Wilderness Legends Africa is a safari tour company based in Arusha, Tanzania. Our mission is to deliver safari services which exceed the expectations of travelers, care for their safety, and guarantee they have the safari of a lifetime! The company offers tailor-made travel to many of Tanzania’s natural wonders, including the Serengeti Plains, Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and Ruaha National Park. We own the latest fleet of Safari Land Cruisers and maintain them to the highest standards, assuring that you can enjoy unlimited game viewing activities during your safari.
Meet our amazing team.
Our guides are the best in the business. They are well-educated through extensive coursework and personal research on the flora, fauna and ecology of Tanzania’s parks. They are expert game trackers with an encyclopedic knowledge of East Africa. With a combined experience of 80+ years, they are highly trained in safari and tour operations, hospitality principles, safety & first aid, rough road driving, wildlife identification and wilderness ethics. They are all multi-lingual, at a minimum speaking English, Swahili, and a tribal language, often with one or more other world languages.
Donatus Gadiye, founder and co-owner, was encouraged to take up guiding by friends and tourists on safari who came to appreciate his confident leadership style and unbounded knowledge of East Africa. Donatus completed outdoor leadership and wilderness skills coursework by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Lander, Wyoming, USA and Wilderness Inquiry (WI) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. NOLS and WI provided instrumental training in outdoor skills like rock climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, and safari transport. They also imparted the philosophy of “Leave No Trace” wilderness ethics as well as addressing the many dimensions of ecotourism. Donatus passed these courses with distinction, acquiring the necessary skills to become a superior guide and tour operator.
In addition to his outdoor leadership training, Donatus has a Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management from Egerton University in Kenya. As the Senior Conservation Officer in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), he coordinates population monitoring for elephants and all other wildlife in the NCA. During his career as a park warden, Donatus has worked for the protection of the Northern Highland Forest Reserve as well as monitoring and protection of black rhinos on the Ngorongoro Crater floor.
Deborah Cash, U.S. Liaison, is a naturalist and event planner in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She has bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Studies and Secondary Science Education, as well as training in wilderness skills, nature interpretation and outdoor education. Her love of natural history and traditional cultures led her to explore the compelling wildlife, landscapes and charismatic peoples of Tanzania. Her role with the company will be to act as a stateside, English language contact for answering trip inquiries, communicating with tour operators, and assisting with promotions and marketing efforts in the U.S.
Cynthia and Steve Adams In 2021 Cynthia and Steve made the bold decision to up and leave the U.S. and strike out on a new adventure in Tanzania. A passion for art, culture and wildlife has them now happily working with Wilderness Legends, developing creative specialty safaris. Bringing their thirty year careers as professional artists to the safari industry is opening up a new and exciting way of how to travel and how to create. Years ago they spent time in Italy attending an art workshop, surrounded by a beautiful and inspirational environment that they shared with other artists from around the world. The idea of one day creating that experience for others to enjoy has never left them, and they are excited to now make this happen for you in Tanzania.
Elia Chonjo, guide
