Willy Chambulo’s story is inspirational in every sense of the word. Starting with nothing and with only an elementary education, he has built a remarkable legacy in Tanzania’s tourism industry, carving out his own distinguished place by taking risks and recognizing opportunities. Today, Willy is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Tanganyika Wilderness Camps and Chairman of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO). He is also the founder of Kibo Guides.
More than a highly successful entrepreneur, Willy is a change agent who is transforming his home country’s tourism industry, which was previously dominated by foreigners. For him, success means doing something that helps his people, government, and the tourism sector, and helping the wild nature of this world to survive.
Willy fears nothing. “When I was born, I had nothing, and my family was not wealthy either,” he shares. “So, I don’t fear the lose of anything. I can sleep anywhere, and I don’t need luxury. I can jump on a bicycle, and it will take me wherever I need to go.”
Making of a Remarkable Entrepreneur in Tanzania’s Tourism Space
Willy’s inspiration to make a career in the tourism industry stems from multiple sources, foremost being his late father, who worked in the industry. Also, growing up in Tanzania during the 1960s and 1970s, he was fascinated by foreign tourists visiting his country. As a young boy, Willy would step out of his village and walk to the main roads to catch glimpses of tour vehicles painted like zebras. They used to carry visitors – whom locals called “Mzungu” or white people – from place to place. He also recalls that sometimes they would go to hotels where they would see these foreigners from afar, wearing cameras and binoculars. In a time when seeing foreigners was rare in his community, these tourists sparked his curiosity. The third reason was his birthplace: “I was born in the wild.”
Willy grew up in Arusha in northern Tanzania, a region surrounded by magnificent attractions like Ngorongoro, Serengeti National Park, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire National Park, with Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, to the east. “I was in the middle of opportunities,” he says. “In Tanzania, or specifically in Arusha, most people are engaged in the tourism business because it’s like the center of tourism in Tanzania.”
Willy began his professional journey as a motor vehicle mechanic in a tour company – fixing cars. He then started working as a guide. He recalls working for a company on a salary less than half a dollar per month in today’s terms. But from there his career began to evolve slowly. He taught himself English and also learned to speak German and a bit of Spanish to communicate with more tourists.
When former clients began referring new tourists to Willy – particularly visitors from the U.S.– he recognized the opportunity in the field of tour guides. In 1991, he launched his own venture, Kibo Guides, specializing in guided tours in Tanzania.
“That is how I started as an entrepreneur and moved all the way to where I am now,” Willy says. “I’m climbing the ladder day by day, and I still feel that I’m not at the top of what is really possible because the opportunity in the tourism industry seems immense.”
Association with TATO
The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) has been around since 1983. It is a private association formed by tour operators to support each other, lobby with the government, discuss compliance and a good code of conduct for wildlife, and more. “When tourists face issues, TATO members step in to help because tourism is their business,” Willy says. “That is how I ended up in TATO.”
He has been a TATO member since 1992, and he eventually ended up becoming its chairman. Before that, he served as vice chairman for a couple of years. “I have been TATO chairman for 12 years, and I have resigned three times, only to be re-elected each time,” Willy says. “Sometimes, frustration makes you want to leave, but members always bring me back.”
TATO is affiliated with international organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa (APTA). This year, in September, APTA will hold its World Forum Meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, and Willy and his team are going to host it. They also engage with the government Tanzania National Business Council, where Willy serves on the tourism task force. According to him, this role allows him to work with the government and its ministries and ensure a favorable environment for tourism businesses, foreign investors, and local partners.
Willy’s focus has always been on developing tourism in Tanzania. He also encourages Tanzanians to run their own businesses, and he is always available to guide them through teaching and training.
Founding Two Companies
Willy is the founder of two companies, Kibo Guides and Tanganyika Wilderness Camps, which he co-founded in 2000.
Willy’s first company, Kibo Guides, was founded when he was still working as a guide. “Kibo” comes from the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, which symbolizes reaching the top. He started this company with just one vehicle, then added two more, and gradually, grew the company to 150 vehicles. Willy informs that about 5 years ago, he sold Kibo to his daughter, who now runs it while paying him in installments.
In 2000, he started a property company, Tanganyika Wilderness Camps. As a guide, he noticed that tourists could not find comfortable accommodations in Tanzania. A majority of hotels were government-run, and they lacked basic amenities. Willy saw an opportunity, seeing tourists complaining about no towels, water scarcity, unavailability of Coca-Colas. At the time, he had a three-bed room house, and he and his family began hosting travelers there. Soon, Willy began camping safaris. His business grew, and so did the demand from his guests. They wanted private room accommodations.
In 2002, Willy bought land near the Ngorongoro Highlands to build accommodations. At the time, the land cost $135,000. As he lacked funds and the banks were unwilling to give him loans, he used his savings to build nine rooms – and then he ran out of money. “I didn’t even have the money to put a roof on it,” Willy recalls.
Fortunately, during a safari, he met an American, Alan Lewis – who passed away two years ago – who offered him a loan of $30,000 to put the roof. He gave the loan on the condition that he could send guests to Willy’s lodge. With this arrangement, he paid him back over time.
