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Cultural Tourism
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The Maasai
We start early in the morning and are accompanied by our English-speaking guide. The road takes us through beautiful landscapes: African bushland where we see dried-up river beds, baobab and acacia trees and sugar cane plantations.
Once we arrive in the village, please remember to be a respectful guest and don‘t take pictures
of the villagers without asking. During the visit you will have a chance to mingle with the Maasai and chat with them, but your social skills and creativity will determine how much they open up to you. Your English-speaking guide will assist you and translate into Kimaasai, as the Maasai themselves do not speak any other languages.
Whilst you walk through the village with your guide, you will learn more about the culture of the Maasai. This will include a lesson on traditional Maasai medicine and the opportunity to taste the local Maasai tea. We will also have the opportunity to visit a Maasai home.
In the early afternoon, we will leave the village and continue to the Kikuletwa Hot Springs, which are near the village of Rundugai. The Kikuletwa Hot Springs are certainly one of the most beautiful places in Tanzania – the hot springs are surrounded by fig and palm trees and winding roots – a real hidden paradise. The crystal clear, turquoise waters invite you for a refreshing swim. Although called a hot spring, water in Kikuletwa is not hot, but rather refreshing since the water source is from the Kilimanjaro mountain itself.
After enjoying a swim, we will have a picnic lunch. Once we have relaxed fully, we will return to Moshi in the late afternoon.
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The Hadzabe
Hadzabe Bushmen Day Trip Walking Departure from Karatu very early morning to visit the Hadzabe and go hunting with them.
The Hadzabe Tribe live in the dry terrain near Lake Eyasi, south of Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania. They have existed in this region for over 3000 years.
The Hadzabe people are nomads and thus don’t live in the same place for long. They only set up camp for several days or even months and then when they have harvested the resources of their current location, they move to another area. Their moves are normally influenced by climate changes and the availability of wild fruits and vegetation for their animals. They build homes by weaving small huts out of sticks from the euphorbia bush.
They eat roots, meat, wild fruits and use alternative medicine to treat their illnesses. They utilize sticks and grass to start fires. Their unique lifestyle makes a stay with them an interesting and stimulating experience.
Drive back to Karatu in afternoon.
Walking safari in Arusha national park
In Arusha National Park, you can go on a walking safari. This is a walk at the foot of Mount Meru under the guidance of a park ranger. During the hike, you may have the chance to see different species of animals, such as monkeys, buffaloes, zebras and many species of tropical birds. Depending on your wishes and your walking speed, this walk takes about an hour and a half. You will have lunch in the park after your hike is over.
This activity is recommended in combination with a day planned in Arusha Nationalpark as it involves park fee and other additional costs.
Snake park, maasai museum + camel ride
Meserani Snake Park houses snakes and reptiles that can be found in Tanzania. An experienced guide, who can tell you all about these animals, will accompany you. During the tour you will learn how the snakes defend themselves, where they live in nature and what they eat. There is also a bird sanctuary in the park and you can see different kinds of crocodiles and turtles.
In the Massai Museum the Maasai tell you everything about their culture and even explain step by step how they build their houses. You will also learn more about their special holidays and rituals. The biggest difference to a visit of a Massai village is that in this museum you will go a little bit deeper into the way of life of the people of the Massai culture, the background of the tribe will be explained more detailedand there will be no demonstrations like there are in a Maasai village.
Would you like to ride a camel? This is also possible here! If you can negotiate well, you can ride a camel for a short distance for just a few dollars.
Coffee tour
Tanzania has many coffee plantations, especially in the northern part of the country, where the climate is favorable for the magical coffee bean. Some lodges even grow their own coffee and it’s always interesting to make a tour over a plantation. If it’s the right season, the guided tour will show how coffee beans grow, how they are harvested and how the beans are finally processed to become the warm drink so many people love to start their day with.
In other seasons it’s still possible to do a tour. The guide will then tell you about the different types of beans, how these beans are processed and how that delicious coffee taste is made. And of course, all tours end with a lovely cup of freshly brewed coffee!
