Guest Bio
Edward Lyimo is the founder and CEO of Pristine Trails, a premier adventure travel company offering bespoke safaris and trekking experiences in Tanzania. With over 20 years of experience in the tourism industry and a background in African Wildlife Management, Edward has built Pristine Trails on the principles of ethical travel and sustainable tourism practices. His dedication to environmental conservation and fair treatment of local porters has helped shape the company’s mission. Edward divides his time between Los Angeles and Tanzania, where he thrives on connecting with new and returning travelers.
Show Summary
In this episode of the Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Podcast, Jason Elkins interviews Edward Lyimo, founder and CEO of Pristine Trails. Edward discusses his evolution from a volunteer liaison to a tour operator and his journey in building a successful adventure travel company in Tanzania. They delve into the importance of sustainability in tourism, the challenges of managing a growing business, and the significance of maintaining strong relationships with clients and local partners. Edward also shares insights on choosing reputable companies for safaris and treks, as well as the intricacies of offering unique East African experiences.
Key Takeaways
- ✓ Pristine Trails specializes in safaris and trekking experiences in Tanzania – Offering custom adventures for those seeking an authentic East African experience.
- ✓ Edward’s early work with international volunteers shaped his career – His role as a volunteer liaison set the foundation for his future in tourism.
- ✓ Trust-building was a key challenge for Edward – His age initially made it difficult to gain clients’ trust, but word of mouth helped grow the business.
- ✓ Environmental awareness is central to Pristine Trails – Edward emphasizes the need for sustainability in the tourism industry.
- ✓ Networking and relationships are vital in tourism – Building strong connections within the industry plays a crucial role in business success.
- ✓ Marketing strategies evolved with the industry – Edward’s shift from paper flyers to digital marketing helped broaden his company’s reach.
- ✓ Choosing reputable companies matters – Travelers should ensure that their tour operators align with their ethical values, even if it means paying a bit more.
- ✓ Effective communication is essential – Edward stresses the importance of transparent and open communication between tour operators and clients.
- ✓ The right tour operator can enhance your East African adventure – Trusting experienced and responsible operators ensures a memorable experience.
What You’ll Find on Pristine Trails
- ✓ Bespoke safaris and trekking experiences in Tanzania, focused on sustainability and responsible tourism
- ✓ Expert guides and ethical practices for a truly authentic adventure
- ✓ A commitment to supporting local communities, including fair treatment of porters
- ✓ Custom itineraries designed to meet the specific needs of travelers
- ✓ An emphasis on environmental conservation and preserving Tanzania’s natural beauty
👉 Visit Pristine Trails Official Website to discover more about their unique safari and trekking experiences in Tanzania.
Learn more about Pristine Trails and connect with Edward at:
https://pristinetrails.com/
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Podcast Transcript
This transcript is auto-generated on recording, and has not been edited by a human. It may contain lots of mistakes, crazy words, and stuff that makes no sense. The host and the guest are not responsible for the accuracy of the transcript.
Jason Elkins (00:01.224)
Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Big World Made Small podcast for the adventure traveler. Today, we’ve got a fascinating guest. He had actually has been listening to the show for quite a while, and we connected recently. And he said, yeah, Jason, I think I’ve heard like every episode. I thought, well, that’s pretty cool. So we’ve got Edward Lyimo here. He is the founder and CEO of Pristine Trails in Tanzania. Right, Edward?
Edward Lyimo (00:27.212)
Yes, that’s correct.
Jason Elkins (00:28.828)
Ed’s so happy to have you show, have you on the show. Pardon my language there. So happy to have you here.
Edward Lyimo (00:31.522)
Yeah.
Thank you so much, Jason. It’s an honor to finally be a guest on your podcast.
Jason Elkins (00:41.6)
Well, we’re going to have a fun time, fun conversation. You’ve heard enough of these episodes to know it’s just a conversation. There’s no script, no editing. So it’s just like we’re sitting there having a beer or something together. So super happy to have you here. Before we jump into the conversation about what got you to this point of in your business, in your life, because we’re going to dig into that, let’s do this. Let’s give our listeners the 30 second.
Edward Lyimo (00:47.596)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (00:56.438)
Love it.
Jason Elkins (01:11.328)
60 second elevator pitch for your business. I just want to give them a chance to understand what is Pristine Trails before we go any further.
Edward Lyimo (01:15.672)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (01:21.292)
Right. Okay. Yeah. So, Pristine Trails, we specialize in crafting unforgettable personal safaris and trekking experiences in Tanzania and the greater East African region. So, whether you are looking for an upfront seat to the Great Migration, a once-in-a-lifetime Mount Kilimanjaro trekking expedition, or a deep dive into East Africa’s vibrant culture, we make it seamless, immersive, and offer true extraordinary experience.
We employ local guides and we have a commitment to conservation and an eye for details to make the trip unforgettable.
Jason Elkins (02:03.2)
Very cool. It’s almost like you practiced that. I know you asked me before I pushed the record, or the first time we spoke, like, well, are there any questions I should prepare for? I said, nope, nothing. Don’t prepare for anything. And maybe you’ve heard enough of the episodes to know that sometimes we do the little 30 second elevator pitch. So that’s very good. I suspect you didn’t do it just for this opportunity. But that was great.
Edward Lyimo (02:10.038)
it.
Edward Lyimo (02:20.558)
Maybe.
Edward Lyimo (02:26.029)
No, no, no, and we’ll find out. Yeah, I’ve been doing this 16 years now. So, Yes.
Jason Elkins (02:31.538)
Yeah. So you have a pretty good idea what your business does. I respect that. Very, cool. Well, I look forward to learning more about the business, but I really, I really want to learn about you. I think our listeners are, you know, they’re interested in what, what you do, but what I’ve found with, you know, with the guests I’ve had on the show is we all kind of have our own story. And sometimes it’s not a story that you’ve shared with anybody else in a, in a format like this. So let’s go back in time.
Edward Lyimo (02:50.637)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (03:00.774)
Ed, how far back in time do we need to go to get a full picture of what caused you to be doing this type of work?
Edward Lyimo (03:06.222)
Well, for Pristine Trails, let’s go back to a late teenager. Yes.
Jason Elkins (03:16.658)
Okay, all right, let’s start there. And if I think we need to go further, I’ll push. So what was going on when you were in your late teens?
Edward Lyimo (03:22.048)
Okay, definitely.
So I had graduated high school at the time and my mother used to work at a volunteer organization. So basically what this organization did is they brought over, it’s like an abridged version of the Peace Corps. They brought over volunteers and they would have stints of a month to three months at the most, volunteer trips. Yes, in Tanzania they had a base in Arusha, one of the biggest cities there.
Jason Elkins (03:47.124)
OK, and this was in Arusha, or Tanzania?
Edward Lyimo (03:55.414)
And then in the smaller town, Moshi, which is right at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. So my mother was actually based in the Moshi base. And that’s where my story began. So when I graduated from high school, used to, I was waiting to go to college and I would, I’m local volunteer. So I was the liaison with the international volunteers and all the projects. So I’ll do the translation and just, you know, get them comfortable.
Jason Elkins (04:07.156)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (04:20.757)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (04:25.18)
with the projects and that’s what they did. Bye.
Jason Elkins (04:27.538)
And you were doing this right out of high school?
Edward Lyimo (04:30.51)
Yes, yeah, we have the British system. So our high school is six years. We go through A levels. So yes, so this wasn’t, I wasn’t 16, I was 18 at the time. Like we graduate high school at 18.
Jason Elkins (04:46.12)
OK, so but what I’m hearing is 18 years old and you’re kind of the liaison between the international volunteers, some of the local projects. That’s pretty impressive, right? It sounds pretty impressive.
Edward Lyimo (04:48.269)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (04:54.894)
Yeah, yes. It does, but I was more a local volunteer. So on the day to day, so when they go out to the schools, I would just be there, especially for the language aspect of it. Because a lot of Swahili is the local language in Tanzania. And a lot of this project, the English wasn’t the first language, so communication was hard. So that’s.
Jason Elkins (05:10.037)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (05:21.151)
Okay.
Edward Lyimo (05:22.35)
That’s one of the things that I would do is I would go out to the volunteers to whatever project they had and I just be there to translate. I was a translator. Yes. It was cool.
Jason Elkins (05:31.04)
All right, all right. That’s very cool. It’s a good opportunity. So you met people from all over the world that were coming in for these projects. And OK, I see.
Edward Lyimo (05:38.626)
Right, yes. Yeah, to put it in perspective, they would have at least 40 volunteers come in every month for like nine months out of the year.
Jason Elkins (05:49.472)
So if you go back in time and kind of remember what that was like, tell me some of the impressions you were making about, we’re not here to disparage any group or any people, but I’m just curious as a teenager experiencing all these people coming from around the world, were there any kind of takeaways or kind of memories or stories that kind of came up or attitudes about people from different parts of the world?
Edward Lyimo (06:02.668)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (06:16.46)
Yeah, plenty. Plenty. Plenty. Yeah, plenty. This would have to be a whole other podcast session of just that part of my life. But in general, in general, there was, you know, people were surprised about about how much how much people were surprised about me and how conversed I was in English. But, you know, I grew up
Jason Elkins (06:18.368)
that you’re comfortable discussing on this show.
OK.
Edward Lyimo (06:44.364)
speaking and learning English in school with an extra push from my parents. English is a very common language there. So there was a big surprise there. There was a big surprise on just what is available in this little town of Moshi. People were surprised by cars and proper houses. Yes, that cars weren’t even available. People came.
