Founder & Visionary Lead

Thomas van Ruiten

Thomas van Ruiten is a Dutch executive coach and leadership trainer who traded the Netherlands for Tanzania and built something here instead. His work has always centered on one idea that people are capable of far more than they currently believe, and that the right environment - the right challenge - can prove it to them fast. Besides WeAreTanzania, Thomas van Ruiten runs intensive coaching programs for CEOs, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes across Europe - programs known for being confrontational, deeply personal, and genuinely effective. Clients describe him as someone who asks the questions no one else dares to ask, and who does it with enough humor and warmth that you don't realize how far he's pushed you until afterward. The Kilimanjaro leadership expeditions he runs through WeAreTanzania are a direct extension of that work - using the mountain as a mirror. Twelve days. Africa's highest summit. No standard tracks. By the time you reach Uhuru Peak, the climb is the least interesting thing that happened to you. Tom holds the long-term vision for WeAreTanzania: a company that creates genuine impact for travelers and for the local communities they pass through.

Digital Content Manager & Lead Guest Specialist

Luck Mwaifuge

Luck holds a Bachelor of Arts with Education from St. Augustine University of Tanzania in Mbeya, and has been working in travel content and guest coordination since 2019. He is the person behind the guides that hundreds of travelers read every month before they book - detailed, honest, and written by someone who has actually been to the places he writes about. His knowledge of Tanzania is practical and wide. Zanzibar's beaches, backstreets, and boat schedules. Moshi's guesthouses and gateway routes up Kilimanjaro. Arusha's safari operators and what to ask them before you commit. Luck has spent years building that knowledge on the ground, and it shows in the specificity of everything he writes. Beyond content, Luck handles the full guest journey - from the first chat message to the confirmed itinerary. His background in education shapes how he communicates: clearly, patiently, and with a genuine interest in making sure each traveler actually understands what they're signing up for. He is also an avid reader, which perhaps explains why the guides read the way they do.

Head of Transport & Operations - Zanzibar

Said Maalim

Said was born in Zanzibar, has spent his entire life here, and has more than 15 years of professional experience running ground operations across the island. That combination - being a native and having spent a decade and a half working with travelers - gives him a level of local knowledge that is genuinely hard to find. He leads a team of more than 8 drivers covering every corner of the archipelago: Stone Town airport runs, Nungwi transfers, Paje drop-offs, private beach escapes, and everything in between. He also coordinates our boat operations - and knows the waters around Zanzibar the way most people know their own neighborhood. Sandbanks, tidal windows, which captains to trust and when. Said's network of local operator relationships has been built over years of consistent, fair dealing. When something needs to happen in Zanzibar - fast, reliably, at any hour - Said is the person we call. So is almost everyone else who works seriously in Zanzibar tourism.

Mohamed was born in Moshi, at the foot of Kilimanjaro, and has been working in tourism and transport since he finished secondary school. That is over a decade of daily involvement in the Northern Circuit - the routes, the operators, the lodges, the border procedures, the seasonal patterns, and everything else that determines whether a safari goes smoothly or falls apart. He runs Morgan Travels, a dedicated tourist transport company and a WeAreTanzania sister company, which handles all mainland ground logistics for our guests. Custom 4x4 Land Cruisers for the Serengeti. Shared shuttles from JRO Airport to Moshi and Arusha. Private transfers to Kilimanjaro trailheads. Ngorongoro and Tarangire circuit coordination. Morgan Travels operates at a standard that reflects what WeAreTanzania promises - and Mudi built it from the ground up. When you arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport and your transfer is already waiting, that is Mudi's work. When your 4x4 shows up on time at 5am for a Serengeti game drive, same story.