Nickson Kassim
Nickson is a member of the Pare tribe located just to the east of Mount
Kilimanjaro in the Pare Mountains. Nickson became a driver guide in the
1992 and worked for a number of other safari companies before joining
Africa Dream Safaris. Nickson has an advanced wildlife certificate from
Mweka Wildlife College, the oldest and most prestigious wildlife college
in Africa. Nickson has completed an impressive array of courses including
advanced work in wildlife ecology.
One of the more interesting wildlife encounters he recalls was in the
Serengeti where he watched a leopard carefully stalk a Thomson’s
gazelle for over two hours until it was close enough for a final explosive
rush. The leopard successfully captured the gazelle and then climbed an
acacia tree where it could eat in relative peace away from larger predators
including lion and hyena that might attempt to scavenge. Leopards are
very cautious around vehicles and won’t usually eat with an audience.
Accordingly, this was a very special moment to him as it also indicated
that he was being respectful of the animal.
One of Nickson’s favorite experiences in the bush was watching an
elephant give birth for over three hours. He stayed with the mother while
she was helping the newborn to walk and figure out what to do with his
little trunk. This was in Tarangire National Park, which is perhaps the
best park in Africa to watch young elephants.
Nickson’s favorite animal is the giraffe and his favorite area is
Hidden Valley in the Southern Serengeti. He enjoys game driving Hidden
Valley as he always encounters large herds of migratory wildebeest and
zebra there during the green season plus numerous lions. He also appreciates
the fact that Hidden Valley is very remote and entirely off road, which
means he seldom encounters another vehicle there. When not on safari,
Nickson enjoys spending time with his wife and two children at his house
in Arusha.
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REGGIE MATEMU