Jason Elkins (07:04.704)
They were surprised that you had cars? OK.
Edward Lyimo (07:14.318)
This was from, for I would say 95%, this was the first foray to Africa. So you have this preconceived notions, preconceived stereotypes and fears and for many people didn’t know what they were doing. They didn’t know where they were going. I mean, they did, but they didn’t. So there was…
Jason Elkins (07:20.938)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (07:35.444)
Did you, I’m curious, before you started this project, your mom was already working for the organization. Did you, had you heard stories? Did you kinda know what to expect? Would your mom come home and talk about these crazy foreigners and some of the crazy things they would say? Or was, or when you went into it, was that your first real like, wow, this is not what I expected. I’m just curious.
Edward Lyimo (07:43.672)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (07:58.478)
It wasn’t my first. My mother actually worked with the Peace Corps. She was actually a Peace Corps employee before this organization. So since I was a toddler, that’s when my mom used to work with the Peace Corps. I had met a lot of Americans and you know, I’d always go to work with, you know, she’d take me to work and I’d always meet Americans. already knew, it wasn’t new for me.
Jason Elkins (08:09.671)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (08:22.144)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (08:28.316)
Okay, I knew that this I knew this story didn’t start at 17 or 18. I think we’re getting we’re getting a little deeper. All right, how many siblings? How many siblings did you have?
Edward Lyimo (08:28.845)
Bye.
Edward Lyimo (08:36.578)
Yes.
I’m the oldest of four boys.
Jason Elkins (08:42.74)
The oldest of four boys, okay? Where you, I don’t want to jump ahead too much, but what was the range of ages? I mean, your youngest sibling is how far from you?
Edward Lyimo (08:44.268)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (08:49.038)
Okay.
So.
Edward Lyimo (08:56.3)
So we’re three years apart. We’re three years apart and our youngest is 28. Yeah. Yes.
Jason Elkins (09:01.478)
Okay, all right, cool. So you were all brought up kind of in this family with some exposure to foreigners and obviously language and stuff like that. Maybe we’re jumping ahead, but do you remember like when you were younger, did you want to go work with your mom and work with foreigners and this type of work or was that just like you didn’t know what else to do when you turned 18 or what did that look like?
Edward Lyimo (09:12.695)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (09:29.142)
Yeah, no, just, when I turned 18, I didn’t know what to do. I had graduated high school. There was this very little you could do in this small little town. And my mom said, you know, come to work with me and you can volunteer, you can keep busy, you can meet all this foreigners. The organization was not only American, but would say 80 % of the people who came through it were from the United States. You could.
Jason Elkins (09:56.479)
Okay.
Edward Lyimo (09:57.462)
Yeah, so you could, you know, meet all these Americans and just practice your English.
Jason Elkins (10:03.232)
Do you remember the moment when you decided you wanted to work with people visiting Tanzania?
Edward Lyimo (10:10.686)
Yes, on the travel side, yes. I remember it vividly.
Jason Elkins (10:13.438)
Okay. All right. Is there more we need to cover before we get to that point? I don’t want to miss anything important here because what I heard was I’m 18, you’re volunteering, you’re helping translate and facilitate these connections with foreigners and people there locally. And then how did you get from there to the point when you’re like, okay, I want to work in the adventure travel business or the tourism business?
Edward Lyimo (10:22.058)
No!
Edward Lyimo (10:34.496)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (10:42.368)
Yes. So basically, so the volunteers lived in the compound, but it was only for volunteers and staff. So what happened is there was a tour company that approached me at the time and said, hey, like, if you push these volunteers our way, you we could, you can make a commission. said, okay, can’t hurt. So I, so when people would ask people, all these volunteers would always ask me, what can we do over the weekends? The weekends were free.
Jason Elkins (11:12.382)
Mmm, okay.
Edward Lyimo (11:12.494)
They had Friday afternoon to Sunday evening. So like, what can we do? I’m like, I have no idea. Like you could go to the little town. could, I don’t know what you could do. So this, so when the tour company approached me at the time and they say, you could recommend them our way and we’ll give you a commission. was like, Oh, okay. That can’t hurt. So when they would ask me to say, Hey, like, you know, talk to company X and they could put a tour together for you. But then the guy, the tour company is very friendly guy. And he would also let me go on the tours.
Jason Elkins (11:43.112)
okay.
Edward Lyimo (11:43.95)
He’s like, oh, like, Edward, let’s go. Let’s go to the waterfalls. Let’s go for a day hike on Mount Kilimanjaro. Let’s go on safari. These were things that, you know, it’s one of those things where you live, when you live in that town, you don’t really do them. It’s just what tourists come do. But then here I was at 18 going to see all these things, you know, like, oh, like, this is really fun. Like we went on a bike excursion. Like it was just, I ended up experiencing the whole Yemen.
And they really, and they…
Jason Elkins (12:13.888)
And I’m curious, when you were going along for free, were you generally with clients as well? Did they just kind of give you a spot on the tour so you were able to see how the clients engaged and how the guides engaged with the clients and all that stuff? Wow, that’s cool. Yeah, it’s a pretty good start. Yeah. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (12:28.042)
Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yes. Yeah, exactly. And make a commission off of it and say, oh, this is great. So I ended up doing that. then came the time. First of all, remember one of the first strips that I recommended and was able to go on. I remember making $100. He gave me $100 and he’s like, this is yours. was like, all mine? He’s like, this is all yours. I was like, oh, wow.
Jason Elkins (12:53.984)
Nice. And you get to go hang out with us for the day. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (12:56.622)
This is great.
Edward Lyimo (13:00.876)
I know, and I was like, okay. And that was just for day trip. was like, wow, this is great. I like this gig. So then came the time to go to college and I had to leave this small town and I had to leave my gig and I wasn’t ready. And I had to find a way to stay, but also go to college. Cause with my parents, was, I had to go to college. There was no…
Jason Elkins (13:06.25)
Uh-huh.
Edward Lyimo (13:27.8)
There was no taking time off, no gap, know, like it was time for college. So then I phoned in this little town, there was a wildlife management college. I was going to go to college for a business degree, something along those lines.
Jason Elkins (13:43.072)
Okay, why? Just curious, why business degree? Was that something your parents were interested in or was, I mean, I’m just curious.
Edward Lyimo (13:51.246)
Yeah, no, that was just my trajectory when I graduated from when I graduated high school. That’s what my trajectory was. I was going to take some sort of a business degree and figure I didn’t know what I was going to do with it. But you know, I’ll figure I was going to figure it out in that path. So I’d already done my applications to a school. I’d actually go to school in Kenya, so whole country over.
Jason Elkins (14:02.698)
Okay.
Gotcha.
Jason Elkins (14:11.2)
Uh-huh.
Edward Lyimo (14:12.578)
but I didn’t want to leave little Moshi town at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. I didn’t want to leave. So I applied to different school in the same town, did get into it for business program. I didn’t get into it. And then I found the school for African Wildlife Management. So I was like, all right, I’m just going to apply for this course. And I applied to it, and I got in. And
Jason Elkins (14:17.621)
Hmm?
Jason Elkins (14:34.024)
Was it mostly just because it was in Mooshi?
Edward Lyimo (14:37.474)
Yes, I had to find a college so I couldn’t leave the stuff. And at that point, I didn’t care what the course was.
Jason Elkins (14:43.05)
All right, so if it had been.
Okay, I got you. So it could have been a basket weaving college and you would have been fine. But now let’s talk about your parents. So what did they think about you staying in Moshe and studying African wildlife management?
Edward Lyimo (14:53.495)
Yes, I would have. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (15:01.836)
They, again, like the first, for them, the base was I had to go to college. That was the base. So they didn’t, they weren’t upset about my choice of life management. They said, you know what, you’re going to college. And they couldn’t care less what I studied, but they want, I had to go to
Jason Elkins (15:07.454)
Okay, good. All right.
Jason Elkins (15:21.502)
All right, that’s pretty good compromise. There’s other parents that are not quite so flexible.
Edward Lyimo (15:22.574)
in the required time.
Yes, in the required time I had to go to college. So I said, okay, I’ll go study wildlife management.
Jason Elkins (15:33.086)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (15:34.456)
Very different trajectory, but a significant trajectory in my journey.
Jason Elkins (15:43.294)
Yeah, absolutely. So just to get myself up to speed, basically, like you kind of got turned onto this tourism thing. You were selling tours, really. That’s what a commission is, right? You’re selling tours. And now you’re starting to go along on them. So you’re kind of maybe in the process of getting trained to be a tour operator, tour guide. And you secure a college entrance in Moshi.
Edward Lyimo (15:52.962)
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (16:02.786)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (16:08.163)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (16:08.51)
So you can kind of hang around and keep doing that. So what was that like going to school and were you still working, volunteering? What did that look like?
Edward Lyimo (16:16.43)
Yes, so once I started college, I didn’t have as much time to look a volunteer. But I still had the connection with the volunteer base. So at that point, right before I started college, I’d actually now launched Pristine.
Jason Elkins (16:29.002)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (16:36.41)
OK. Kind of started. So you started your own thing in a sense. OK. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (16:37.356)
Yes, yes. I opened. Yes, I started my own thing. Yes, I started my own thing. I started my own thing, went to college. And so this is what I would do because I knew the base and I had an in. I would always pitch to new groups that came in, new volunteers that came in and say, hey, this is the setup. This is what we can do. I ended up being competing with my mentor.
