Boniface Waweru Karanja’s desire to join the United Kingdom’s Army was dashed upon arrival in Europe, forcing him to return to his essential first love, travel.
Currently, he has a profitable tour and travel firm called Jungle Dwellers, which sells not just safaris and beach vacations but also international flights.
In a previous interview, Karanja recalled how a door opened in a faraway place after he thought all hope was lost.
He explained that his uncle had set him up with a chance to join the UK Army, which he confessed was enticing.
Karanja was confronted with the issue of finding a host or paying Ksh 200,000 for one to be found.
According to him, he found a host and was able to book a flight to Colchester, London, in 2012.
Another obstacle to his desire occurred when he discovered that the rules for joining the army had changed.
“It stated that someone ought to have been in the country for over 5 years so that locked me out. Essentially, I had to go back to the drawing board,” he said.
However, Karanja was fortunate enough to secure an extension visa and resorted to working in the tourism industry.
“In Kenya, I went to Kirangari high school before joining Amboseli Insititute of hospitality where I realised my passion for tourism. I studied Tourism and business studies.
“I worked in reputable companies in the sector such as Giraffe centre (for my internship), Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi National park, and National Museum of Kenya as well as a 2-year stint in Tanzania as hotel manager of Panama hotel from 2010 to 2012,” he noted.
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Karanja started putting his experience to work, and Jungle dwellers Limited was founded in 2019, bringing an idea to life.
He concedes that the company’s operations have expanded and it now serves worldwide clientele from Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Asia.
“What makes us stand out is our service delivery. We stick to our clients from the day of inquiry to the day that they are back
“We welcome their feedback whether positive or negative and that’s what has kept us going on. We help them to apply for visas, we cater for their fight tickets. Basically, we have to cater for everything,” he added.
