Mama Temo Tours – Created with a love for Africa
Mama Tembo Tours originated in British Columbia, Canada, in 2005. It found a permanent home in Lusaka, Zambia in 2014. A travel business felt destined in many ways. My husband and I first moved overseas to live in 1990. We have since called 13 countries home around the world, including Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Benin.
I am often asked how I chose the company’s name. The story began in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2000, where the love affair with Africa began. I traveled around Tanzania in an old Toyota in search of material for a book I hoped to write. Over time, the old vehicle earned the nickname Mama Tembo, which in Kiswahili means Mother Elephant. In Tanzania, bus and truck drivers often bear the names of their dilapidated vehicles. This is what happened to Mama Tembo, the Toyota, and her driver. Regrettably, the old car, whose maintenance kept a happy mechanic employed, was sold to a school in 2004. As for the book, yes, it was written, but to this day sits as a manuscript in need of editing and an updated perspective. I leaf through it every so often. I have come to realize its enormous value. The Tanzania I experienced behind Mama Tembo’s wheel no longer exists.
Since its start in Tanzania, Mama Tembo Tours Zambia LTD has grown into an East, West, Central, and Southern Africa specialist. I work in 16 African countries. My broad experience and knowledge of more than one region of the continent make Tembo Tours a qualified consultant for anyone seeking multiple country safaris.
Itinerary creation remains my favorite part of the client relationship. My timelines appeal to those seeking highly personal, quality travel; informed advice over the sugar coating of a destination; and who are as comfortable with bumpy roads in the search for uniqueness as they are with a luxury tented camp or seaside resort.
We give you honest and informed advice and one-on-one support from start to finish. Lusaka-based MTT works in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, the Democratic Rep of Congo, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Gabon, and Benin. Stay in Mama Tembo Tours’ guest house, MT Cheza, two private cottages – one and two bedrooms – on five acres of indigenous forest. MTT Safaris offers bespoke travel for couples, friends, and individuals in fifteen countries in East, West, Central, and Southern Africa. MTT offers guided small group tours both on and off the African continent under its umbrella www.MamaTemboGuidedTravels.com
