Get a true taste of Namibia
Leonard Vehonga Kandjiriomuini, who started out as a tour bus driver, takes us through his journey in the tourism industry - his trials, tribulations and the perks of being a tour guide and a safari specialist.
Gabby Tjiroze
Leonard Vehonga Kandjiriomuini, who has been in the tourism industry for more than 20 years, is the owner of Ombaue Tours & Safaris. He says the industry has evolved and has become one of the biggest contributors to the GDP in the country.
“When I started, the industry was still small and new, so there was basically nothing happening, but as I see today the number of visitors has significantly grown over the years and every part of the country has become an attraction, whereas in the earlier days it was just Etosha, Swakopmund etc.,” said Kandjiriomuini.
He described how he always wanted to be in the tourism industry.
“As a young boy I was always fascinated by nature. Whenever we headed to the village, I’d always be captivated by trees, rocks or anything outstanding, I used to know all the trees in my village, and so whenever I was on the road, I’d always explain to my siblings what tree a specific tree was and what its purpose is. And now I am fully into the industry and loving it,” he said.
An ideal guide should have limitless knowledge of their environment and ecology.
“It has been always enjoyable and there are always so many new things to learn; it is an interesting field, to tell people about your country. Being a guide, has allowed me to unconsciously search for moments that left me feeling amazed with unforgettable experiences. Before I tour, I always do extensive research about a place and its historical background etc. You can never say you know everything because every day you learn something new. It requires one to read and know more about your country, because sometimes a tourist will ask you a question you least expect, so it’s always better to be in the loop,” said the safari specialist.
His experience
Kandjiriomuini started working as a tour bus driver in 1997 at SWA Safaris, where he was employed for about six months.
He then relocated to the south and worked for Wolwedans Lodge as a field guide, where he led small group of tourists into the field and showed them prominent natural resources in the south. Later on he wanted to expand his skills and expertise, so he moved back to Windhoek. He worked for Trans Namibia Tours, (later known as Oryx Tours) as a tour guide from 1999 until 2000. He then worked as a senior tour guide at African Extravaganza until 2006. He became an independent guide and developed his clientele, although it wasn’t an easy ride.
“In 2006, as I was touring one day, it just hit me that I needed to do this on a part-time basis and that’s when I went into freelancing. It was no walk in the park when I started, because I had to create a clientele plus do administration work, so all this was new to me and I had trouble functioning. I could go for months without a trip and that meant no bread on the table,” he said.
As the years went by, he later took up the further challenge and opened his own tour company -Ombaue Tours and Safaris - in 2009. He took the name from his homestead village in Epukiro in Omaheke Region. It means ‘a rock’. His company mostly specialises in small groups of travellers and tailor-made tours.
“By the time I opened up Ombaue Tours, I had developed a contact base. At first business was good and I got tours, but later, with the economic crunch, it really hit the business hard. I specialise in small groups of travellers and tailor-made tours, which essentially gives a group what they want for seven to eight days.
“When I freelance, I mostly do big tours where I work with two to 40 people on big busses. When I started touring, I only toured Namibia and later southern Africa. I then expanded my horizons and tried something new. I have toured Ethiopia since last year. That was my best experience, learning about a country far from yours, and if you love your job it is always the best thing to do. I love nature and so on,” he explained.
Educational journey
Kandjiriomuini enrolled at the Namibia First Aid Training School in 2008 for a First Aid Course certificate and also did a two-year course at the Namibia Academy for Tourism and Hospitality (NATH), he completed a tour guiding course and obtained a Badge 3 certificate. He matriculated from Dawid Bezuidenhout High School.
Hiccups on the road
“One of the biggest challenges I experience is marketing the business to an international audience. As a small to medium enterprise, this type of industry relies mostly on tourists and then you have to set up agents in certain countries and that requires money, which is a huge challenge,” said Kandjiriomuini.
In 2012, he attended the roadshow organised by the Namibia Tourism Board in United Kingdom, and also attended the Tourism Indaba in Durban in 2013, where he marketed his business internationally.
He pleaded with the ministries of home affairs and tourism to think of ways to train immigration and customs officials in service delivery.
“Most tourists complain about rude officials at the airport or hotel where they are booked in. And whenever this happens the tourists blame you for everything and it also affects the flow of business, as they think we are not hospitable. These are everyday stories that I have to deal with. If the ministry could give training to the officials about service delivery to tourists, it would make each and everyone’s job very easy. Mostly tourists come here to explore the country and not to be exploited,” he added.
“As a guide you have to learn and understand your tourists, be polite and patient. Tourists are very interesting people and they always make sure they play their part by being friendly. They end up becoming your family; because imagine being on a tour for about 20 days, you get to know their ups and downs.”
Kandjiriomuini, who is passionate about his country, further advised Namibians to develop a culture of travelling.
“Namibia is a beautiful country with so many lovely places to see, but our people do not show interest in touring the country; our visitors know more about our country. If someone would want to explore Namibia to the core, I would recommend Sossusvlei. I think it sticks out because it is so unique and is possibly Namibia’s best known attraction. The largest red dunes that surround it are white, and the clay pan is what stands out. The dunes are the highest in the world. Who wouldn’t want to see that?”
Kandjiriomuini is currently on a tour in Damaraland at Vingerklip Lodge, with a group of 22 tourists from China.
Free time
When he’s not touring he is home with his wife and three children. He’s also a farmer and enjoys going to horse racing and watching news.
