TZ tourism firm brings Tesla, drives green tourism

MOSHI: TANZANIAN tour operator Altezza Travel has bought a Tesla electric vehicle as it steps up efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of its operations, turning electric mobility into a real-world test for the country’s tourism industry.

But for Managing Director Alex Altezza, the investment is about more than bringing a high-profile electric vehicle to Tanzania.

“Our main motivation was not simply to bring the first Tesla to Tanzania, but to test how this technology can work in real everyday conditions here,” Altezza said.

The move adds electric mobility to a broader sustainability strategy at the Moshi-based tourism company, which specialises in Mount Kilimanjaro expeditions and wildlife safaris in northern Tanzania.

For Altezza, reducing local emissions is particularly relevant in a country where millions of people live, work and walk alongside busy roads.

“One important point for us is reducing both noise and local exhaust emissions,” he said. “A huge number of people in Tanzania live and walk alongside busy roads, so quieter vehicles with no tailpipe emissions can make a real difference to the environment around them.”

The Tesla also gives the company an opportunity to examine whether electric vehicles can move beyond corporate symbolism and become practical tools for tourism operations.

Safety is another consideration.

“Modern electric vehicles have a number of driver-assistance and safety systems that can help prevent certain driver errors and make journeys safer and more comfortable for our guests,” Altezza said.

The purchase comes as Altezza Travel continues to build its profile as one of Tanzania’s prominent adventure-tourism companies.

The company has won Tanzania’s Leading Tour Operator title at the World Travel Awards for three consecutive years, from 2024 to 2026. In January 2026, it was also named Best Tour Operator in the Northern Tourism Zone at the inaugural Serengeti Awards.

Altezza became a Certified B Corporation in 2025 following an assessment covering areas including governance, workers, community engagement, environmental impact and customers. It also holds Travelife certification and is an affiliate member of UN Tourism.

The company says it has grown from three founders in 2014 to more than 250 employees, while investing in conservation and community initiatives alongside its core tourism business.

Its environmental programmes include tree planting and support for wildlife conservation projects around Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti.

The Tesla introduces a different dimension to that sustainability agenda by bringing the question of cleaner transportation directly into the company’s daily operations.

Electric vehicles have no tailpipe emissions, although their overall environmental footprint depends on factors including how electricity is generated, as well as the energy and materials required to manufacture the vehicle and its battery.

For tourism operators in Tanzania, adoption also faces practical questions around charging infrastructure, electricity reliability, driving range, vehicle costs and the availability of technical support.

That is precisely why Altezza sees the vehicle as an experiment as much as an investment.

“For Altezza, it is also an interesting experiment,” Altezza said. “Tourism is one of Tanzania’s most important industries, and we want to understand where electric vehicles can realistically fit into tourism operations, what the challenges are with charging and infrastructure, and whether they can eventually become a practical alternative for some types of transport.”

The company is not presenting the Tesla as an immediate replacement for its wider tourism fleet. Instead, the vehicle will allow Altezza to gather practical experience in a market where electric mobility remains at an early stage.

That distinction could prove important for Tanzania’s tourism sector.

The country’s tourism economy is built around natural assets, from the forests and glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro to the wildlife landscapes of the Serengeti. The industry therefore faces a growing commercial question: how can tourism expand while reducing the environmental pressures associated with moving people across large distances?

Electric vehicles are unlikely to provide a universal answer, particularly for safari operations in remote areas where charging infrastructure remains limited. But urban transfers, airport transportation, hotel movements and other predictable journeys could potentially offer more suitable applications as infrastructure develops.

Altezza says it has taken more than 30,000 travellers on Kilimanjaro climbs and safari adventures and records a 98.5 percent summit success rate on the mountain.