Cultural Visits

Tanzania boasts over 120 distinct cultural groups, also known as tribes. Some groups have resisted modernization and for the most part remain traditional. Other groups blend aspects of their traditions with modern life in Tanzania. We are able to seamlessly integrate visits to these groups into any wildlife safari.

• Chaga: The Chaga have been living in harmony with the Kilimanjaro eco-system for generations. A visit to a family homestead will offer you a chance to hike the surrounding slopes of this village with nice views of Kilimanjaro (if the sky is clear) as you learn more about their culture. Your hosts will also prepare a traditional lunch at their home featuring banana/plantain which is a prevalent crop. A day visit to the Chaga is not fully planned and this is intentional to allow for some spontaneity. If you are interested, you might participate in an activity such as buying goods at a local shop or visiting neighbors. You might also walk to the nearest school for a visit. The more you feel at home, the happier your hosts will be.

 

• Datoga: The Datoga people of Tanzania descend from Nilotic ancestors who settled in Northern Tanzania over 3000 years ago from Ethiopia and South Sudan. The Datoga live along the shores of Lake Eyasi, to the southwest of the Ngorongoro Crater. The Datoga are skilled blacksmiths and make arrow tips and other objects that they barter with the Hadzabe in exchange for honey and animal hide. A visit to the Datoga is easily combined with that of the Hadzabe.

 

• Hadzabe: Near Lake Eyasi, the Hadzabe are a small tribe who remain hunters and gatherers and speak a click language. It is possible to visit them and if you like they can show you how to make a fire without matches or take you on a hunt with bows and arrows.

 

• Maasai: The most recognizable tribe in East Africa, the Maasai are nomadic herders of cattle. The women adorn themselves in brightly colored handmade beaded collars and the men, in their distinctive cloth, will often showcase their amazing jumping prowess for visitors. Learn how they construct their homes of mud, sticks and dung and join the school children in a song. The Maasai have homesteads throughout Northern Tanzania. Visits can be integrated into your schedule anywhere between Arusha and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

 

• Ikizu: The Ikizu people live in the Chamriho Division (aka the Chiefdom of Ikizu) located between the Serengeti and Lake Victoria. This is the primary service area of Project Zawadi, the non-profit founded by Access 2 Tanzania’s owners. Due to its location outside the typical tourist circuit, the area is rarely visited by tourists. The center of the Ikizu area is Nyamuswa, a large village where there is a large, colorful outdoor market every Sunday. At the center of Nyamuswa is ‘Omong’we’, a large, very old and sacred tree. In the past it was used as a gathering place for important village meetings. Today it is still viewed as sacred and it is forbidden to harm its branches in any way. One can also visit the homestead of Chief Makongoro. He was a prominent figure in Tanzanian history, known for his resistance to colonial powers, his close friendship with Chief Nyerere, the father of Tanzania’s first president. Learn more by visiting his home and burial site, where his descendants are preserving his memory.