Jason Elkins (17:05.6)
I was thinking about whether or not I was going to ask that. He might be listening. What would you?
Edward Lyimo (17:07.246)
you
Edward Lyimo (17:12.748)
Yes, we’re friends to this day. We respect each other very much. At that point, what had happened is his business really blew up. His business really grew. And the commission structures started changing. They didn’t see a need for me anymore, which is OK. Which is OK, but then I’d talk to my dad.
Jason Elkins (17:16.128)
All right.
Jason Elkins (17:35.614)
Alright, alright, that’s cool though because which created opportunity for you.
Edward Lyimo (17:41.006)
Yes, but I actually talked to my mom and I told her and she encouraged me. said, oh, why don’t you just start your own thing? I was like, oh, you know what? Yeah, why don’t I? I know enough. So yeah, so I jumped into it, feet first, and Pristine Trails was born.
Jason Elkins (17:50.41)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (18:00.128)
OK, so I mean, you’re a good example. You’re a tour operator that listens to the show. I know we’ve got quite a few tour operators and guides and aspiring tour operators and guides. So this is probably an interesting part of the story for them, because I know there’s people out there that would love to start something. But.
Edward Lyimo (18:05.026)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (18:20.34)
They didn’t see, they didn’t maybe have that support of a mother that said, hey, why don’t you start your own thing? So let’s share a little bit with that aspiring person that’s listening. What we’re kind of like, we don’t need to go into all the details, but what was, what’s the most important advice that you would give to somebody that wants to kind of start their own thing?
Maybe it’s someone in Africa. Maybe it’s someone in Moshi listing right now. Maybe you don’t want them to start their own thing. But what would you say?
Edward Lyimo (18:46.71)
Yes. No. Over the years, have helped guides who have worked with me get a vision and I’ve helped them start their own projects. There’s enough in the market for everybody. So yes, I would be happy to share. Generally, here’s, again, I encourage people who want to start tours to go on tours.
Jason Elkins (19:16.8)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (19:17.036)
Like if you can, go on a tour and that’s what helped me. I had a unique experience where I really went on a lot every weekend and I know not everybody will have this much of an experience, but go on tour as much as you can. If you live in a small town and you could go on a food tour, you could go on a day tour, go on tours and learn.
Jason Elkins (19:42.634)
What do you say? What do you say to the person that’s like? Tours are expensive. I don’t have money to go on tours. I’ve I don’t come from a family that goes on tours, but I’m kind of like you in the sense that the very I mean the very first guide trip I ever went on. I was the guy. Because I was not the type of person I didn’t have the resources to pay for a guide. So what do you say to that person?
Edward Lyimo (19:52.302)
Yeah. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (20:01.793)
Yes. You have a game.
Edward Lyimo (20:07.479)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (20:12.014)
If you’re younger, you have time. So get an apprenticeship. You have time. Apply to jobs and do an internship. Use the free time that you have at the time to get into a business. These businesses need interns. If you approach a business and say, I would like to be a tour guide,
Jason Elkins (20:26.09)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (20:40.172)
I would like to learn. I don’t especially require payment because I’m learning. If you go with that mindset, I would say nine out of 10, they will let you in.
Jason Elkins (20:52.692)
And do you think it’s super important that you do? I think it’s important to do that in person. I think just sending off emails like, I would love to work in the adventure travel business or whatever. I’ll do anything. I just think it gets lost. My first job in adventure tourism was I went door to door in this tiny little fishing village almost in Montana. I went to the shops and I knocked on the door and I said, look,
Edward Lyimo (21:15.822)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (21:21.694)
I’m here. I want to work in this business. I will do anything. I’ll dig holes. I don’t care. I just want to be here and I want to be exposed to it and I’ll do anything. And that first day out, this guy looks at me and says, well, know, our manager in the lodge was unfortunately it was killed in a car accident last fall. We’re getting ready to open for the season. Can you manage the lodge? And I’m like, I don’t know, but I’ll sure give it a go. So yeah, it’s important, right? I think.
Edward Lyimo (21:24.512)
Yes, yes, yes.
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (21:40.583)
Okay. Yeah, okay.
Edward Lyimo (21:46.956)
Yeah, yeah. It’s important. If you can get face to face, it’s even better now with a lot of emails. I get people emailing me Instagram messages. yeah, it’s a lot. I do say if you’re going to email, it helps if you have a skill. If you have, especially in our field, you know, if you have, I know there’s tour companies, like we’re only English speaking.
Jason Elkins (22:06.972)
Right.
Edward Lyimo (22:15.65)
But I know there’s tour companies that are Spanish speaking, Russian speaking, and there people out there that do take language classes and want to be tour guides. I know they exist. So maybe if you have that skill, then lead with that. If you’re going to email, lead with that skill. You will stand out.
Jason Elkins (22:36.16)
Do you think I’m just, yeah, I’m curious about that because I’ve traveled enough and been around guides enough that sometimes you’ll have a guide that, you know, he speaks Russian or something, you know, so you meet some guy in Latin America, you know, he lives in the jungles in Columbia, but he speaks Russian.
Edward Lyimo (22:48.78)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (22:56.706)
news.
Jason Elkins (22:58.368)
And he’s a guide and he’s really made a niche for himself. It’s like if there’s a Russian client coming anywhere near, who are they going to call? So would you suggest if a young friend of yours or somebody you came across that you were wanting to help out, you know, said, hey, should I I’m going to go learn a language so I can be a guide? Should I go with English or should I go with one of those other things? How would you how would you advise them?
Edward Lyimo (23:06.285)
Yeah.
Jason Elkins (23:25.918)
I mean, I’m sure it’s dependent on the scenario, but what do you think?
Edward Lyimo (23:28.686)
It’s dependent on the scenario. you’re outside here, if you can learn languages easily and you’re ready to put in the time, do it. Yes, because again, if you’re easy learner and you like languages and you’re ready to put in the time, yes, you will stand out. Because you will stand out. Everybody pretty much speaks English in…
Jason Elkins (23:37.568)
Well, yeah, that’s probably a good point. That’s probably a good point. Before you say go learn Chinese or Russian. Yeah.
Jason Elkins (23:52.64)
Okay.
Edward Lyimo (23:58.478)
hands near, mean give or take. But yes, you will stand out. But you might have another skill, maybe it’s not a language. Maybe you have a mechanic background, maybe you are a mechanic. there’s a lot of, for example, the safaris, your vehicle and having mechanical knowledge really stands out. So lead with that. Maybe your parents were…
Jason Elkins (24:08.628)
Mmm.
Edward Lyimo (24:26.282)
chefs at a certain lodge and you have a chef background. know, whatever you have as a skill, if you’re going to email, lead with that skill. If you don’t have any skill, then I would recommend if you can get face to face.
Jason Elkins (24:28.501)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (24:40.328)
and rely on your personality. Hopefully it’s either you either have skills or you have personality. All right. I think that’s I think that’s.
Edward Lyimo (24:42.004)
Rely on your personality. Yes, yes, make an impression. Yes. Yeah. But there’s a lot of opportunities for when you’re younger to sign up for. The pay won’t be handsome, but that’s not why you’re there. You’re there to build some skill and a name for yourself. Yes.
Jason Elkins (25:05.44)
Yeah, kind of like you did really with your with your situation was. You know, you were getting some commissions, but you know, when you were tagging along going on these groups, it was so you could learn and get a feel for what that looks like. And it opened up a lot of opportunity, obviously, obviously for you. I’m curious because this has come up a few times in conversations I’ve had with people. Perhaps you’ve I know you’ve heard them is like what line of work other than tourism?
Edward Lyimo (25:13.069)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (25:18.243)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (25:22.903)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (25:28.716)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (25:35.096)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (25:35.87)
other than kind of what we’re discussing, doing tours, leading tours, managing tours, all that stuff. What type of work do you think most closely aligns? So let’s say a person is turning 16 and they’re looking for a job and they know they want to be a tour guide someday or they want to work in adventure tourism. But realistically right now, maybe they don’t even have a car. Maybe they’re living with their parents. What type of job would you encourage them to?
Edward Lyimo (25:59.768)
Right. Right.
Jason Elkins (26:04.768)
go work in that would give them the skills that might be either the skills or the people skills or the more technical skills.
Edward Lyimo (26:14.222)
Because tourism is a huge employment industry where we’re from. So there’s a lot of tourism colleges that, yeah, so an introduction, like a certificate course that gets you an introduction to it. I’ve always thought of those guides that I’ve worked with that have come from teaching backgrounds, education, and they
Jason Elkins (26:24.799)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (26:40.456)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (26:43.854)
because something about education has enabled you to transfer the skills to tourism. think two guides have come from education and education is a good point. So I’d say people industries, if you can do a certificate front of office type of degree, that’s great. If you could do a hotel management sort of certificate, it helps.
Jason Elkins (26:51.935)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (27:11.882)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (27:13.774)
It’s good, but there are people industries. And you think of the people skills.
Jason Elkins (27:17.908)
I think one that has come up a few times, few conversations, actually someone I spoke with recently that worked as a bartender as he was kind of getting into tourism. like, man, that’s perfect. Because if you’re going to go take groups out into the wilderness, groups of mixed personalities and all this stuff and go take them and deal with them all day. having that skill and experience of being a bartender with a bunch of.
