About us
We are a boutique tour operator offering a selection of the best adventure trips around the globe.
The Follow Alice story
The idea for Follow Alice was planted when Reto climbed Kilimanjaro with Chris as his lead guide in 2014. Chris had started as a porter on Kilimanjaro in 1999 and had since worked his way up to become a chief guide. His dream had always been to set up his own Kilimanjaro operation. Reto decided to team up with Chris, Kazi and Chris’s brother Robert and make the dream a reality. Since then, Follow Alice has grown into a global family of local guides and international explorers who all share a passion for travel and adventure.
What we care about at Follow Alice
Please give us a moment to tell you about the things that matter to us ...
Come as a client, leave as a friend
A modern tour operator
We aim to deliver a great service that meets the needs of the modern adventure traveller. One way we do this is by taking out the middle man. We're the folks you make first contact with online, as well as the ones who wave goodbye to you at the airport after your trip! Another way we do this is by making the admin side of your trip as seamless as possible. Did you know you can pay for your trip with cryptocurrency?
Travel curated by travellers
Our setup as a team is very 21st century ... we're registered in both the UK and Tanzania, and our HQ staff is a group of digital nomads, sprinkled across various timezones. That said, all of our local leaders and their support staff – the folks who look after you on your trips and ensure you have fun! – are locals. So we're a truly global and diverse team, and all the better for it, we believe!
Empowering local entrepreneurs
We strive to empower local entrepreneurs by providing them with the necessary tools to run a successful business as a local leader in their country. All of our local leaders and their teams are an integral part of the Follow Alice family. You'll see it for yourself when adventuring with us!
We prefer to let others talk about us ...
Meet the team
Reto 🇨🇭
He created the company and developed the amazing team chasing the Follow Alice dream. He's always calm (Mr "Cool Beans") and is solution-orientated.
Dani 🇨🇭
He's the brain behind the numbers and strategies of Follow Alice. Dani was part of the group that climbed Kilimanjaro in 2014 with lead guide Chris when the idea to create Follow Alice first came up.
Sonam G. Sherpa
The Himalayas are his backyard. Sonam will bring you safely up and down the mountains and show you the beauty of his home country.
Marco 🇨🇭
He's the mastermind and programmer of this beautiful website you're looking at. He's also a former Kilimanjaro client who became a team member.
Tanvesh 🇮🇳
Living in Jabalpur, India, which he loves for its cooler climate, he's our frontend engineer. It's his job to ensure everything works and looks as it should on our website!
Brendan 🇬🇧
From smoky ol' London, he heads up the team that makes all of the pretty Follow Alice graphics and videos you see on our website and YouTube channel.
Richard Adika and Diana Schreiber
Richard and Diana are our highly experienced Kenyan local leaders. Oh, and they happen to be married to one another!
Sarah Confer
She's an avid hiker who's spent many cold nights huddled under handwoven blankets in the Andes. A textile conservator, she volunteers with a number of organisations dedicated to the revitalisation of traditional weaving.
Mario Trebeño
He's been a trek guide since 1998, so you're in super safe hands when you hit the trail with him! He speaks English, Spanish and Quechua and is a fountain of knowledge on all sorts of diverse topics.
Puru 🇮🇳
Puru joined Follow Alice in 2023 after completing a degree in international law. He loves hiking in the Himalayas, and so came onto the team as the perfect person to look after our clients heading to trek in Nepal and Bhutan!
Arturo Rojas
He's addicted to deep-fried pork sandwiches and believes Peru can conquer the world with a spoon! He wants every visitor to experience an authentic and, above all, very tasty side of Lima!
Salwan 🇩🇰
Sal is a Follow Alice OG. He's had a hand in so much at Follow Alice, and is the designer of our fab logo!
Jenny and Shaun 🇩🇪 🇺🇬
Shaun was born in Kampala and started guiding tourists in the Rwenzoris and beyond 20 years ago. Jenny is from Germany and has been working in Ugandan and Rwandan travel for over 10 years. Together they create unforgettable experiences for visitors.
Paul Kelly
When not hiking in the mountains of Scotland with family, Paul is hard at work at his dream job which is helping others have truly unforgettable travel experiences like summiting Kilimanjaro or trekking to Everest Base Camp.
Bejul 🇹🇿
Beej is a key member of the operations department. She works closely with lodges and on-the-ground teams to ensure smooth operations and the flawless execution of all trip logistics.
Chris Sichalwe
Chris was the lead guide on the climb in 2014 when the idea for Follow Alice started. He has summited Kilimanjaro over 300 times and is ranked #6 out of 261 guides on Kilimanjaro by clients.
Jess 🇿🇦
Jess is our Community and CX Lead, ensuring a seamless and exciting customer journey! She's also our talented voice artist – you've probably listened to her in one of our YT videos!
Meera 🇹🇿
Meera has lived in the African bush much of her life and has climbed Kilimanjaro many times. Originally a wildlife conservationist, she's now passionate about coordinating unforgettable Kilimanjaro adventures and Tanzania safaris.
Stef 🇮🇹
Italian-born, Kenya-raised, and Cape Town-based, Stef manages CRM and automation at Follow Alice, building the behind-the-scenes systems that keep our sales and marketing teams moving in sync.
FAQs
Where is Follow Alice based?
Follow Alice has been a remote-working company from day one. Our team of passionate travellers works from different locations around the world, which lets us carefully select the best adventure trips and spend plenty of time in our destination countries. Legally, Follow Alice is incorporated in both the UK and Tanzania, reflecting our global roots and deep connections to Africa.
Who is Alice?
The name Follow Alice was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “Following Alice” is all about embracing curiosity and exploring new places. Alice isn’t a real person — she’s the spirit inside all of us, that little voice encouraging you to take the leap down the rabbit hole and discover the unknown.
Do you have any sustainability guidelines?
For all our trips, at least 70% of the trip price and often much more, stays within the local economy. Follow Alice was built on the idea of connecting travellers and local guides from around the world under one shared adventure. We believe in responsible, environmentally conscious travel that not only protects the places we visit but also directly supports local communities and economies.
Read more: How we approach sustainability and corporate responsibility at Follow Alice
Do you offer private trips or group trips?
Follow Alice offers both private trips and small group adventures, depending on what suits you best. Private trips give you the flexibility to customise your itinerary and travel with your own group, while our small group departures are perfect for meeting like-minded travellers and enjoying expert guides in a friendly, social setting. Either way, we keep group sizes intimate to ensure a personalised, high-quality experience.
