The American who has made Tanzania his home for 33 years

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Sal. Originally from New York City, I came to Tanzania in 1990 as a volunteer at a safari camp as a manager. I stayed here for three months, then went back to New York, and then decided I wanted to come back to Tanzania. I spent six months in Tanzania. I once again left, but when I was back in the US, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life in Tanzania. I found a real paying job with a safari company and a work permit and worked as a manager at Selous Game Reserve, which is now a national park. I spent 10 years there; we were flooded and burned by lightning once, but we made it through.

I did a lot of marketing for this company all around Europe and the United States, and after 10 years, I left Selous and moved to Zanzibar.

How did you get to know Tanzania? Did anyone tell you about it?

I always like African wildlife, especially the antelope species. So, I looked at some obscure safari companies that had safaris to the southern circuit, which is Selous, Mikumi, and Ruaha, and not the northern circuit, which is Serengeti and Ngorongoro, which everybody knows. But in the 1990s, there were no flights between these parks, so you had to drive through very bad roads, which would take some time and be very expensive. So, I came when the infrastructure wasn’t so good but the wildlife was fantastic. When I came, you had to struggle to find the wildlife, as most of them kept far from people’s areas; they would run the minute they heard the sound of a car. From the 1990s to the early 2000s, the infrastructure improved, and regular flights were available between the parks.

You talk about the southern circuit, which wasn’t that well known; you could easily go to the Serengeti and work there; why didn’t you?

There was this specific species of antelope that I wanted to see, and you could only see them in Ruaha and Saleous. That’s what drew me to these parks, and when I was there, it was a privilege because you could drive for hours and not see another vehicle. But now what has changed is that more tourists are coming to the southern circuit. Back then, you couldn’t market it as your first safari experience.

How was tourism marketing done back then?

Back then, you had two major travel shows: one in London and another in Berlin, and you had to be in those shows, waving the flag and handing out brochures. That’s how it was done. I don’t think travel shows are still around; today, you can just google Tanzania and get all the information you need.

 One of the contentious issues was that Tanzania couldn’t market itself as a tourism destination. How did that change?

It started in the travel show, when the Tanzania tourism sector realized they do have amazing places people can visit, and the smart thing they did was with their logo: “Tanzania, the land of Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar” (later on, Serengeti was added), and people started noticing it, and that was the takeoff, that was the game changer.

From the 1990s to date, you have been to many places in Tanzania; what’s your most memorable experience?

I think Selous is a very special place because of the rivers. Most of the camps are by the river, and I lived by the lake for 5 years.

I grew with the camp; the camps got bigger, and we grew so much that at some point we had a hard time handling all the tourists who were coming to our camp; we had to put up extra tents.

There’s also Ruaha. The thing I remember the most is being attacked by buffalo. I was tossed by a buffalo and survived. I was walking very early in the morning, and I was walking toward the sunlight, so I couldn’t see very well with the sun in my eyes.

The buffalo just came out of nowhere, tossed me, and punctured my leg. I thank God I was in soft sand, so it couldn’t navigate; it hit me up with its horns for a bit and ran off.

Tell us about your business and work experience in Tanzania.

From Selous, I went to Zanzibar, then came to Dar es Salaam and opened three restaurants with my business partners. We had a very successful business, and after I left that business, I just became a consultant in the tourism and hospitality sectors. I worked in Mikumi, Ngorongoro, and I even worked on a private island called Fanjove.

It was owned by coastal travel. It’s a small island with cottages; it’s a paradise, and that’s the most beautiful place I have ever worked.

What are some of the things that a tourist should consider before choosing a destination to travel to?

As a tourist from the US, the first thing they should consider is the stability of the government. One thing I love about Tanzania is that it’s a stable country. The first thing people say when they get here is, “Oh, such beautiful people.”

I don’t think I should talk politics, but I think it goes down to Mwalimu Nyerere and what he established: that there is no tribalism, Muslims and Christians live in peace, people walk around smiling, and Americans would always say that to me even when I meet them in the states.

Does the documentary “The Royal Tour” resonate with Americans?

Yes, it does. The fact that the president took her time to do it and put that much energy into it as a leader driving around, I think it was great. It painted a very good and positive picture of Tanzanian tourism.

In your opinion, what parts of the southern circuit should be covered to attract more tourists?

Turning Selous into a national park was much needed and has been done; it should be marketed as the hidden attraction.

Tourism in the south is more expensive, but apart from that, the roads are much better and there are nice hotels along the way. It’s a different experience; you have rivers and lakes, and there is nowhere else you can have that; there is a walking safari—no car engines—just walking with a ranger, and it should be marketed as such.

Tell us more about your book.

“Intrigued by Africa’’ is a memoir about me growing up in New York and being intrigued by antelopes. The book is basically about my first six months in Ruaha. Remember, I was a city boy from New York pursuing an acting career in operas, doing TV commercials, and working in restaurants like all actors do, and in two weeks I was in the middle of the bush with nothing but a suitcase.

I had a big pen and wrote all the Kiswahili words so I could remember them. I had a difficult childhood, got through that, and made it to Ruaha. So, the book is about that.

What other major travel experiences have you had in Tanzania?

In 1997, during Easter, Prince Charles (now the King) and his children; Prince William and Harry, came with an entourage and took over the whole camp. It was a very rainy season, and I went fishing with Prince William. The family had a very nice time.

Was the visit to Tanzania therapeutic for you?

Sal: Yes, coming from a competitive acting career and all the high techs to a camp in Selous surrounded by nature, and having the time of my own, helped me think about what was important for me. I learned a lot from the people I worked with, and I hope they learned a little bit from me. The simplicity of the new life was good for me.

What was one of the major culture shocks that hit you when you got here?

Ramadhan, a few of the staff around me were from a community nearby and when Ramadhan came they couldn’t eat all day. Before that, I had never heard of Ramadan, so I didn’t understand, I was amazed how they could manage to stay all day without eating, but later I got used to it. Another culture shock was being around people who didn’t speak English. I would find one person who spoke English, and that was the person I held on to until I learned Kiswahili.

What was the method you used to learn Kiswahili?

I had a tiny book that had Kiswahili words, and I would get a pen and write the words I heard. The mistake I made was directly translating from an English sentence to Kiswahili, and that never worked.

What are your views on Tanzania’s tourism industry in 2023?

It’s very much improved; accommodations are better; the infrastructure is better; and camps are improved. The effort by the government and those in the tourism industry is great; they are light years ahead of when I last came. I think they have done well; they would just make sure they don’t saturate the camps with too many lodges.

For the local small-scale entrepreneurs like the Tingatinga painters, woodcarvers, etc., do you think they have fully benefited from tourism?

Of course, I mean if you go to all the major tourist hotels and camps and find them selling their Tingatingas and kikois, I think that side business has helped the people for sure. It’s now a big commercial aspect of tourism.

If someone wants to have your book, is it only on Amazon?

My book is on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and it’s an ebook. I didn’t make a paperback; you have to have a Kindle.