Get to Know the Faces Behind BlueGreen Tanzania Safaris – In the Hot Seat: Esther
5 September 2025
Get to Know the Faces Behind BlueGreen Tanzania Safaris
In the Hot Seat: Esther
Roaring into this month’s spotlight from Tanzania, we’re thrilled to introduce you to Esther – one of the passionate experts behind BlueGreen Tanzania Safaris.
Our monthly Get to Know the Faces Behind BlueGreen Tanzania Safaris series takes you behind the scenes to meet the people who make every safari truly unforgettable. From travel tips to insider stories, this is your chance to connect with the people shaping your Tanzanian adventure.
5 Questions With… Esther
1. What’s your name, where are you from, and what’s your role at BlueGreen Tanzania Safaris?
My name is Esther, and I’m originally from the Netherlands. After a few holidays in Tanzania in 2008 and 2011, I fell in love and decided to move to Tanzania right after my daughter was born in 2012. We lived there until recently, as we decided to move to the Netherlands for my daughter’s secondary education.
I’ve been working with BlueGreen Tanzania Safaris almost since the beginning. I was the third travel consultant the company hired in 2017. Since 2021, I have worked as a writer and translator, setting up a team of translators who create content for our website and for the emails we send to clients. Today, I’m the team leader of a wonderful group of 10 people, living in 8 countries, creating content in 8 languages.
2. What’s your favorite destination in Tanzania and why?
Oh, I have so many! The national parks, Zanzibar’s beaches, Stone Town, the Kigamboni beaches of Dar es Salaam, Dar itself even, Moshi, Mbeya… there are so many amazing places. I love going off the beaten track, and one of my favourite towns is Bagamoyo , on the coast just north of Dar es Salaam. It’s a historical town with an art college, so you can dive into the colonial history, explore old buildings, and then enjoy the music and culture, with artists on almost every corner. The music scene is amazing there. Bagamoyo is right along the ocean, so there is always fresh fish, and if you hop on a bike, you can visit the vast salt fields just outside of town. And Saadani National Park is around the corner!
I love Tanzanian culture, with its traditional drumming and dancing called ngoma , and Bagamoyo is a great place to give that a try. Some of the best experiences I’ve had were in local places like this — drumming and dancing into the night, creating trance-like atmospheres. There is such a sense of unity in this culture; it’s beautiful.
Besides beaches, I love areas like the Usambara Mountains (from Lushoto to Magoroto), with their purple jacaranda trees, incredible multi-day hikes, and fresh cheeses and jams. But the mountains around Morogoro are also wonderful. Traffic can’t reach there — there are only narrow paths, lined with strawberries and raspberries, and very old people who navigate the trails with incredible speed. We’ve climbed to the top several times, and in all these mountains, you can find refreshing waterfalls.
Esther’s Favourite Activities
- From cooking over charcoal to dancing with locals, Esther’s ideal itinerary includes music, mountains, culture — and getting your hands deliciously dirty.
- Activity Kuza Cave + optional cultural workshop Activity Kuza Cave + optional cultural workshop
- Kuza Cave + optional cultural workshop
- Activity Two-day hike from Ngorongoro to Lake Natron Activity Two-day hike from Ngorongoro to Lake Natron
- Two-day hike from Ngorongoro to Lake Natron
- Activity Visit a coffee plantation in Arusha Activity Visit a coffee plantation in Arusha
- Visit a coffee plantation in Arusha
- Activity Stone Town & Spice Farm Tour (Full day) Activity Stone Town & Spice Farm Tour (Full day)
- Stone Town & Spice Farm Tour (Full day)
- 3. Which safari experience would you recommend to someone visiting for the first time?
- Definitely Serengeti National Park , if you have the time and budget — it takes a few days and it’s not the cheapest. But seeing the Great Migration alone is worth it, even without witnessing the Mara River crossing.
- If you’re more on a budget (in terms of time or money), you can’t go wrong with visiting Ngorongoro and Tarangire , for example. And if you can, I’d take the time for a detour to Empakai Crater — an amazing place surrounded by Maasai land, where it feels like you’re at the end of the world.
4. What’s the most unforgettable wildlife moment you’ve had?
Best of both worlds: Wildlife and tropical beaches
