Erick took me on a hike to Mount Meru Waterfall, an easy hike but a day-long one because we started walking from downtown Arusha. It was a last-minute inquiry, but he came through! After picking up snacks downtown, we hopped on a dala dala (mini bus) to the starting point of the hike.

We walked through villages before reaching the park where the actual hike started. Along the way, we counted many churches, plants (mangos, bananas, avocados, many more I can’t remember) and tried to identify a few birds. Erick was a wonderful, helpful guide — we stopped for breaks whenever I needed them, and he helped me through some of the more slippery bits of the river.

I’m scared of heights, but he convinced me to follow him up the waterfall, then he quickly hopped back off to take photos of me, before climbing back up to help me down. Near the end of the hike, he was happy to wait for almost an hour while the clouds cleared up so I could get a good shot of Mount Meru. During that time we met and spent time with local villagers — he translated for us because I speak nearly no Swahili.

While we hiked, Erick shared his inspiring journey that led to founding this business. I’m very happy to have crossed Erick’s path. He’s a hard-working young man who really cares about his customers, and all his tours are reasonably-priced. I highly recommend Hakuna Matata Walking Tours!

I had such a great time that I immediately booked a second tour to visit a Maasai village, also a unique experience. :-)

-Dian