UMCTO’s safari guiding and hotel management programs include field training in places like Lake Manyara, teaching students to engage guests, identify wildlife, and manage logistics. Zawadi’s performance reflects how our courses prepare graduates to create memorable experiences.
The Udzungwa Mountains College Trust Organization (UMCTO) was established in 2008 in Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, pioneering the training of tours professionals to prepare students to become competent safari guides and hospitality experts. Our safari guiding and hotel management programs see students in some of Tanzania’s most renowned locales, like Lake Manyara National Park, where they familiarize themselves with guests, wildlife spotting, and logistical challenges. This week, our students led an incredible safari in Lake Manyara, of a style and rigor that their training will allow them to facilitate in the tourism industry upon reaching graduation. In this post, we look again at the impressive journey of our students, especially Zawadi whose performance is a testament to the vision UMCTO has for creating great professionals.
Field Training in Lake Manyara’s Diverse Ecosystems
The safari guiding and hotel management programs at UMCTO are immersive, experiential and based in immediate access-field learning at some of the world’s most beautiful places, such as Lake Manyara National Park, an easily accessible but awe inspiring small reserve, known for its tree-climbing lions, flamingo covered lakes, and spectacular variety of habitats. Taking up 330 sq. Km, with nearly two-thirds taken up by the alkaline lake, Lake Manyara is the perfect training ground for honing the students skills in regard to animal tracking, guest dealing and logistical management. Featuring sage instruction, students explore the park’s acacia woodlands, savannahs and forested areas while creating lasting memories.
While on the recent trip, students like Zawadi got to use those skills in the field. They learned to identify the wildlife, from spotting Maasai giraffes to watching the park’s well-known tree-climbing lions; they perfected the logistics of a safari-management level, coordinating a game drive and safeguarding guests. UMCTO is a registered institution with NACTE (REG/BTP/044P) that offers modular courses which allow students to study at their own pace to prepare for the challenges of technical work in guiding and hospitality roles.
Zawadi’s Performance: Crafting Unforgettable Experiences
Zawadi is an incredibly dedicated student of our safari guiding course and a perfect example of the professionalism that our team at UMCTO passed on to him. Guiding faux tourists through Lake Manyara Zawadi dazzled her mob with colorful shout-outs of the park’s biodiversity from the flocks of flamingos lining the shores of the lake to the rare tree-climbing lions resting in acacia trees. The transformative experience she provides to guests through her storytelling of the park’s ecosystems and cultural significance aligns with UMCTO’s belief in the power of storytelling.
Zawadi coordinated our game drives around the hippo pool, ensuring that we kept to our schedule but also stayed safe when up-close encounters occurred with either elephants or baboons. Her role expanded to the hospitality sector where she exercised hotel management skills — setting up a mock dining experience at a lodge in which guests would dine on local meals while taking in views of the Rift Valley escarpment. This achievement further emphasizes UMCTO’s training strategy, which prepares students in various aspects of service as hosts and guides, explaining Zawadi’s success.
UMCTO’s Edge: Practical, Industry-Ready Training
Based on practical and hands-on learning that integrates theory and practice, UMCTO’s programs are based on the vision of our founder Mr. Edgardo Kabulwa Welelo who is a professional naturalist guide. With over 17 years of experience and in Proud Partnership with Cambridge International College(ASC1183), UMCTO has trained tour guides and hospitality professionals who are the envy of east Africa! This is why we train our graduates, like Zawadi, in skills such as wildlife identification, guest engagement and handling, and logistics management, to prepare them to create unforgettable safari experiences for guests while respecting our principles of conservation. UMCTO welcomes students from different backgrounds who have the passion to study in UMCTO through low-cost and flexible payment and modular modes of study.
Start Your Journey with UMCTO
Impressed with Zawadi’s achievements in Lake Manyara? Earn your place amongst nature by training in safari guiding and hotel management in some of the most iconic places in the world such as Lake Manyara National Park with the opportunity of a life time through UMCTO that turns your passion for wildlife & hospitality into a career. Get in touch with us at +255 784 815 517 | trust@udzungwamountainscollege.ac.tz or visit our offices at PO Box 17, Old Moshi Street, NSSF Building, Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, and discover the many programs that UMCTO offers and let UMCTO guide you through your first steps today!