Edward Lyimo (27:24.749)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (27:28.642)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (27:36.739)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (27:41.25)
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Jason Elkins (27:41.984)
maybe drunk people that are difficult and, and you know, cause people go to a bar to have an experience. And I thought that was a pretty good, um, pretty good fit there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yup. I think it was Kieran. Yeah. So,
Edward Lyimo (27:47.83)
Yes, I think I remember that conversation. was with a guy from the Pacific Northwest. Yeah, Yeah, Karen, yeah, he had some interesting… He found his way here in an interesting manner.
Jason Elkins (28:03.454)
Yep, yep. So OK, very, cool. So getting started the business, we can talk about that. You gave some kind of pointers and and tips. What was the biggest challenge for you once you decide, OK, I’m going to start my business. I’ve got I’ve got contacts here with the volunteer organization, so I’ve got somebody I can go stand in front of and pitch every week. But then what were some of the challenges and some of the mile?
Edward Lyimo (28:06.153)
Yeah
Edward Lyimo (28:26.498)
Yes. Yes.
Jason Elkins (28:32.704)
milestones that you you met along the way because like now I can go online and look at your website it’s fascinating and like it’s like yeah so let’s let’s discuss what did that 16 years look like and some of the ups and downs
Edward Lyimo (28:35.575)
At the beginning it was.
Yes, 16 years later.
Edward Lyimo (28:47.214)
I would say I’ve evolved with this business. At the beginning, was my age worked against me. I was this young 19, 20 year old who was trying to guarantee a group of people that they could pay me and I could take care of them and they could have a great experience. My mentor slash my competitor was, I don’t know at the time, 35.
Jason Elkins (29:14.27)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (29:14.414)
Age wasn’t in my favor, but it usually worked out for the most part. It usually worked out for the most part.
Jason Elkins (29:20.03)
Yeah, that can be an issue because the typical, well, I don’t know what your typical clients are. What was your typical client in the beginning from this volunteer organization? I’m thinking middle-aged people with a little bit of money, maybe not kids at home. They’re a little older than you were.
Edward Lyimo (29:23.683)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (29:30.03)
I thought he was volunteers.
Edward Lyimo (29:38.574)
Yes, it depended on the time of the year. Over the summer, it was, of course, college kids. Yes, so college, everybody’s on break. this is what they would come on a volunteer trip. They didn’t have as much money. And we’re the same age, so that was great.
Jason Elkins (29:43.773)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (29:50.602)
But they don’t have as much money, right? The connection’s really strong. They trust you, but they don’t have any money.
Edward Lyimo (30:00.974)
Yes. I also, again, I started out as doing volunteer trips, low budget. That worked out. Then after the summer and the fall, it used to be now middle-aged and older working class people. That was the tough sell. Yes. Yes. And then like, who is this?
Jason Elkins (30:11.722)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (30:21.248)
Because you’re younger than their kids. And they’re thinking about their kids. like, my kid could never do this. I would never expect my kid to walk up Kilimanjaro with a bunch of adults and lead them. So when they look at you, they’re like, how could you do it? But it’s a little different, isn’t it? Sometimes,
Edward Lyimo (30:30.615)
Yeah!
Edward Lyimo (30:36.744)
Yes. Yes.
Yes, it’s a little different. It was very funny. So what would happen? We’d always have this pitch, like a pitch night, where the group would come and you’d do a presentation. And then the other company would have the same thing. And those many, yes, back to back, and those many times, I would always ask. And I was curious, I’m like, look, like, hard feelings. You went to the other side. But what was it? And a few of them would say, to be honest, we trusted.
Jason Elkins (30:54.011)
yeah, okay, back to back.
Edward Lyimo (31:08.99)
the other company more just because they seemed more experienced.
Jason Elkins (31:13.684)
because a few gray hairs in their beard. And for those of us that can’t see that, yeah, you still look much younger than I do. I’ve got the gray thing. So how would you, did you have a way to proactively overcome that? think they kind of call like address the elephant in the room or whatever. Like, you know that that’s going to be the objection. So how did you manage that?
Edward Lyimo (31:15.758)
Have you… Yes, Yes. Yes, and I was like, okay.
Edward Lyimo (31:29.996)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (31:34.882)
Yes, so I got ahead of it in a few ways. There’s something I realized when I was in college for African Wildlife Management. I had all this my fellow classmates who would have liked a gig also because they didn’t have any work before they graduated. So I said, but they had all this knowledge. I started this program where I would sell a tour and they would come in as a sit-in guide.
Jason Elkins (31:51.776)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (32:03.028)
Okay?
Edward Lyimo (32:03.554)
like for the Safari part of it. So they would, so you’d have, you know, you’d have your driver guide and then you’d have a, another guide in addition from the college who, know, that, so the wildlife management program was really in depth and really gave you a superior knowledge than a certificate tour guiding course. So they really knew their stuff. So they really knew their stuff and
Jason Elkins (32:06.014)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (32:29.312)
Sure, I can imagine.
Edward Lyimo (32:33.462)
At the time, because we didn’t own our vehicles, we would rent out. The drivers weren’t, there was no quality control on the drivers. But, but I had, I knew guys, my classmates who I knew were really smart and they could really, they were really great at interpretation. So I would put them into the truck. So they would have, you’d have your driver who just drive. And if the driver is knowledgeable, great.
Jason Elkins (32:57.482)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (32:59.918)
But if the driver is not great, I have a sitting guide who would now interpret. So.
Jason Elkins (33:06.526)
And that was different than what your competition was doing? OK, so what were they doing? I’m just curious. Give me a
Edward Lyimo (33:09.196)
Yes, yes, yes. The competition would just have the driver. We just have the driver. And they’d also struggle with the quality. They’d also struggle with the quality control because they also did on their vehicles at the time.
So they would also struggle with the quality because sometimes the driver’s okay, sometimes the drivers were not okay. was a hit or miss, but I was able to guarantee that I could get you a guide who would be really on top of it.
Jason Elkins (33:39.604)
Yeah, and I think that, yeah, it makes a lot of sense because I’m imagining, if I’m thinking, OK, I’m just going with a company that’s owned by some guy that’s 19 years old or shift that conversation to I’m going with a company that’s going to have an African wildlife student that’s studying African wildlife.
Edward Lyimo (33:52.835)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (34:05.208)
Well, yes.
Jason Elkins (34:06.142)
that’s going to go along and help us interpret all this stuff, it shifts the focus because I’m good with a 20 year old college student that’s studying biology. That makes like that makes sense. OK, all right. Right.
Edward Lyimo (34:09.986)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (34:16.856)
Right, right, Yes, yes, yes. So yeah, so yeah, so that was a selling point that really helped position the business in those early years. I’m in.
Jason Elkins (34:32.54)
Okay. So when did you shift or how did you shift from your focus, kind of your target audience of volunteers to realizing, I don’t want to just rely on people that are coming here to volunteer because maybe sometimes even people that come to volunteer may not be the best audience when you want to do something a little bit more upscale, more profitable. So how did that transition?
Edward Lyimo (34:41.25)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (34:54.914)
Yes. So I kept the volunteer base all through college. So I three years of college. And maybe two years after that, I kind of stuck with the same base market. And then after that is when now I started expanding otherwise beyond. But what happened, the college piece also really helped the evolution of the business.
Because again, went into this, I started college having just learned about tours and appreciating the whole tour guiding aspect. I went through college having learned about environmental management, wildlife management. So that really opened my eyes even further. So when I graduated, I paired the two. said, I could really do the guiding.
Jason Elkins (35:42.058)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (35:52.916)
layer in a layer in a basically a layer of environmental awareness. then from there, so moving forward, like I would say like five years in, then we started taking a conservation based approach, slow travel, just, know, slow down, like, there’s no, no need to rush, rush, rush, rush, rush, you know, like take it all in. Most something more sustainable taking more of a sustainable approach instead of the
Jason Elkins (35:58.708)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (36:19.982)
quick, quick, quick, tick, tick, tick. Like I just want to see everything and race around the parks. We really started to slow down and use my knowledge into building of the itineraries.
Jason Elkins (36:32.251)
So did you, the length of your trips, what I’m hearing, maybe I’m not hearing it right, but what I’m hearing is in college, it was kind of like maybe day tours and go out and try see as much as you can in day. And then as you progressed, you progressed into more longer itineraries, multi-days where you could really spend time with people and make an impact. that, am I making stuff up in my head or is that what you’re saying?
Edward Lyimo (36:36.472)
Yes. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (36:43.032)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (36:48.674)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (36:52.354)
Yes, yes. No, you’re not, you’re not because you the volunteer. You remember the volunteer window was a three day weekend. Yes, you could only, you had to pack in as much as you can in the three day weekend. But then with time, after graduating and really learning about conservation and why did this park even exist, there was just so much more. There was so much more that could be done better. moving forward, I started springing.
Jason Elkins (37:00.446)
Yeah, I remember you saying that, yeah.
Jason Elkins (37:18.09)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (37:21.006)
forward into that direction. So then the volunteer trips started to do, my focus was changed. I wasn’t now focused on the volunteer trips anymore. I was now focused on more.
Jason Elkins (37:23.264)
Okay, got it.
Jason Elkins (37:34.932)
How did you find the clients for this new business model?
Edward Lyimo (37:39.648)
Also, the great thing is I had huge word of mouth. Remember, I had 40 volunteers who would work with once a month. Yeah.
Jason Elkins (37:43.833)
Okay
Jason Elkins (37:48.448)
Were you and had you been collecting, I’m sorry, had you been collecting email addresses and all this stuff all along? Or was that an after sight? You’re like, oh, man. Uh-huh. OK.
