Twiga Tours was named the world’s leading safari company during the World Travel Awards held in Muscat, Oman on 12th November 2022. The Company was founded by Minaz Manji and his father in 1980 and has been in existence for over 42 years.
Here is the success story of the family owned company as told by WoK.
Background
Minaz Manji was born in Eldoret. He attended Aga Khan primary school, Uasin Gishu primary school and Goan School from 1960 to 1967. He joined Uasin Gishu Secondary School where he sat for his final exams in 1971. He moved to the United Kingdom where he joined Willesden College of Technology.
Establishing Twiga Tours
Growing up, Minaz had interacted with wildlife at an early age. He traveled with his father to different parts of Kenya and Uganda. After he returned from the United Kingdom in 1976, Minaz started touring every game park in the country. A few years later in August 1980, he shared an idea of starting a tours company with his father and the two established Twiga Tours and from humble beginnings it grew to become a world class company.
“We saw the need to offer visitors the traditional African hospitality and treat them as our long lost relatives who had come to visit us and that has been our philosophy to date but it wasn’t easy at the time to get international visitors overnight so we rented our minivans to tour companies that needed our vehicles whilst promoting our company both locally and internationally,” he told the Star newspaper.
By 1984, Twiga Tours had moved from renting their minivans to a company known for providing quality and affordable tour services. Today, the company under the leadership of Minaz Manji who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), is a renowned brand that is recognized and respected by travel agents, wholesalers and safari enthusiasts globally.
It mainly focuses on offering highly personalized African Safari experiences across the East African countries. The company has in the past been voted as Africa’s Leading Luxury Safari Company and the World’s Responsible Tourism Award by World Travel Awards which are considered as the ‘Oscars’ of the travel industry.
Winning the 2022 Awards
On Saturday November 12th 2022 during the World Travel Awards held in Muscat, Oman, Twiga Tours was named as the World Leading Safari Company. The company emerged top amongst other tours and travel companies across the world during the 29th anniversary Grand Tour – an annual search for the best tours and travel organization in the world.
Speaking to the press after scooping the award, Minaz Manji thanked everyone who took time to vote for the company.
“This is a great achievement for the company and the entire team. Winning this award on a global level is a testament to what our company stands for – quality and unique experiences. We take this opportunity to thank our amazing guests and partners across the globe for their confidence in us. It has been a hard journey since our company’s inception 42 years ago but sheer hard work, dedication and the passion to create and provide the highest level of personal service has seen the growth of the company. We are proud of our achievements on the global platform,” he said.
During the same event, Kenya was crowned as the World’s leading Safari destination.
The Manji Foundation
Following the success of Twiga Tours, the Manji family has established the Manji Foundation, an initiative that supports children’s education by providing financial support and partnering with community based local primary schools in different parts of the country.
The foundation deals with providing healthy meals to students, assisting schools in employing qualified teachers, building facilities such as classrooms, dormitories, dining halls and providing educational materials including books and school uniforms.
