Experience from the HEART.
Babu is Swahili for Grandad, so Babu’s Truck simply means our Grandad’s car! Our family is born and bred in Tanzania. Our Great Grandfather raised two pet leopards along with his 6 children and was a tobacco farmer among other things in southern Tanzania where our family still lives today. Babu has guided in the African Bush for 55 years, other than his truck, his binoculars are his most treasured possession, and why wouldn’t they be if you had seen and experienced the amount he has through them. Babu’s bark is worse than his bite, but his laugh is infectious and his stories captivating.
Anton, Rachel and their brother Johnny would spend summer months living in a tent on Safari with Babu and Bibi. Barefoot the bush was their playground their knowledge gained from presenting their finds to Babu and Bibi.
At 18 Naomi wasn’t going on a ski season, wasn’t going to travel to Australia, she was going to Africa, and more specifically Tanzania. Why would anyone not want to go to a country with the most incredible safari parks in the world, the highest free standing mountain and mile upon mile of unspoilt palm tree edged white sand beaches. Little did she know that this conviction would change the course of her life forever.
Naomi and Anton met at university over a bottle of Konyagi (Tanzanian sugarcane spirit) and a shared knowledge of Swahili (Anton fluent, Naomi trying). Together they have experienced Tanzania through the rough and smooth, building and running a safari camp, working on the family farm and sharing their love of the continent with their children. They may live in the UK but Tanzania is their life blood and if they are away for too long something inside them breaks!
Rachel still lives in Tanzania with her family, and works as a photographer, ground breaking film maker and safari professional. Rachel has photographed many of the camps on the northern circuit and her unique way of capturing the personality of camps through the lens means that she has formed lasting bonds with the owners and staff giving her a unique insight into what makes them tick.
Karibu Sana!