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| Michael Nelson Ntiyu |
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| Christina Helbig |
Who are the founders of CT?
Chagga Tours was founded by mountain guide Michael Nelson Ntiyu of Tanzania and investor and hiker Christina Helbig of Germany. Not only has Michael successfully guided more than 150 groups to the summit of Kilimanjaro (he has stopped counting by 150), but in 1999 (Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition), we believe him to be the first black climber who climbed Mt. Everest all the way to the North Cole (7010m). Mike understands the problems that confront climbers and makes their welfare first and center, helping each mountaineer to the summit within the bounds of individual limits. Mike, originally from Himo, Tanzania, grew up in Marangu, and is a Chagga in touch with the traditions of his people. He has transformed himself into a multicultural communicator, easily travelling between his and Western culture with a good command of the English language.
Christina Helbig, after two successful Kilimanjaro climbs, became very impressed with Mike’s leading and decided to build a tour company with Mike. Christina is also interested in the local culture. Tours are offered that are not mountain treks. They feature instead the cultural achievements of the Chagga, namely the irrigation canals, which seem to flow uphill (built hundreds of years ago), and the terraced cultivation of plants in the Chagga farmlands.
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Who else belongs to Chagga Tours?
Since June 2007 we are proud tenants of an office in Moshi, which is our second local office in Tanzania. An office in the city means, to show color- we love blue and yellow. Tourists come and ask what kind of tours we offer. We try particularly to promote our bike-tours and the KiliMAN challenge KiliMAN, things, with which we want to differ from more than 300 other route enterprises in the Kilimanjaro region. On the picture taken at the opening of our office you can see in the first row (left to right) Richard, Tuma and Samson, who are working as porters at Chagga Tours. Richard and Samson were only able to finish 11 years of school, since their parents are too poor to afford further education. Richard and Samson want to grow and learn with Chagga Tours. Tuma (sounding like Yuma, the house boy in “ Out Of Africa 8221;) is also our man for everything. We particularly like to send him to fetch the banana beer. In the second row you see Magret and Freddy, the only employees of Chagga Tours, which already receive a small, but firm salary. They are responsible to take care of the office. Then comes the management: Yona, Mike and Christina, all directors of Chagga Tours. Last row (from left to right): Gerald, a very experienced Mountain Guide and James, our cook and sport champion (without preparation he came in as the fifth person at the KiliMAN 2007, even though he before had never participated in a marathon). We have also many freelancers who work for Chagga Tours. They all have excessive mountain experience. Our office in Moshi is well known and the local people have already named the road where it is situated the “Bike Street”!