which have received a mountain license from KINAPA, the Kilimanjaro licensing agency. Our guides and their experience will make sure your trip is not only a safe one, but an unforgettable one, too.
WHO WE ARE
Thomas and Michael met by chance, during a backpacking trip in 2013. What started out as two acquaintances exchanging contact information grew into a relationship as friends and now as family. Five years later, they started Twende Maasai Tours to share their love and passion for the outdoors in Tanzania with others.
THOMAS Bilauti — Principal Guide
Thomas is a native Tanzanian born near Arusha in Lengiloriti village. He is a member of the Laizer clan of Maasai, and a retired Maasai warrior who now serves as an advisor to the tribe. He has a diploma in Tourism and Tour Guiding, and has been an active guide for over five years, planning safaris at all major Tanzanian national parks, and leading Kilimanjaro summits. He loves to travel and try new food wherever he goes.
MIchael GILBERT — Team Leader
Michael hails from Richmond, Virginia where he last worked as an economist for the Commonwealth of Virginia and as an adjunct faculty professor for the Department of Economics at Virginia Commonwealth University. He grew tired of spending the majority of his time in boxes: his house, his car, his office, his classroom. He has a passion for the outdoors, and knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
BOOK A TOUR
Ready to take the next step into your expedition?
Click through the tours below to choose your own adventure and begin the booking process. We don’t publish prices on our website because there are many options which affect your unique package, such as group size. For safaris, the choice between camping or lodging (and quality of lodging) are often the biggest, while for Kilimanjaro it’s typically the number of guides, porters, and meal preferences.
Once you tentatively schedule your tour, we’ll receive an email with your request details. We’ll reply to you with a short questionnaire to get to know you better, and ask about your preferences for the trip. Each adventure should be your own, so please let us know anything we can do to accommodate your needs and desires – we’re here to help!
Remember: selecting a reputable company is hands-down the most important part of your adventure. Ask yourself this: if an emergency comes up, do you trust the company you’ve booked with to make the right choices? With our certified guides, you can believe you and your loved ones are in great hands.
GIVING BACK
Supporting the local community and environment in a healthy and sustainable way is part of our ethos. Here are five simple tips and suggestions for how you can help us achieve that end:
SUNSCREEN
The climate here is very sunny and very arid. You will almost certainly need sunscreen, and we recommend using zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, and not any which contain oxybenzone or octinoxate. Not only do those chemicals destroy parts of our ocean, they also remain in your blood after use!
GEAR
Be conscious of your clothing purchases. If you are buying gear for the trip, consider using fair trade (a list of 35 companies is available here) or full circle clothing, which creates garments from recycled materials or organic natural items. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation also has great information here. Also consider buying used gear – it’s less expensive, and no new garments are created to make it!
PLASTIC BOTTLES
If you have bars or snacks you can’t live without, consider carrying them in non-plastic or at least BPA-free and multi-use plastic containers. If you have a reusable bottle, consider pairing it with a filter such as the Sawyer squeeze system to reduce the number of plastic bottled waters you buy here.
DONATE
If you are traveling internationally, you will likely be allowed two checked bags, up to 50 lbs or 23 kgs each. A backpack as your carry-on and a checked bag are often enough – with your extra checked bag consider bringing mildly used clothing to donate to a local orphanage. We have a couple we work with and would be happy to recommend if you’d like.
CONSERVATION
We firmly believe conservation and tourism go hand-in-hand. Without conservation of wildlife or the earth itself, there cannot be tourism. We strongly support local conservation groups such as Wildlife Conservation Society and Carbon Tanzania (and if you’d like, we offer the option to purchase carbon offset for your trip). Together, let’s leave the planet with bequest value for future generations to similarly cherish and enjoy.
Contact Us
Have a question? Need some clarification? Want to ask an African adventurer anything? Throw us a line and we’ll get back to you with some wisdom.
Or if you prefer, you can contact us directly on WhatsApp:
+255 686 946 168
WE’LL BE YOUR GUIDE
Office Address:
3 Pangani Road,
Arusha, Tanzania
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 665
Arusha, Tanzania