Meet Your Hosts
WHO IS SIMBA ZOE?
OUR STORY…
WE LOVE TANZANIA AND WE LOVE PEOPLE AND WE LOVE NATURE!
Bring it all together and we have Simba Zoe !
We want to share this beautiful country and people with YOU!
Leone ‘Simba’ Mallya and Karen Zoe Kelley are best friends and business partners. Their story started in 2014 when they met while walking down a dirt road in a Kilimanjaro village. They began to work together and with their awesome friendship, shared love for adventure and combined experience, they decided to connect and Simba Zoe was created!
Karen and Leone work together on the itinerary and details for each group, bringing the Tanzanian and western perspectives together to create a well rounded and complete adventure. A limited number of groups each season allows them to fully focus on each person. They gathered a team together of their friends and colleagues in this adventure travel biz. This crew of friends who know each other well has worked together for years and unite to host lovely guests like YOU!
About Us
LEONE ‘SIMBA’ MALLYA
‘Hey guys! Welcome to my country of Tanzania. I am proud to be Tanzanian and it is enjoyable to show people around my homeplace. We have many natural areas to share with you and also going together to some local hangouts in town. Our team and I will host you at one of our favorite spots in Moshi and have a beer together before or after your adventures!
I started in the tourism business as a porter for Kilimanjaro treks, carrying up luggages for our guests and setting up at each camp before the hikers arrive. Now I am a certified Kilimanjaro guide and will be putting together all parts of your Kilimanjaro expedition.
Along with Karen, we work together on all your trip plans, both of our ideas create great adventures.’
KAREN ZOE KELLEY
‘Ever since I was a kid, I have had this strong desire to head out into the world and explore. Wanderlust has been a part of life since childhood and I reached a window of opportunity where I was free to go! Leaving behind a 3-decade career as a professional artist, I wanted to venture out and find other work that was meaningful to me and offered variety and adventure and fun.
My first safari experience was in 2014 and I was inspired. I wanted everyone to go on a safari too! A year later, I was living in Tanzania, joined the industry and was instantly hooked on the feeling I got when helping travelers to enjoy their own personal experience.
Two Kilimanjaro summits and many safaris later, I found myself joining with Leone to make this happen and host our own groups. Simba Zoe is our mission now and we are dedicated to serve our guests and our local team members. I divide my time between living in Zanzibar, mainland Tanzania, and the United States when I am with my daughters and other family and friends.’