Edward Lyimo (37:57.838)
I hadn’t, I wish I had. But no, no, but Facebook.
Facebook, Facebook, yes. So yes, wish I had I known what I know now out of collective email addresses, but I didn’t, but I had Facebook. you know, people would come back, they would share the pictures, would share their stories. And they would be, they would have friends, family members who want to travel, maybe not do the volunteer aspect, but they say, hey, like, I want to go and do the safari part that you did, I want to go trek. So they would always contact.
Jason Elkins (38:25.216)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Jason Elkins (38:31.626)
That’s very cool. So they would kind of because you had it. at that point, you had a Facebook page, a Facebook presence of some sort. So they would hopefully people that had done something with you had mentioned you. OK, I got it. Were you when you were first doing this, were you handing out like people, paper flyers or when you’d go to your presentation, you’d had the bro the brochures and all right. All right. And and now. Just because it’s flash forward real quick.
Edward Lyimo (38:32.246)
And yes, those are the ways.
Edward Lyimo (38:38.616)
Prisons.
Edward Lyimo (38:44.77)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (38:51.224)
Bro, sure, yes.
Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Jason Elkins (39:01.692)
And now what is the game? Is it digital marketing, right?
Edward Lyimo (39:06.104)
Yes, so the game has changed. The game has changed tremendously. So basically, so right now, what our operation looks like, I’m actually talking. I didn’t say this in the direction. I’m in Los Angeles. Talking to you from Los Angeles. Yes, the operation’s in Tanzania. It’s a full operation. It’s a DMC in Tanzania. But I am based out of Los Angeles because I met a girl at this volunteer organization.
Jason Elkins (39:19.048)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Jason Elkins (39:32.25)
that app. she was in the volunteer. She was a volunteer. Nice.
Edward Lyimo (39:35.702)
Yes, not on Safari. No, everybody thinks it went on Safari, but she didn’t go with me. She didn’t like my pitch. I’m just kidding.
Jason Elkins (39:42.098)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (39:48.192)
She booked her safari with the older guy, but then came back and had drinks with you. Is that what you’re…
Edward Lyimo (39:52.174)
Yeah. And finally, her parents had booked, her parents were coming to visit after her stay. So they booked one of the bigger packages. They’re like, yeah. So she didn’t know about me yet.
Jason Elkins (40:01.382)
Okay, alright.
Jason Elkins (40:11.774)
Alright, that’s very cool. you know what? Let’s let’s go there. How long have you been with her?
Edward Lyimo (40:13.166)
Yes.
Yes.
So we’ve, I met her, she came with Volantan 2006.
Jason Elkins (40:24.232)
Okay, so it’s 25, well, for a little while.
Edward Lyimo (40:26.156)
Yeah, yes, we have known each other for long time. So she came, she ended up staying. She really fell in love with her work there. She ended up staying. She always told me, it’s not for me, it’s for her work.
Jason Elkins (40:44.185)
okay. And one of the things…
Edward Lyimo (40:45.198)
And I said, you’re here, why not?
Jason Elkins (40:51.26)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think that one of the challenges that can come up for people that work in tourism actually is relationship issues. So since it came up, let’s discuss that because there’s there’s it’s sometimes hard to find someone that’s as passionate about anything as you are.
But if you’re passionate about business and making a lot of money, it’s not so hard to attract people. If you’re passionate about being a doctor or a lawyer, it’s not so hard to attract people. But sometimes when you’re passionate about your tour operation business, you know, several thousand miles away from where they live and in your free time, you want to go travel and explore and meet people. Maybe sometimes it’s a little hard to attract people into your life. So what’s the secret? Because you figured it out.
Edward Lyimo (41:22.018)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (41:37.198)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (41:42.478)
It’s very true. Again, I didn’t meet her from the travel world. And I know there’s many cases that do happen. But yes, she came from as far away from Tanzania as possible. She’s from Los Angeles and from Tanzania. That was a huge distance. don’t know. Recommendation.
Jason Elkins (41:48.36)
Right? But you’ve, yeah, go ahead.
Jason Elkins (42:10.004)
Well, if you were to start over knowing what you know now, if you were to start over, you know you work in the tourism business, you kind of know what your lifestyle is and what you like. What are the top two or three things that you would look for in a potential partner that might make it work for 20 some years?
Edward Lyimo (42:13.72)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (42:19.939)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (42:27.95)
Openness because we come from different cultures. Very different cultures, very different walks of life. just, know, openness, open to learn. It’s from both ends, from both ends, from me and her. Yeah, so just openness, openness to different cultures. That would be my top one. A second one is, let’s go with the flow.
Jason Elkins (42:30.792)
okay.
Hmm?
Jason Elkins (42:44.32)
Yeah.
Jason Elkins (42:50.368)
Okay. So.
Jason Elkins (42:55.936)
I think openness is so big, whether it’s just cultural differences or not, even if you’re from the same place, but you want to work in tourism, there better be a level of openness. And I think for me, it would be curiosity because I think that most people that go into tourism. Well, I’ll share that. think my highest values, my highest personal values are shared experiences. You know.
Edward Lyimo (43:00.076)
Yeah. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (43:05.452)
Yes.
Right.
Edward Lyimo (43:12.398)
you and here we are.
Edward Lyimo (43:22.622)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (43:24.254)
which is no big surprise that I work in the adventure travel space, shared experiences. I want to have experiences and I want to share them with people, which was a natural fit. If I was hiring a guide, would want them to have the same values, but also in a relationship, a shared experience is someone that maybe feels the same. If their highest value is
Edward Lyimo (43:29.134)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (43:40.75)
Bye.
Jason Elkins (43:48.572)
security and stability, or routine and peace and tranquility, then maybe it’s not going to work. I don’t know about you.
Edward Lyimo (43:55.158)
Yes. Yes, yes, maybe, yes, this industry isn’t that.
Jason Elkins (44:06.972)
Yeah, it’s not. still, to this day, have this fantasy in my head of meeting someone just a little bit off, just like I am, that thinks the same way.
Edward Lyimo (44:15.575)
Okay.
Edward Lyimo (44:19.106)
Well, and you said you’re in Colombia, right?
Jason Elkins (44:24.164)
Well, now I was in, I think last time we spoke, I think I was in Colombia. I’ve been spending a lot of time in Colombia, but I’m actually in Quito, Ecuador right now. Yep. And just kind of, you know, and I tend to sometimes pick up and move every two or three weeks. And that makes relationships challenges. That’s for another, that’s for relationship podcasts.
Edward Lyimo (44:32.622)
Oh, you need to quit right now.
Edward Lyimo (44:40.798)
Hard, yeah.
Yes, yes. But maybe because in this world of being a digital nomad, you meet other digital nomads.
Jason Elkins (44:54.784)
Well, that was the thinking. That was the thinking, and that happens. I’m 51, and if I go to a hostler place that attracts digital nomads, I’m kind of… So I do my own thing. I’m not going to say much more about that, but I kind of do my own thing. But anyway, thanks for getting into that. I appreciate that.
Edward Lyimo (44:56.982)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (45:10.126)
If
Edward Lyimo (45:19.694)
But anyways, yeah, go ahead. Now you’re asking about the evolution. Yeah, yeah.
Jason Elkins (45:25.171)
I just was, yeah, the evolution of the business. I’m just kind of curious.
Edward Lyimo (45:28.814)
Yeah. So basically, what the business looks now, again, we have a huge focus on conservation, sustainability, travel, and looking for serving clients who
want a memorable journey, but also giving back in process.
Jason Elkins (45:53.93)
How do you do that? Because I think sometimes that becomes a buzzword, sustainability, we give back. And it’s almost like everybody kind of feels like they have to say that on some level. But just from my time with you, I don’t think it’s just a buzzword for you. But how do you do that in a way that the
Edward Lyimo (46:02.478)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (46:12.226)
No, no.
Jason Elkins (46:18.132)
doesn’t put you at a competitive disadvantage because if you spend too much time and energy and money and becoming sustainable and you’ve got eight competitors around you that have green leafs on their website as well but aren’t doing the same thing, how do you manage that?
Edward Lyimo (46:22.936)
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (46:32.098)
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (46:39.113)
So how we do it is we actually implement, we’re to implement industry standards. For example, our Kumonjaro treks. We do Mount Kumonjaro treks, to the seven day trips where porters are part and parcel on this trip. So, know, a regular trip would be, you’d be outfitted with about four porters.
And basically what happens on Mount Kilimanjaro is because of the porters, the porters are usually are local, Tanzanians, and they’re a very marginal group, marginalized group where companies take advantage. You porters don’t really have a voice. They don’t really have a connection with the client. So they end up being paid poor wages or not looked after. But what we do as a business is we are
Jason Elkins (47:19.157)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (47:33.792)
members of local organization called the Kilimanjaro Trekking Organization. Sorry, let me take that back. So it used to be called K-Pop Kilimanjaro Porter’s Assistant Project and it just changed the name right now to the Kilimanjaro Responsible Trekking Organization.
Jason Elkins (47:55.68)
It sounds like a good branding change.
Edward Lyimo (47:57.718)
Yes, yes, more apropos. So basically what they do, they are a third party that makes sure the company is doing what they’re saying. they look at about six parameters that you’re paying industry required wages, nothing lower. The porters on the trek are well fed. They’re also getting three meals a day.
Jason Elkins (48:22.88)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (48:28.056)
Just like the client.
