The Journey of Ilmaasai Expedition

Our story begins with our father, Loth Kornelio, affectionately known as Loth Maasai or simply Masai. After completing Standard Seven, he dreamed of continuing his education, but his family could not afford to send him to secondary school.

In 1985, Loth began working as an apprentice mechanic at Arusha Automobile and Hardware (AAH), an Indian-owned company in Arusha. What he lacked in formal education, he made up for with determination, discipline, and a willingness to learn. Over the years, he became one of the garage's leading mechanics.

The company then established a safari operation called AA Tours. Loth maintained the safari vehicles and sometimes accompanied large convoys, ready to fix any problem in the bush. During this period he also met Bryson, a fellow mechanic who would become a lifelong friend.

Accompanying safari convoys, Loth was learning more than roads and engines. He was discovering the landscapes, wildlife and rhythms of the African wilderness, and he wanted to be the person behind the wheel.

He asked his employer for a chance to move from the garage into a driver-guide role, and around 1990 he began guiding. His mechanical knowledge became one of his greatest strengths in the remote bush.

The young man who had once repaired safari vehicles was now taking people into the very places those vehicles were built to explore.

Loth left AA Tours and worked independently with different operators, building his reputation one safari at a time. Then came two Italian travelers, Giovanni Frescura and Elisabetta Paolicchi.

Their connection went beyond a professional relationship. They believed Loth could build a safari company of his own. Proud of his heritage, he chose a name inspired by his Maasai roots: Ilmaasai Expedition.

Giovanni and Elisabetta helped lay the foundations, including the early website and email. We will always be grateful to them for believing in our father.

In 2003, Ilmaasai Expedition was officially registered as a tourism business in Tanzania.

Giovanni and Elisabetta returned to find Loth a father: Catherine was growing up, Collin was still young, and Christian was born in 2005. More Italian travelers followed, then guests from Europe, the United States, Australia and beyond.

Loth invited his old friend Bryson to join as a safari driver, turning a friendship from the AAH garage into a lasting partnership.

More travelers trusted us with safaris and climbs on Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, and our work was featured in publications and travel blogs in Germany, Italy and elsewhere. Every booking was another family placing its trust in our family.

In 2017, Catherine entered university and began helping with reservations and guest emails. In 2019, Collin began promoting Ilmaasai on social media, introducing our family business to a new generation of travelers.

COVID-19 stopped travel almost overnight. We had more than 40 permanent employees and over 20 freelance driver-guides. To support our staff, our father sold safari vehicles, reducing a fleet of around 15 to only two. We offered guests full refunds without cancellation penalties.

In 2020 we also lost our original website, ilmaasai.com, and had to move to ilmaasai.co.tz. Catherine graduated and worked alongside our father to keep the company alive, while Collin kept promoting Ilmaasai online from university.

In 2021 we welcomed our first guests after the hardest period: Marta and Carlos from Spain, on their honeymoon safari. After so much uncertainty, we had a reason to smile again.

Travelers returned in greater numbers, and a group of 36 travelers from Mexico came to explore Tanzania with us. It proved that our experience, relationships and determination had not been wasted.

We had lost much, but we had not lost our knowledge, our passion, or our willingness to begin again.

In 2023 we began working with content creators on TikTok and Instagram, showing Tanzania through a more personal lens. Collin took on sales, guest emails, social media and content, and joined safaris as a guide.

Since 2024, Christian has joined safaris as a guide during his university holidays. In 2025 we welcomed another group of 18 travelers from Mexico, alongside private trips for couples, families, friends and honeymooners.

In 2026 we continue to host private safaris and larger groups, and to build partnerships that share Tanzania with more people.

This year we also regained our original domain, ilmaasai.com. It felt like reclaiming a piece of our history. We move forward with ilmaasai.com as our main website, while keeping ilmaasai.co.tz available as well.

Looking toward 2027 and beyond, our ambition is not simply to become bigger, but to build a stronger, more sustainable family business that lasts for generations.