ABOUT US
A BRIEF HISTORY
We have an excellent dedicated team on the ground in Tanzania, Slovakia and the UK. Whilst our life in travel began in Tanzania almost thirty years ago, during that time we have expanded into superb and unique wildlife tours in Slovakia and the UK. Our focus has always been to offer an experience with a difference whether that be to venture into wilder unknown places or to stay in a unique accommodation. Our tours will take guests to places others have not reached in a sustainable way.
BESPOKE TRIPS
Working as one with the teams on the ground, we are able to push the barriers and give you a fantastic mix of classic destinations served up with a unique twist, and brand new adventures, available nowhere else.
PUTTING SOMETHING BACK
At the heart of what we do is a commitment to conservation born out of our work with our partners in Tanzania from elephant collaring projects which helped hugely in focusing the government’s attention on the huge poaching of ivory, to bringing out doctors and dentists from the UK to train local villagers in basic healthcare to save lives. This support continued into Slovakia and bear collaring to help educate the community on how to live with bears and value them. Footloose gives back an unprecedented 10% on all tours to chosen conservation projects. In the background, we are deeply involved in our own conservation work; work our travelers will often have unique access to.
MEET THE TEAM
DAVID GUTHRIE
David, company director, has an astonishing knowledge of wildlife, conservation and a passion for creating innovative tours. He has spent most of the last 30 years in Tanzania as a conservationist, guide and safari tour owner/operator of A Tent With A View Safaris, a tour operation he set up with friend and business partner Masa Kilanga in 1995. Whilst living in Tanzania, David set up the Tanzania Elephant Protection Society with the late world-renowned elephant expert Dr Alfred Kikoti and together they lobbied the Tanzanian government to dedicate funds into a much-needed anti-poaching initiative in 2011/12. In the mid noughties, David, whilst on “holiday” in Slovakia set up a bear collaring project which he runs to this day with the Slovak team on the ground and personally guides our “Walking with Bears” tours whenever he can.
TARA GUTHRIE
Having visited David in Tanzania from the mid-nineties, Tara finally moved there in 2005 and lived and worked there for 10 years, first as a lawyer, before joining A Tent With A View to help with the marketing of their camps and lodges. During this time, Tara gained first-hand, in-depth, knowledge of all things Tanzania. It’s Tara’s view that nowhere on the planet offers the diversity of what Tanzania has to offer a traveller. Like David, Tara has great links with many operations on the ground in Tanzania to cover any tour. As part of Footloose, she is lending this expertise into developing new and interesting product, all with a unique wildlife conservation angle.
MASOUD KILANGA
Masoud, known as Masa, is co-founder of A Tent With A View with David and is our FD as well as chief architect responsible for the building of all of our safari camps. There is little that Masa can’t achieve; even the maddest of ideas that some out of David’s mouth! Masa spends his year in Tanzania with occasional visits to the UK to support marketing campaigns. Father to 5 daughters and 2 sons and grandad to 7 grandchildren, Masa is kept busy when he manages to get home too! You are also likely to meet Masa out on safari when he guides.
DAVID TAYLOR
David is our accountant and financial controller. He balances our books and produces our financial reports. He has toured extensively in North and Central America and is a keen skier and cyclist.
FABIOLA MUKUNGU
Fabiola, known as Fabi, has been a member of the team since 2015 and with Rey is likely to be the first port of call for our clients. Fabi was literally thrown in at the deep end when she took on the challenge of becoming part of the management team at our Zanzibar hotel. After a couple of years at The Zanzibari hotel, Fabi moved to the office to take on sales and was based with the office team at Simply Saadani Camp waking up each morning to stunning Indian Ocean views and a walk through the bush to her office. These days the sales and logistics team are based in Dar es Salaam and Fabi heads up the sales team with Rey.
REHEMA KILANGA
Rehema, affectionately known as Rey, is the 3rd eldest daughter of Masa and a key member of our team. Rey did her degree in accounting and is now using these considerable skills for the benefit of our company and is in training to eventually take over the FD role from her dad. You will also meet Rey in sales as she works closely with Fabiola putting together super tour presentations as well as the pricing of tours. Rey got married just last year and is mum to a gorgeous little girl. It’s remarkable to think that Rey was just a baby herself when A Tent With A View began.
JANET & ANDREW MCDOUGALL
Janet followed her love of travel by becoming involved in Footloose over 25 years ago. Janet and her husband Andrew are company directors and have travelled extensively in Africa, India and the Americas. They have collectively climbed Kilimanjaro seven times.
PETER LAPSANSKY
Peter Lapsansky is the main man on the ground in Slovakia. Peter was born in the beautiful High Tatras mountains and there is little he doesn’t know about the area and indeed the rest of Slovakia too. David and Tara met Peter in 2008 when Stunning Slovakia was set up with the initial purpose of Bear research in the High Tatras. The tourism element shortly followed with the philosophy of small numbers in each group between 2-6. Peter and David tour lead the groups with local rangers taking guests into areas where others cannot go for the best brown bear sightings without bating in Europe. Dad to Emma and husband to Joska, Peter is kept busy running his own successful pension in the shadow of the High Tatras.