The porters have proper sleeping conditions on the mountain. So they also have, when they get to camp, they also have their own tents. Because what happens in Kilimanjaro sometimes is to keep the load down is the porters will sleep in the mess tent where the clients are sleeping, but they’ll have to wait for the clients to eat. And then once the clients leave, then they sleep. if there’s hail, rain, anything, these porters have to fend for themselves.
Jason Elkins (48:40.372)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (48:52.958)
Okay, right.
Edward Lyimo (49:01.174)
until the clients are done.
So that’s what the organization does. It ensures that they all have proper sleeping conditions, that they get the tips. They get the fair tips because what happens again is tips may be collected by the company and they may never make it to the border. They may be collected by the guide. They may never make it to the border. So they get their appropriate tips.
Jason Elkins (49:29.77)
So I’m right. So I kind of get that they’re there. It’s basically an association to ensure that the porters are treated fairly and sounds a lot like a union. But I’m curious.
Edward Lyimo (49:42.604)
Yes, it’s not a union, it’s more an organization because it’s not, there is a Porter’s Union that exists, but then this is a niche organization because even the Porter Union.
Jason Elkins (49:51.456)
Okay.
Edward Lyimo (49:58.38)
The Ponder Union is huge and there’s so many different companies and there’s so many different companies doing so many different things. It is hard for the union to pinpoint who’s doing what. But what the organization does is it’s voluntary. We don’t pay, there’s no fee. So we volunteer to be a part of the organization. They, in every trick that we have, they have an investigative border.
Jason Elkins (50:24.2)
Okay. All right.
Edward Lyimo (50:25.004)
Yes. So the investigative order carries everything as normal, but goes back and reports and has a score list and says, yes, on this track, Pristine did all they’re supposed to do. Or didn’t.
Jason Elkins (50:39.85)
So if you do a good job, that means you get to use their logo on your website. And if you don’t do a good job, then they don’t. So what somebody that’s thinking about going to Africa might consider as participation in these programs. So if you’re doing this, but the other companies are not. But that’s a hard message, right? Because someone that’s never been to Africa.
Edward Lyimo (50:46.476)
Yes, yes, yes.
Edward Lyimo (51:00.194)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (51:08.15)
It does.
Jason Elkins (51:08.456)
You know, they’re like, I’m ready to book a trip. I’m going to book a trip within the next three days. And I’m most likely going to respond to whoever has the prettiest website, best reviews or gets or responds quickest, usually is what it is. So what would you say to somebody that the values, sustainability and conservation that wants other than just say, obviously, you know, come to us? What would you what would you say to advise them so they can pick the right company?
Edward Lyimo (51:12.642)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (51:17.703)
quick response
Edward Lyimo (51:32.654)
Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (51:38.402)
I would say usually is, yeah, look that the company’s information is backed up. These organizations do exist these days. You could just, a quick cross-reference, you look at the website, you look at Pristine 12, they say, we’re sustainable because we’re members of the Kilimanjaro Port Assistant Project. It takes you two minutes to click on that website, look that they’re on the list, and…
Jason Elkins (52:02.976)
Because most companies that would say it, presumably, would have it, the logo on the website, usually with a link, if their marketing person’s paying attention, Have a link to the organization so you can quickly verify those types of things. All right.
Edward Lyimo (52:09.73)
Yes.
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (52:19.982)
Yes. Yes. So yeah. Yes. So that’s usually what I recommend. And luckily, the most part, trips like this, people do do some sort of research for the most part. But yes, so we usually recommend, if this is important to you, and I encourage it to be important to you, do your research. Like, these things do exist. And the company’s website will most likely say something about it. And just.
You know, take the two minutes to make sure it.
Jason Elkins (52:51.508)
I’m going to ask the question that I suspect some people would want me to ask. Is this going to cost me more to go with a reputable company that cares about conservation and sustainability?
Edward Lyimo (53:03.456)
No, it’s not gonna cost you more. I don’t think it is. Look, it might be marginally a little more, but at end of the day, if this means you’re supporting the industry and you’re supporting businesses that are doing the proper thing, that marginal increase, that marginal difference goes a long way.
But for the most part, have done this research, actually, thinking. Some clients have come and said, oh, you’re more expensive than a company down the road. And I always ask, OK, what company is it? And I’d always look. And I’d usually find out, in most cases, the company that they’re even looking at isn’t even registered. It’s not even a registered business. So they haven’t even met the baseline. Yes, I’m like.
Jason Elkins (53:33.824)
Okay.
Jason Elkins (53:56.608)
Ah, OK. The legal requirements, much less the sustainability. And yeah, OK.
Edward Lyimo (54:02.892)
Yes, I’m like, OK, like you can’t compare it. The two are not comparable. But and I have done research like it’s for the most part, it’s a very small difference.
Jason Elkins (54:14.26)
You you bring up something that’s interesting because I think people are reluctant to sometimes, maybe they look at two different companies. They want something they want to buy, whether it’s something material or an experience. They look and they’re reluctant to say to the more expensive company, hey, I like you guys, but you know, I found somebody else that does it cheaper.
They’re reluctant to say that because that’s an awkward thing. That’s an uncomfortable thing. We don’t want to feel like we’re we don’t want to get the response. Well, fine. If you like them, go book with them if they’re cheap or whatever, whatever. But what I hear you saying, it sounds like you’re a little bit more open to. Yeah, if you see something else, just give us a call. We’ll help you compare apples to apples, because that’s a challenge is like we’ve got two totally different products and we’ll be happy to discuss the differences with you.
Edward Lyimo (54:43.106)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (54:50.21)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (54:58.338)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (55:01.676)
Yes. Yes.
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (55:09.518)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (55:10.1)
You know, because we know the business, we know our competitors. And if you choose to go with the competitor because it makes more sense for you, then that’s fine. But at least give us a chance to explain the differences. I worked in real estate for quite a while and it was kind of that way with like mortgage lenders and stuff. It’s like sometimes it’s like, hey, OK, you got a great deal from rocket mortgage. It looks great. It’s a great quote, whatever. But maybe just have a conversation with one of one of our brokers that we work with closely.
Edward Lyimo (55:12.962)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (55:17.933)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (55:26.37)
Okay.
Edward Lyimo (55:31.18)
Yes. Yes.
Jason Elkins (55:38.272)
They can help you just understand the differences. You go whichever way you want to go. But at least, you know, and I thought it was good to have that opportunity. So what I hear you saying is you’re open to that. So if anybody listen to this and looking at a trip, would you encourage them just pick up the phone or send an email and start the conversation?
Edward Lyimo (55:38.509)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (55:42.051)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (55:56.32)
Yes, yes, yes, we do encourage that. we have, we’re creating a lot of blogs just to educate people, to educate people about, you know, what, what parameters should you be looking at just to give them a baseline? Cause I’ve seen this. I see that I see it a lot, know, safaris, Kumajawa tracks, they tend to be not cheap trips. So people, you know, you go online today, if you Google safari, you’ll get a barrage of information and
people get lost in all the information. There’s almost too much information. we’re creating all this educational pieces just to tell people like, okay, this is what you’re looking for baseline. What do you want to see? What destination you want to go to? How much time do you have? Who’s going to make this trip possible for you? Is it going to be a local based tour company in Tanzania or is it going to be a travel advisor in the US? Both are okay.
And then once you find this business is vouching, this business, does this business stand up for what I believe in? know, like if sustainability is your ethos, does this business, are they sustainable business? That’s when now you can go into the company’s website and see if they belong to any third party organizations, then can vouch for them.
I talked about one, Kilimanjaro Port is a system project. Currently, the Kilimanjaro’s, Kilimanjaro, it’s a new term, I’m still, it still slips in mind. Kilimanjaro responsible tracking organization, or are they part of, are they a B Corp? There’s been podcasts where you’ve talked to people that are B Corp, that are part of B Corp, that’s another great one. Do they?
Jason Elkins (57:26.837)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (57:33.984)
I get it.
Jason Elkins (57:48.938)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (57:53.57)
they say they give part of their money to conservation. Which organizations? know, like for example, in the safari and for us, we donate a portion of our profits to a de-snaring project. Like snares, like with poachers, they put all the snares in, particularly Sarah and Getty National Park. So we donate part of our proceedings to help with a de-snaring project.
Jason Elkins (58:08.853)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (58:22.878)
Right.
Edward Lyimo (58:23.532)
Yeah, but again, the company is saying this, but can you find that information on the disnaring organization? So yes.
Jason Elkins (58:32.084)
Right, right. It’s a challenge because there are certain things people just normally like they know the difference between I and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Burger King. You know, they know the difference between maybe a Ritz Carlton and a Motel 6. It’s pretty easy for them to kind of, well, I knew what I was getting because I booked the Motel 6. But when it’s…
Edward Lyimo (58:45.548)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Edward Lyimo (58:58.819)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (59:00.66)
Booking a trek up Kilimanjaro, there’s how many different routes that are kind of there’s five or six routes or something like that.
Edward Lyimo (59:06.734)
Yes, the six ascending routes.
Jason Elkins (59:11.196)
OK, so and there’s a variety of camps, tented camps, there’s just so many different variables. So when you say to somebody or somebody says, I want to go to Africa and I want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, that rest of that stuff is just kind of hard to get your head around until you get there because you’re not going to see levels of three-star hotel, two-star hotel.
Edward Lyimo (59:20.654)
so much.
Edward Lyimo (59:27.011)
Thank you.
