Built With Purpose

Ascend Tanzania was founded in 2010 by Fred Namwandu in Moshi, Tanzania, a city shaped by the shadow of Kilimanjaro and the ambitions of those who dare to climb it. What began in a small home office on Lema Road, and later moved to a humble gear shop on Mankinga Street, has grown into one of Tanzania's most trusted mountain tourism companies. But the story behind Ascend Tanzania started long before the company had a name.

Fred grew up in Mkwajuni, Songwe, in the Mbeya Region of southern Tanzania. After finishing secondary school, he made his way to Arusha in 2000 with little more than determination and a dream. When his original plans didn't work out, he enrolled in small tourism and guiding colleges, doing what he could with what he had. That quiet resilience would go on to define everything he built.

His career on the mountain began at Kilimanjaro National Park under TANAPA, where he started on the clean-up crew, working his way up to Rescue Ranger and eventually Park Ranger. In 2006, he was selected for TANAPA's official Mountain Guiding Course and Wilderness First Responder training at Mweka Wildlife College. Passing those exams wasn't just a professional milestone, it was the moment Fred knew he wanted to build something of his own.

He moved to Moshi and began knocking on doors. Many companies offered him porter roles rather than guiding positions, but Fred accepted without hesitation, starting at Keys Hotel and working his way up from porter to Assistant Guide, then Chief Guide and Senior Guide. He later joined Eco Tours as a Senior Guide before spending time with Tanzania Journey. With each step, the vision became clearer. It was time to build something that was truly his.

His first venture was AT Gear, a small mountain gear rental shop born out of a simple observation: too many climbers were arriving unprepared or unable to afford the equipment they needed to fulfil their dream of summiting Kilimanjaro. Fred saw a gap and filled it with purpose. Starting with just a handful of used items, AT Gear grew into one of the first officially operated gear rental businesses in Moshi, run from an office with one table and three chairs. In late 2011, Ascend Tanzania was officially registered as a tour operating company. Fred was joined by his first staff member, Nurdin Issa, and his partner and now wife, Hafsa Manyaka, who serves as a company director to this day. They started with three guides, rented equipment, and hired vehicles, and from those modest beginnings, something remarkable grew.

Today, Ascend Tanzania employs more than 20 office staff and works with over 400 to 600 guides and porters from across Tanzania. The company has built its own fleet of vehicles and camping equipment, and is proudly ranked among the top 1% of Kilimanjaro operators on TripAdvisor. But numbers only tell part of the story.

At its heart, Ascend Tanzania is about people. It's about the young Tanzanian who moves to a new city with nothing but hope. It's about the climber who thought Kilimanjaro was out of reach. It's about guides and porters who are not just employed, they are valued, fairly paid, and deeply respected. Because at Ascend Tanzania, we don't just support porters. In many ways, we are the porters. And that is something we will never forget.