Rundugai hotsprings
The beautiful Rundugai Hot Springs are located in the middle of the Sanya Plains, about 35 km from Moshi. It is a small oasis in the heart of a dry and dusty landscape. Locals call this wonder the ‘Chemka Maji Moto’ meaning ‘boiling warm water’. This refers to the way in which the bubbling water emerges from under ground. The water has a nice temperature and is crystal clear, so you can see all the way to the bottom. The Rundugai Hot Springs are surrounded by tropical palm trees and impressive roots of big fig trees. It’s a true paradise and a great place to swim, relax, picnic and enjoy the beauty nature has to offer. There is also a rope swing for jumping into the water. On clear days you can even see the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro from here.
Hot Air Balloon Safari
We concider this activity as one of the best and most exciting ones you can do in Tanzania! A hot air balloon safari in the Serengeti will make your Tanzania Safari a memorable experience. You rise at sunrise and gently fly over the endless plains of the Serengeti. The hot air balloon will float at treetop height above the baobab and acacia trees, so you can see the animals up close. Watching the wildlife from above, offers a unique perspective. Enjoy the peace and breathtaking panoramic views.
The balloon safari starts from 3 different locations in Serengeti National Park. The best time to have magnificent bird’s eyes views of the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti are:
Ndutu: February
Central Serengeti: April till mid-June
North Serengeti: End July, August, September
Olduvai Gorge
The 100 meters deep and 50 km wide Olduvai Gorge is a steep ravine sited between the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. This is one of the most famous archaeological locations in East Africa, where remains of the earliest humans were found. The hundreds of fossils (bones) discovered here date back millions of years. Olduvai Gorge makes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area an important place in the world for the study of human origins and human evolution. You can also visit a small museum here.
Walk to Kilimanjaro Waterfall
The Kuringe waterfall is near Moshi, a town close to Arusha. This trip is excellent for travelers who want to see Mount Kilimanjaro up close. On a clear day this place offers an excellent view of Kibo, one of the famous peaks of Kilimanjaro.
After approximately a two hour drive from Arusha you arrive in the beautiful village of Materuni at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. The village is blessed with good soil and is green all year round. It’s tempting for visitors to stop by and learn more about the cultural heritage of the Chagga tribe who live in this area. The village also offers an amazing view over Moshi and Kilimanjaro.
A local guide will take you on a beautiful walk from Materuni to the amazing seventy meter high waterfall. It is the highest in this part of the country, with thousands of liter of crystal clear water from the Kilimanjaro glaciers falling down with an amazing force. At an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level, the path leads through valleys and tropical rain forest, alternating between splendid views and plantations full of coffee, bananas and avocados plants. En route you can taste banana beer while the guide tells you about life in Materuni and the diverse nature of this area. Be sure to take a towel with you if you want to cool of from your walk with a refreshing dive into the ice-cold water of the waterfall! Back in the village you will end the day with a coffee roasting demonstration and an accompanying cup of fresh Materuni coffee and a local lunch.
Mountainbike tour Arusha
This is a relatively easy, two-hour bike ride on beautiful paths. The mountain bike tour takes you past local banana and coffee fields and several Tanzanian farms. You also cycle through a number of villages on the outskirts of Arusha. It is a ride over flat terrain that shows how people live here. Trees provide the necessary shade along the route, which is especially nice in the warm season.
Horse riding in Arusha
The ride takes place on the Wildlife Estate and whether you are a complete beginner or an advanced rider, it is an opportunity and experience for everyone. If you wish to, the activity can also be organized somewhere else, for example in any other national environment. It is also often done at Longido area or Lake Natron as you can see on the pictures.
Those with little horse riding experience can enjoy a gentle hack along dusty tracks where wildebeest and antelopes graze contentedly. Led by experienced guides, one can explore the meandering paths, spotting a rich array of wildlife like zebras, wildebeests, eland and other gazelles and antelopes along your way. Regularly seen on the horse ride is one of the most elegant and rarest mammals found in Tanzania – the Gerenuk.