Jason Elkins (59:38.64)
or meals or whatever. It’s just like really hard to get your head around it. I had a hot air balloon ride business for several years and most people have never been in a balloon or if they do, they do it once. So it’s really hard to sometimes get across, well, okay, if you go with this company, maybe it’d be my company. We’re going to be in a small balloon. It might be a private flight. It might be you and…
Edward Lyimo (59:51.15)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (01:00:00.866)
Yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Got it. Yes. Yes. Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (01:00:05.288)
your fiance or soon to be fiance if you want to do something romantic, you know, if you want to do the proposal. But then there’s other companies out there that sell a balloon ride, but it’s with 20 people in the basket. And, you know, if you want to share your proposal with 20 other people, then that’s that’s great. But it’s really hard, you know, because people just think of it as a balloon ride. What’s the difference in a balloon ride, a small and you do balloon rides. You’ve got to, you know, I know that that you do them.
Edward Lyimo (01:00:14.957)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:00:26.53)
Right, yeah. It’s a balloon, right? Yes. Yes, yes, we do that, yeah.
Jason Elkins (01:00:33.682)
So I always encourage people to reach out at least to one person that you feel comfortable with. Maybe you look at three different websites and you’re like, well, these two are cheaper. This one’s a little bit more expensive. I wonder why, number one. And number two, if they’re comfortable advertising higher prices, they’re probably comfortable having a conversation about what they offer. There’s probably a reason they do it, because nobody’s going to charge markup their
Edward Lyimo (01:00:39.992)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:00:43.64)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:00:58.389)
Yeah.
Jason Elkins (01:01:02.474)
trips 30 % above their competitors unless there’s a reason. So maybe just call them and ask them why.
Edward Lyimo (01:01:05.806)
Yeah, Yes, yes. And yeah, I recommend in these days, do the legwork. Do the legwork. Vouch for some companies. And then get on a call, especially for trips like this, where there are 70 trips. are investments. The trips are not cheap. Like a Kilimanjaro trek is north of $3,000.
Jason Elkins (01:01:29.598)
Yeah. And there’s some health and other concerns and issues maybe you want to have an opportunity to discuss before somebody gives you their credit card, right?
Edward Lyimo (01:01:39.008)
Yes, yes. So I highly recommend, know, do the legwork. Find companies, find a handful of companies, maybe three to five, and then jump on a call, talk to those companies and see which is a good fit.
Jason Elkins (01:01:55.518)
I think that’s great advice. And unfortunately, I also recognize with technology the way it is now. Like number one, it’s easy to do a call. But number two, people are so reluctant to pick up the phone or to do a video call. They just kind of want to sit behind their screen and maybe just text or WhatsApp or whatever. And it’s like, look, we could spend the next
Edward Lyimo (01:02:00.002)
Yeah.
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:02:08.204)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:02:14.952)
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Jason Elkins (01:02:21.312)
three, four days sending messages back and forth, or we could just jump on a video call, do a face-to-face thing. You’ll know whether you trust me probably within the first 30 seconds, just because we connect so much quicker. mean, people don’t get scammed on video calls. Have you noticed that? When people talk about getting scammed, it’s almost always a text message, Facebook messenger, email, WhatsApp.
Edward Lyimo (01:02:24.333)
Yes.
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:02:32.852)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:02:41.352)
it’s email or whatsapp yeah yes yes
Jason Elkins (01:02:47.594)
The scammer never says, let’s jump on a video call. I don’t think. I mean, they might call you randomly, but a scammer, and I’m not suggesting that anybody in the tourism space is scammers, but my point is, scammers don’t use video calls because they know it’s harder to conceal themselves. So just jump on a call. Nobody cares what your hair looks like or any of that stuff. I just think it’s a.
Edward Lyimo (01:02:50.208)
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:03:00.46)
No.
Edward Lyimo (01:03:09.998)
It’s not recorded.
Jason Elkins (01:03:14.622)
Yeah, it’s not like we’re recording this call, you don’t like whoever’s listening to this when you call Ed, don’t worry about it. He’s not, he doesn’t need to record it. He’s a nice guy. He’s good looking guy. It’ll be a fun conversation. I just don’t know why. I mean, I do some work with clients and I’m working on trying to set up the call to action should not be in my opinion. And I didn’t look at this part of your website, but it’s like the call to action should not be fill out this long form.
Edward Lyimo (01:03:23.18)
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:03:37.294)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:03:42.306)
Cool.
Jason Elkins (01:03:42.694)
and will respond to by email within three business days and da da da da da. I just love the, hey, let’s just book a call, pick a time on your calendar. You know that you’re going to meet with me. You don’t have to wonder when I’m going to get back to you by email. And after 10 minutes, if you like, I don’t like this guy, but I’m going to ask you few more questions so I can learn a little bit more about Africa. That’s fine. You can do that, right?
Edward Lyimo (01:03:45.056)
No, no.
Edward Lyimo (01:03:50.926)
and talk. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:04:03.298)
Yes, yes, yes, yes. Very much so. then, yeah, so much is lost over email. So much is lost over email.
Jason Elkins (01:04:14.516)
They say that only like 7 % of communication is the words we use. And the rest is a combination of body language and tone, which we all know that. mean, anybody that’s been using email or text and is in any sort of relationship with anybody knows that you can send one thing and the person receives something totally different. And you can’t, it’s hard to do that in person. And you’re in your, well, you know what? Let’s touch on this because
Edward Lyimo (01:04:18.732)
okay.
Edward Lyimo (01:04:23.384)
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:04:35.808)
Yes, very much so.
Jason Elkins (01:04:44.064)
When I started to ask you about how you find your clients, that’s when you mentioned, oh, well, I’m in LA now. So let’s dig into that a little bit. Are you living in LA? OK. All right.
Edward Lyimo (01:04:46.562)
Yes.
Yes.
Right. Yes. So we’re based out of LA now, me and my wife, and we both run the business. So we run the sales division from Los Angeles and the operations in
Jason Elkins (01:05:01.898)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (01:05:07.486)
OK, and then the operations is handled on the ground there. Do you work both? So you mentioned, think, DMC at some point in the conversation, some of our metal listeners might not know what that is. So let’s clarify what you do with your business. Who is your client? How do you work so people listening to this will know right away if they should be reaching out to you directly or doing something different?
Edward Lyimo (01:05:10.957)
Intensinia.
Edward Lyimo (01:05:16.258)
Okay.
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:05:30.062)
Right. Yeah, so basically, DMC is a destination management company. So we do not outsource. It’s our operation in Tanzania. It’s our guides that are trained in-house. It’s our full staff. Yes, we don’t own own accommodations, but we pair up with great accommodations on the Safari circuit. So we’re also not biased in push in.
pushing in a certain direction because we don’t own the accommodation. So we’re independent.
Jason Elkins (01:06:01.694)
Yeah, I’m happy you mentioned that because that’s something that, well, they’re not big enough to own their own accommodation. Well, you’d be pretty damn big to own enough accommodations that you can actually customize the accommodations to the client’s needs. And when you get that big, then you’ve got other issues, right? So yeah.
Edward Lyimo (01:06:14.816)
Yes, yes.
Yes, yes, yes. It’s a tailor operation where we tailor the itinerary that suits your budget. Again, like we do, I would say, like we start from mid luxury all the way to high end luxury trips and we would pay a trip. We mix and match. There’s no, you don’t have to box in in a certain price category. We mix and match.
Jason Elkins (01:06:44.96)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (01:06:47.712)
in accordance to the trip you want and also what you’re comfortable spending. Yes.
Jason Elkins (01:06:54.08)
Okay, so if I’m just a person in the US or wherever, I guess it could be wherever, but let’s just imagine I’m in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I’m like, yeah, I’ve been wanting to take my family on Safari. They could contact you guys, your link will be in the website or your website link will be in the show notes, but they can reach out to you, do a video call. I hope they do that. And Book a Safari, great. But let’s say I’m…
Edward Lyimo (01:06:59.842)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (01:07:05.933)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:07:09.72)
Wait.
Edward Lyimo (01:07:15.009)
Yes. Yes.
Jason Elkins (01:07:22.3)
Mary and I’m a travel agent or an outbound tour operator. somebody that has a website that offers African safaris on my website, but I don’t, but I live in Iowa and I don’t own anything. I don’t have any guides. I just have a network of people that I use in Africa. Usually could Mary reach out to you and basically work with you on a B2B level as well.
Edward Lyimo (01:07:25.965)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:07:31.095)
first.
Edward Lyimo (01:07:41.334)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:07:48.034)
Yes. Yes, yes. Yes. So we do do both. We do direct to client and we do direct business to business. Yes, we do direct business to business and direct.
Jason Elkins (01:07:48.572)
I know I’m over explaining this for most of our listeners.
Jason Elkins (01:08:00.308)
Okay. So whether you want to go to Africa or you have clients that want to go to Africa, it seems like it would be worth looking at your website, reaching out and setting up a call. You’re right. You’re right. Thank you. That’s good. You caught me. Actually, we should touch on that. We should touch on that because I’ve been to Africa. I know that Africa is a big place and it’s not all the same.
Edward Lyimo (01:08:10.05)
Yes. East Africa. East Africa. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:08:25.686)
Yes. Yes.
Jason Elkins (01:08:27.562)
But I also recognize that a lot of the people you speak with probably don’t realize it’s not all the same. So we should touch on that. What do you want to share about that? Because you kind of caught me in it. I’ve been to Namibia, Zambia, and South Africa. Yeah, so I have a lot more. There’s a lot more to see.
