Zawadi Mohamed Maula's Biography
Duma hired Zawadi as its full-time head Kilimanjaro guide in early 2004. Zawadi began climbing Kilimanjaro in 1984 when he was a 16 year old student at Majengo Secondary School. Although originally from Mwanza, Zawadi has lived in Moshi since he started secondary school. As Duma's head guide, Zawadi is responsible for the health and safety of trekkers as well as overseeing other staff including assistant guides, cooks and porters.
Client Praises for Zawadi
· Zawadi did an excellent job taking us up the mountain. The pace was perfect and he made very good judgment calls concerning the health of his clients.
·Zawadi and his team did an excellent job on the treks (Kilimanjaro & Meru). Very attentive, cheerful and friendly.
·He paced the trip really well and made sure we were well prepared to make it to the summit. We appreciated Zawadi's sense of humour, his knowledge and common sense when it came to our safety.
·Zawadi was amazing. He really cared about us, made us laugh, taught us about our environments, made us feel safe and treated his staff really well. They clearly like working with him.
·Zawadi has a great personality. He was fun to be with, charismatic, and clearly an expert at his trade.
More about Zawadi
Although Zawadi takes clients up Kilimanjaro pole pole (slowly, slowly) so that they have time to acclimatize, his nickname on the mountain is "Dar Express" due to the fast speed with which he can climb Kilimanjaro when by himself.
In 1993, Zawadi began training as an assistant guide and in 1994 he applied for a guide position with Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA). He was accepted as a guide in 1995 after undergoing several trainings and interviews. Over the past ten years, Zawadi has worked with several Moshi-based companies.
Although Zawadi has also worked as a safari cook, he likes Kilimanjaro more because it is more active. Zawadi has visited all of the northern circuit safari parks and has also led walking safaris in Arusha National Park, Lake Natron, Empakai Crater and Lake Eyasi. He has climbed Mount Meru and Oldonyo Lengai.
Zawadi advises travelers that they bring good rain gear, drink lots of water, and walk slowly while they are on the mountain. He likes working with Duma Explorer because the company worries about its workers and does an excellent job preparing clients for the trip. Duma pays its employees on time and fixes problems quickly should they arise on the mountain.
Favorite Kilimanjaro route: Machame
Favorite campsite: Shira
Favorite bird: Turaco
Favorite plant: Senecia
© 2005 Duma Explorer