Besides being a tour guide, he is also a philanthropist; he has built a small nursery school at his homestead to help the San children with basic education.
Leonard Vehonga Kandjiriomuini, who has been in the tourism industry for more than 20 years, is the owner of Ombaue Tours & Safaris. He says the industry has evolved and has become one of the biggest contributors to the GDP in the country.
“When I started, the industry was still small and new, so there was basically nothing happening, but as I see today the number of visitors has significantly grown over the years and every part of the country has become an attraction, whereas in the earlier days it was just Etosha, Swakopmund etc.,” said Kandjiriomuini.
He described how he always wanted to be in the tourism industry.
“As a young boy I was always fascinated by nature. Whenever we headed to the village, I’d always be captivated by trees, rocks or anything outstanding, I used to know all the trees in my village, and so whenever I was on the road, I’d always explain to my siblings what tree a specific tree was and what its purpose is. And now I am fully into the industry and loving it,” he said.
An ideal guide should have limitless knowledge of their environment and ecology.
“It has been always enjoyable and there are always so many new things to learn; it is an interesting field, to tell people about your country. Being a guide, has allowed me to unconsciously search for moments that left me feeling amazed with unforgettable experiences. Before I tour, I always do extensive research about a place and its historical background etc. You can never say you know everything because every day you learn something new. It requires one to read and know more about your country, because sometimes a tourist will ask you a question you least expect, so it’s always better to be in the loop,” said the safari specialist.
His experience
Kandjiriomuini started working as a tour bus driver in 1997 at SWA Safaris, where he was employed for about six months.
He then relocated to the south and worked for Wolwedans Lodge as a field guide, where he led small group of tourists into the field and showed them prominent natural resources in the south. Later on he wanted to expand his skills and expertise, so he moved back to Windhoek. He worked for Trans Namibia Tours, (later known as Oryx Tours) as a tour guide from 1999 until 2000. He then worked as a senior tour guide at African Extravaganza until 2006. He became an independent guide and developed his clientele, although it wasn’t an easy ride.
“In 2006, as I was touring one day, it just hit me that I needed to do this on a part-time basis and that’s when I went into freelancing. It was no walk in the park when I started, because I had to create a clientele plus do administration work, so all this was new to me and I had trouble functioning. I could go for months without a trip and that meant no bread on the table,” he said.
As the years went by, he later took up the further challenge and opened his own tour company -Ombaue Tours and Safaris - in 2009. He took the name from his homestead village in Epukiro in Omaheke Region. It means ‘a rock’. His company mostly specialises in small groups of travellers and tailor-made tours.
“By the time I opened up Ombaue Tours, I had developed a contact base. At first business was good and I got tours, but later, with the economic crunch, it really hit the business hard. I specialise in small groups of travellers and tailor-made tours, which essentially gives a group what they want for seven to eight days.
“When I freelance, I mostly do big tours where I work with two to 40 people on big busses. When I started touring, I only toured Namibia and later southern Africa. I then expanded my horizons and tried something new. I have toured Ethiopia since last year. That was my best experience, learning about a country far from yours, and if you love your job it is always the best thing to do. I love nature and so on,” he explained.
Educational journey
Kandjiriomuini enrolled at the Namibia First Aid Training School in 2008 for a First Aid Course certificate and also did a two-year course at the Namibia Academy for Tourism and Hospitality (NATH), he completed a tour guiding course and obtained a Badge 3 certificate. He matriculated from Dawid Bezuidenhout High School.
Hiccups on the road
“One of the biggest challenges I experience is marketing the business to an international audience. As a small to medium enterprise, this type of industry relies mostly on tourists and then you have to set up agents in certain countries and that requires money, which is a huge challenge,” said Kandjiriomuini.
In 2012, he attended the roadshow organised by the Namibia Tourism Board in United Kingdom, and also attended the Tourism Indaba in Durban in 2013, where he marketed his business internationally.
He pleaded with the ministries of home affairs and tourism to think of ways to train immigration and customs officials in service delivery.
“Most tourists complain about rude officials at the airport or hotel where they are booked in. And whenever this happens the tourists blame you for everything and it also affects the flow of business, as they think we are not hospitable. These are everyday stories that I have to deal with. If the ministry could give training to the officials about service delivery to tourists, it would make each and everyone’s job very easy. Mostly tourists come here to explore the country and not to be exploited,” he added.
“As a guide you have to learn and understand your tourists, be polite and patient. Tourists are very interesting people and they always make sure they play their part by being friendly. They end up becoming your family; because imagine being on a tour for about 20 days, you get to know their ups and downs.”
Kandjiriomuini, who is passionate about his country, further advised Namibians to develop a culture of travelling.
“Namibia is a beautiful country with so many lovely places to see, but our people do not show interest in touring the country; our visitors know more about our country. If someone would want to explore Namibia to the core, I would recommend Sossusvlei. I think it sticks out because it is so unique and is possibly Namibia’s best known attraction. The largest red dunes that surround it are white, and the clay pan is what stands out. The dunes are the highest in the world. Who wouldn’t want to see that?”
Kandjiriomuini is currently on a tour in Damaraland at Vingerklip Lodge, with a group of 22 tourists from China.
Free time
When he’s not touring he is home with his wife and three children. He’s also a farmer and enjoys going to horse racing and watching news.
Besides being a tour guide, he is also a philanthropist; he has built a small nursery school at his homestead to help the San children with basic education.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article