Edward Lyimo (01:08:31.168)
Yes,
And I know you’ve been to Namibia. South Africa, okay. So yeah. you’ve seen Southern Africa, beautiful, beautiful region, beautiful region. And we are up in East Africa. So Tanzania primary, that’s where our operation is based. And we organize tours to Tanzania and the greater East African region. So Rwanda for the guerrilla tricks, Rwanda, Uganda.
Jason Elkins (01:08:49.311)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yeah.
Edward Lyimo (01:09:05.15)
the Gorilla Tracks
Jason Elkins (01:09:09.534)
Right. Yeah. And I knew that. And when I said Africa, I’m curious what you think because
Edward Lyimo (01:09:14.221)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (01:09:18.784)
80%. I’m thinking 80 % of people that have this vision in their head of going to Africa, it’s probably safari. And the vision they see when they think of safari is a picture of the migration, which is Eastern Africa. Or do you know the numbers? Does Eastern Africa get significantly more than Southern Africa, or is it pretty balanced?
Edward Lyimo (01:09:25.251)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:09:33.932)
Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:09:44.846)
No, southern Africa gets more. They get more bad and it’s because of the infrastructure.
Jason Elkins (01:09:48.362)
They do.
Jason Elkins (01:09:53.2)
well, yeah, okay.
Edward Lyimo (01:09:54.358)
Yeah, there’s this, know, South Africa as a country, for example, has, is a huge base for international flights. So the ease of getting in, but that is changing. Yes, yes, but that is changing. That is changing. I haven’t looked at the data post COVID, but there is, I would be surprised if,
Jason Elkins (01:10:03.953)
That’s true. Because a lot of people fly into Johannesburg and then go up north, right? Yeah, okay.
Edward Lyimo (01:10:21.942)
I know for sure East Africa is punching above its weight right now. But I don’t know how significant it has moved. Because I know, for example, Ethiopian Airlines out of Ethiopia is a huge continental carrier. And so they have really helped, because they are based out of East Africa, so they’ve really helped with international flights into that region.
Jason Elkins (01:10:25.812)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (01:10:39.455)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (01:10:45.44)
Right. Right. I’m going to, but I’ll tell you what, Ed, I’m going to stick with what I said. I’m going to go back to what I said. I’m going to stick with it because if you’re the person that I just know I want to go to Africa, but I don’t know where because most don’t. I don’t think most people do. So if you want to go to Africa, you’ve got this picture of elephants and giraffes and lions and wildebeest, then don’t overthink this. Just go to Ed’s website.
Edward Lyimo (01:10:52.322)
Yeah. OK. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:10:58.242)
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Jason Elkins (01:11:15.435)
Maybe you’ll end up going to Southern Africa. I don’t know. But the point is, don’t overthink it. Because I think that’s a challenge for a lot of people. like, I want to go to Africa, but I’m not sure which country. Well, think Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia. There’s quite a few you probably can’t go too wrong with, right? Maybe South Africa. No. Good for you.
Edward Lyimo (01:11:24.332)
Way to
Edward Lyimo (01:11:32.686)
You can’t go wrong with East Africa. You can’t go wrong with East Africa.
Jason Elkins (01:11:43.208)
So that implies you could go wrong with other choices. And since Ed does safaris at Eastern Africa, you heard it from the expert. Thank you. I appreciate that.
Edward Lyimo (01:11:49.39)
Yes, the numbers, the wildlife numbers are the best. Tanzania, for example, not to be biased, has the highest lion population in the world, wild lion.
Jason Elkins (01:12:05.36)
Yeah, there’s a difference, right?
Edward Lyimo (01:12:06.414)
Well, yeah, I know. Some people are like, no, no, doesn’t. A wild lion population. have, you know, we have the one of the world’s biggest mammal migration, wildebeest migration. We have plenty of other wildlife, know, your giraffes, you know, the big five. can find your rhinos here. You can find your buffaloes, your leopards, your cheetahs. You know, the typical African safari experience. can’t go, you can’t.
Jason Elkins (01:12:26.867)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (01:12:35.42)
Or and combine that with Kilimanjaro or or whatever. You’ve got also some coastal things, some beaches. Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (01:12:39.424)
And some tropical islands. Yes, you can combine that with a trip to Zanzibar and enjoy the islands. You can’t go wrong with East Africa.
Jason Elkins (01:12:51.04)
All right, well, we’re going leave that part right there. But let me because I know we could probably have a whole series of conversations about Africa and you and your experiences. But I want to do this. What did I forget to ask you? What should I have asked you? I know you mentioned you had a list in case I didn’t ask you. So take a look at that. Is there anything on the list we didn’t cover or anything you want to make sure that our listeners know about you?
Edward Lyimo (01:12:53.294)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:12:58.787)
Yes.
Jason Elkins (01:13:18.526)
life in general, Africa, or any of that stuff before we wrap up.
Edward Lyimo (01:13:23.192)
Well, yes, thank you. We have touched a lot on how to book a safari. We’ve talked about that and how in the steps that I recommend what regions to visit. Sustainability is I encourage people, support businesses that practice sustainability. There’s always the saying that I can’t change it by myself, but if we all
If we all take a step at it, the industry will change. And I will say, having run Christine Trail 16 or more years now, have seen, just for example, with Kilimanjaro, there was a time when we used to be a part of the organization I was talking about, Kilimanjaro Responsible Trekking Organization. There used to be a handful of companies. And now, if you go on that list, there’s so many companies, international and local.
it does make a difference. It really does. It pushes the industry in the right direction. It pushes the industry in right direction. encourage people, if you’re East Africa or South Africa, champion sustainable tourism. And the organizations out there, all businesses will.
Jason Elkins (01:14:31.957)
Mm-hmm.
Edward Lyimo (01:14:49.878)
will share the information on their websites. And yeah, I encourage people to do that.
Jason Elkins (01:14:56.916)
I’m going to ask you, I suspect that if you got on the phone with somebody, you really felt like South Africa or Southern Africa was a better bet for them. I suspect you know enough people that do a great job that you could refer them on, right? don’t want to, because you mentioned we don’t own a hotel, so we’re not a lodge, so we’re not beholden to putting you in that lodge, whatever, whatever. So let’s take that one step further and say, look, if I get on the phone with you and there’s a reason, a good reason for you to do something.
Edward Lyimo (01:15:03.0)
Yeah.
Edward Lyimo (01:15:07.874)
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:15:18.508)
Yes. Yes.
Yes. Yes.
Jason Elkins (01:15:25.926)
and maybe you’re Southern Africa. You’ve been around a while. You know, context. First time I talked to you, you’re like, yeah, I heard your podcast with with Alan, who does safaris in Africa. And, know, you know people. So all right.
Edward Lyimo (01:15:35.95)
Yes. Yes, I do. having had this business for a long time, we have clients that come back that say, Edward, I traveled with you 10 years ago. I want to come back to the region, but not Tanzania. Like I climbed Kilimanjaro. I don’t want to do that again. What can I do now? I want to go to Southern Africa. Do you do that? And we say, no, but do know somebody? And we always keep people in contact.
Jason Elkins (01:15:45.376)
Mm-hmm.
Jason Elkins (01:16:02.174)
And I like the fact that you would say, no, we don’t, because in 16 years you could do it. You could, you could tell someone, you know what? Yeah, we can do a South African safari for you. But anytime you’ve got a tour operator that says, you know what, we don’t do that, but I know somebody that can, that’s a good sign. Because sometimes we get a little caught up in our businesses thinking, well, I don’t want to miss out on anything.
Edward Lyimo (01:16:07.244)
yeah, yeah, Yes, we could.
Edward Lyimo (01:16:18.594)
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:16:28.736)
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Jason Elkins (01:16:29.212)
You know, I want to try and do all of it and you can’t do all of it. It’s like it’s like, you know, the pizza chain selling hamburgers and the hamburger chain selling pizzas. And it’s just like, you know, it’s so much easier just to say, hey, there’s a real good pizza joint right down the street here. So anyway. All right. Any anything else on the list we missed?
Edward Lyimo (01:16:35.821)
Yep.
Edward Lyimo (01:16:39.704)
Pizza.
Edward Lyimo (01:16:44.6)
Right. So we have a great network of other companies that match the standard that we want and that we’re confident in. vice versa, they’re confident in our standard in the East African region. That’s where the business to business component comes in. Yeah, but otherwise, no, we’ve covered a lot. We’ve covered a lot. Yeah.
Jason Elkins (01:17:12.212)
All right, very cool. This has been a fun conversation. I look forward to collaborating with you on some projects in the future, maybe meeting you in Africa, because I have not been to Eastern Africa yet. And it’s on my list. So thank you so much. Appreciate you taking time out of your day with your family and spending it with us. So thank you so much,
Edward Lyimo (01:17:18.05)
Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:17:22.018)
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Edward Lyimo (01:17:29.166)
Thank Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much, Jason. This has been an honor. Yes.
Jason Elkins (01:17:36.62)
It was kind of fun, right? Now, now I’ll share with that. We made it to this point and I’ll share with the audience that you had told me you’d never been on a podcast before. anybody anybody that’s still listening would be shocked to hear that because it was it was a great conversation. So I’m happy, happy we did it and I’ll talk to you soon. OK, thanks.
Edward Lyimo (01:17:42.926)
You know, this is my first.
Edward Lyimo (01:17:48.094)
Yes. Yes.
Thank you. Thank you. Okay, bye bye.
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