Tanzania Cultural Tours includes visits to the remote Tanzanian villages where you can experience the rich and fascinating African culture. Tanzania Cultural Tour destinations include the Northern Part of Tanzania (Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara) down to the Southern circuit (Mbeya, Iringa, Morogoro) without forgetting those established in the Coastal regions (Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Zanzibar).
In the northern part of Tanzania most of the cultural tours can be included as part of the safari e.g. the tour of Mto wa Mbu village which is near lake Manyara. You can visit the Maasai tribe in the Ngorongoro area and the Hadzabe tribe in Lake Eyasi. The Hadzabe are the only hunter gatherer tribe left in the in East Africa. To enjoy this tour, we recommend that you spend at least two days.
In many local areas where cultural tours are being conducted, the villages run their own cultural programs for visitors, bringing income directly to the community and giving the people the chance to show their lifestyle to the outside world. Health and Primary Education can be improved through your tour of the fascinating villages. Most of our cultural tours include visits to farms, schools, homes and other important village landmarks.
Optional Activities while on Safari
It is possible to visit one of several Maasai villages during your safari. However, these villages are close to the main roads and whilst you will meet many Maasai, have a tour around their village and have an opportunity to learn about their culture, some clients have fed back that the experience felt a little uncomfortable. It costs $50 per vehicle and during the visit, you will be encouraged to buy some of their jewellery / craft (this is by no means compulsory). It is inevitable that over time, the experience has become less authentic and we are in the process of sourcing alternative options for our clients. You are very welcome to visit, but we wanted to be open and transparent about the kind of experience you can currently expect.
Hot Air Balloons invoke feelings of thrill, exhilaration and trepidation. It is expensive, but offers unrivalled views of the landscape and wildlife. Currently, it is possible to do a Balloon Safari inside Tarangire and the Serengeti (South, Central ,West and North). We normally use the specialist Company Miracle Experience and Serengeti Balloon Safari. Please do visit their website for further information. The balloon experience starts before dawn. Depending on your camp’s location, you will be collected as early as 4:00 a.m. and taken to the balloon launch site. As the balloon’s huge envelope is filled by fans powered by a mobile generator, you will be briefed on safety precautions, and what you are likely to see. Finally, with the balloon still safely tethered, you climb aboard at about 06:30, just as the sun is about to break above the horizon. The basket is quite deep, with compartments and rails to grasp for safety and to brace yourself. When everyone is ‘on board’, the pilot starts the burner, the balloon is released, and you lift off. For the next hour (flight times vary from 60– 90 minutes) you drift above the plains with the winds, tracked by the ground crew in their vehicles. Depending on conditions, you may fly high over the forest, peering into vultures’ nests and watching baboons waking in their tree-top roosts, or swoop just a few metre above the dew-covered grass as zebra and antelope scatter. Skilled pilots can follow streams, to glide just yards above snorting hippos or prides of lions drinking water, and skim the Savannah low enough to capture aerial wildlife photos. For much of the flight, you’ll soar like a tawny eagle through the dawning landscape as the sun transforms from a burnished orb on the shadowy horizon to a brilliant disc above the plains. You may have other balloons accompanying your flight. Landings vary: as you descend, the balloon may drag the basket onto its side, leaving the passengers grasping the rails in a giggling cluster of arms and legs; or if the breeze is kind your pilot may execute the perfect finish, setting the basket upright onto suitable ground as the balloon collapses neatly to one side. A full bush breakfast will be waiting for you after you land, with photos as part of the fun. You’ll then continue your day with game drives and other activities, depending on what you’ve planned with your guide.
Balloon Safari Cost (USD 590 per person)
The bustling farming community of Mto Wa Mbu, located between Manyara and Ngorongoro, is home to around 18,000 people. Spend half a day here with a knowledgeable local guide and you’ll discover a side of Tanzania that many visitors miss. Your guide is likely to be from the village itself so you will have a opportunity to see the community through the guide’s eyes. During your visit you’ll get a good feel for the social side of the village– the farms and the milling machines, the schools, markets and churches. Tours last around 2–3 hours, but are flexible. You may do some (or all!) of the following: You will probably start in the village banana plantation, where the community grows more than 30 different varieties of bananas. As well as finding out how this staple fruit is grown, you’ll hear about the different uses of the plant as a whole, from food to materials for building and art.
You mayvisit a youth art project, and learn about the different painting styles and techniques. You can visit a wood workshop, where you can watch skilled members of the Makonde tribe carefully carving intricate figurines, masks and household objects. They’ll show you the different types of wood and finishings and explain some of the historical and cultural meanings behind the carvings. You can even have a go at doing some carving yourself! The artists are happy for you to ask questions and take photos.
You mayvisit a local ‘bar’ to try mbege, the traditional banana and millet beer that is brewed and drunk mainly by the Chagga tribe. The process of making this brew is quite labour intensive, and the beer is usually served in one large cup, which is passed around the group, and refilled as needed.
Your tour will probably finish in the bustling local market, where you can wander around stalls selling fruit and vegetables stalls, spices and meat. Your guide will stop and explain points of interest, and give you the opportunity to try and smell a variety of foods.
Visit The Hadzabe bushmen live in and around Lake Eyasi, just south of the Ngorongoro Highlands. This region is also home to the Datoga and Mbulu tribes. A cultural visit with the Hadzabe and the Datoga is possible and they will show you how and where they live. One of the oldest tribes in Africa, the Hadzabe have consistently lived a hunter gatherer lifestyle without ever having to resort to farming. The Datoga are skilled farmers and crafts people. They keep goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens. However, cattle are by far their most important domestic animal. The meat, fat, blood, milk, hide, horns, tendons and dung of every animal have either practical or ritual purposes.
There are many places in Tanzania where it is possible to do a Coffee Tour and get a taste of local life. We recommend embarking on a half day small-group coffee and community tour, in Tengeru Village, which is a 30 minute drive East of Arusha. After discovering what life is like in a traditional Tanzanian coffee-producing village, walk around a coffee plantation to see coffee and other crops farmed before enjoying a lunch of tasty specialties at a local family home. Finally, master the art of roasting and grinding coffee and then sample a cup of your very own coffee.
There is an abundance of elusive animals that are rarely seen in the day, but that are incredibly active at night. Keep your eyes open, and hopefully you will be lucky enough to spot genets, civet cats and porcupines. Leopards often wander around the park and, even though a sighting cannot be guaranteed, there are frequent sightings of these beautiful beasts. Lions are often more active at night, and this can be an opportunity to see these animals doing more than snoozing in the shade!
