I Didn't Build This Company. I Lived It.
My Journey
Every step has been inside the Serengeti, on purpose.
2022
People & Culture Intern, Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti. Graduated HR at the Tanzania Institute of Accountancy and joined Four Seasons the same year. The first lesson: a flawless guest experience is built by people no guest ever meets.
2023 – 2025
People & Culture Officer, then Generalist, then Team Leader, Four Seasons Serengeti. Three and a half years living inside the park. Chaired the Employee Wellbeing Committee from 2024. Learned the migration, the seasons, and what separates a great safari from a forgettable one.
Oct 2025 – Mar 2026
People & Culture Manager, Mapito Safari Camp, Autograph Collection by Marriott. Strategic advisor to senior leadership on workforce planning, payroll oversight, and the operational rigour behind a five-star camp.
Mar 2026 – Present
African Scenic Safari Ltd, a sustainability-focused tour operator. Stepped from hospitality into tour operations on purpose. Learned every part of the business from the inside: sales, reservations, vehicle logistics, field operations. The half of the safari industry hotel staff rarely see.
Today
Founder, Safaris by Dabsy. Five-star hospitality standards from the lodges. Operational depth from the field. Both serving one mission: design private Tanzania journeys to a level most operators cannot match because most have only ever known one side of the business.
"My name is Daniel Baraka Shayo. Dabsy comes from my initials: Da, B, S, Y. It represents a promise: that every guest who travels with me will say they have never lived a day better than their time in Tanzania."
First Time to Africa?
"Many of my guests have stayed at the world's finest hotels. Africa is different, and that's exactly the point. I'll make sure you feel informed, comfortable, and completely free from the moment we begin planning."
Daniel Baraka Shayo