“He started to send guests from the U.S.,” Willy says. “I gradually began paying like $40 per person per night or $50. Then, the business started to grow.” This led to construction of 10 more rooms, and another 10 rooms. Today, they have two lodges – Farmhouse and Farmhouse Valley within a 500-acre property.
Tanganyika Wilderness Camps has consistently been on an upward trajectory. Willy points out that they have been adding about 100 beds each year. They also expanded into the Serengeti and other areas, acquiring more land and building new lodges. They now operate 33 properties, with 1,600 bed nights available daily – 90% of their customers are tourists. Willy recently oversaw the construction of the 35th lodge, which set to open in June. “My plan is to build permanent lodges or camps in each of the different national parks,” he says. It is because there is a real shortage of accommodations for tourists, especially in southern Tanzania.
Willy is now sharing ownership of his companies. His family, loyal employees, and a Spanish partner – previous employee — now hold shares in his business. “Employees who have worked with me for over 10 or 20 years are also receiving shares,” he says. “Once I step back, I want to see the company run the same way it does now.”
100% Involved in the Company
As Managing Director, Willy oversees everything – from cooking to fixing, planning, training, human resources, and finance. “Everything has to pass through me,” he says. He is actively involved in solving staff problems and taking disciplinary actions when needed. He also teaches his kitchen staff how to cook and serve at the table. “I’m 100% involved in the company,” Willy underscores.
Unlike other leaders in the tourism industry, Willy knows all his staff by their names. For example, he knows the names of the chefs working at every one of their properties. Also, Willy knows what food was cooked the day before and which clients are problematic. He points out that he knows when clients enter their rooms and when they need to be shifted to another lodge. “I make sure to have all the information every single day,” he says. “We have WhatsApp groups where all the managers report to me about everything throughout the day.” Willy is also always moving around and overseeing things. He does not prefer to sit in his office in Arusha.
And he does not believe in keeping his personal and professional life separate. “I mix together personal and professional life,” he says. Willy’s entire family is involved in the business, offering their support and expertise. Willy shares that his 800 employees are his personal life. “I live among them,” he adds.
The Leadership Approach
As a leader, Willy believes in proving to his community, government, and fellow business community that he is a “clean” man. “To lead people, who trust you, you have to be honest, not evade taxes, or engage in corruption,” he says. “You have to set an example for them.” He explains that he cannot tell someone to not do a certain thing if he is doing the same thing. He also believes in being the first one to show how something is done, as he believes leaders lead people by showing it and not by saying it.
Willy is honest with the team he leads. He believes in telling them the truth – what is wrong and right; but not for a moment he is arrogant. Humility is Willy’s most obvious virtue. He also values sharing his expertise and business ideas with others.
When others approach him asking, “How did you build this?” he says, “Come here, I’ll give you the map of my lodges. Go into my room, and measure wall to wall. If you want to copy everything, go ahead.”
“I want people and members of the association to become successful like me,” Willy says. “I don’t want to compete with them.”
And Willy understands the importance of considering all perspectives — those of the government, private sector, business community, non-business community, employers, guides, and drivers. “I take all the opinions and see which one works best for everyone,” he says.
“I speak to everyone, and sometimes I sacrifice myself to take on the burdens of others as a leader,” he adds. According to Willy, leadership is about allowing people to decide who their leader is rather than imposing leadership upon them.
Plans for the Future
Willy never plans for anything ahead. “I don’t have a specific master plan,” he says. Whenever he sees an opportunity, he talks to his team about it. For example, investing in a new property if it has business potential. Willy says that he simply goes for it.
However, his children have a vision different from his. Willy says that they want to do something that he never did before. “They want to go farther,” he adds.
For example, his daughter, who studied in New York, wants to focus on air travel – which will reduce tourists’ travel time. “She wants to fly our guests from one property to another,” Willy explains. “They can then reach a place faster, which will allow them to enjoy more time in the wildlife areas.” For this purpose, Willy’s daughter intends to buy an air company soon.
“I believe an air company is an additional niche for our company, allowing us to expand further and broaden our horizons,” he adds. “We can reach places where it’s difficult to access by road.”
Willy sees a need to expand in southern Tanzania, and they want to make that happen to make tourists interested in this region of the country. Without money from tourists, it’ll be tough to sustain these places, Willy says. He and his team intend to make these places sustainable, especially the national parks.
Willy is already planning for succession. He shares that his family will take over from him, and he is also making his staff shareholders in his company.
Advice to Aspiring Leaders
Willy advises aspiring leaders in the tourism industry to be not jealous, disciplined, patient, precise, and love what they are doing. “If you don’t love it, don’t do it,” Willy says. “Don’t do it for money. It’ll never work. I never did anything expecting to get money the next morning.”
He also tells aspiring leaders to give customers what they want and think about what they themselves want. And Willy encourages them to take risks. “If you don’t take risks, you’ll be employed for the rest of your life,” he adds. “Go for it. Don’t give up. Just go for it.”
