I grew up watching the planes land. Then I spent my career making sure travelers got on them.

I was born and raised in Kiembe Samaki, Zanzibar. From our family home you can see the airport. As a child I watched the planes come in and wondered where everyone was going, and what they would find here.

I trained in aviation, then spent ten years at the Coastal Aviation office in Zanzibar, the airline that has flown safari guests across Tanzania since 1987. I worked in reservations, at the check-in counter, and in dispatch. At the counter I checked your bookings, your bag weights, and whether your visa was needed before you arrived or at the border. Then I walked you to the plane.

Later I became Branch Manager of the Safarilink office in Zanzibar, a job I held for three years. My work was simple to say and hard to do: run the office every day so every guest's trip felt smooth. After three years of that, I knew exactly what I wanted to build for myself.

Bush planes are small. Luggage limits are real. One misread ticket can cost a family a whole day.

I remember one evening in particular. A mother arrived at the counter with her children just as we were about to close. She had misread her ticket, and the only flight she needed had left that morning. She was exhausted and the kids were tired. I went to management and pushed until her ticket was moved to the next day at no extra cost, with a hotel booked for the night. She had made an honest mistake, and she did not pay for it.

I have also helped guests who arrived without the right visa for their onward flight, and guests who took the wrong route entirely. Fixing trips was my job. Then I realized I wanted to do it for the people landing at the airport I grew up beside.

So I started V Tours and Safaris.

Zanzibar is easy to love. Adding a safari is where people get nervous. Which flight? How much luggage? Do I need a visa? Before you pay, I check your flights, luggage limits, visas and timings, because I know exactly where trips break. Then I plan your island days and your safari to the Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, the Maasai Mara or the gorillas as one trip.

Come for the beaches. Add the safari. And when you land, I will be there, at the airport I used to watch from home.