8 Days Tanzania Cultural Tour : Tanzania has diverse, authentic cultural experiences you will never find anywhere else. Tanzania is home to over 120 ethnic tribes with different customs and traditions. This itinerary will accomplish your dream for travelers who love to explore how people live in the 21st Century while keeping their old identity.
From the thatched houses of Maasai living in meat, blood, and milk to the community of hunters and gatherers whose lives depend on daily struggles in the bush. People here are so welcome, and you will have a chance to participate in every process of their practices, like dancing with them, food lessons, milking, and getting inside their houses to experience their actual life.
This eight-day Tanzania cultural safari will set a beacon of African love in your heart, and you will cherish the memories forever.
Trip Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival in Moshi Town.
After a safe landing at Kilimanjaro airport, our East Africa Safari Guides representative will be ready to pick you up and escort you to your hotel. You may explore the small city of Moshi during the evening or relax and wait for the adventure the next day.
Day 2: Explore the Chagga Tribe and Materuni Waterfalls:
After breakfast, you will depart for Materuni Waterfalls, 45 45-minute drive from Moshi town. The waterfall is genuinely lovely, and you may have a chance to swim in the plunge pool found underneath the falls; remember to bring your swimming costume, as the water here is crystal clear.
After that, you will participate in different activities, such as coffee, cultural dance, cooking lessons, and local brew tasting, to mention but a few. The Kilimanjaro region is home to other tribes, but the most famous one that originated there is Chagga; people from this tribe still have their ways of life that have been kept for many years.
Slaughtering and enjoying the local BBQ has been their custom for many ceremonies, from marriage to the birth of a child, when a woman finishes maternity and many more. There is also a local brew called Mbege for Chagga; you will see the process of making it and taste it if you are okay with alcohol.
While there, you will have a chance to learn about different local cuisines and tastes. Banana is the Chagga people’s famous food, and other cooking styles will make you fall in love with it. Later in the evening, you will drive back to your hotel for an overnight.
Day 3: Maasai Cultural Experiences at Osiligilai:
Maybe you have heard about the famous Maasai tribe, but if it is your first time, this is one of the remaining tribes that live the ancient life in the 21st Century. Maasai have exciting ways of life; they live depending on their livestock since they are pastoralists; their favorite meals are meat, cooked banana mixed corn, and milk called Loshoro; thus, you may taste them if you wish.
Osiligilai is found quite remote from Moshi town in the semi-arid environment; you will have time to immerse entirely in the Maasai experience, like walking around their villages to see their typical life, fetching water with donkeys, and escorting their cattle.
However, you may visit a school and see how Maasai students undertake their studies; there are ongoing projects for Maasai girls to have equal rights to education, and you may implement sustainable tourism.
Later in the afternoon, you will return to your lodge nestled in the hills, where you may unwind at the pool and have a beautiful view of both Mount Kilimanjaro and Meru; wildlife in this area is also magnificent as you may spot some zebras from afar.
In the evening, you will gather at the firepit for Maasai story tales from the leader and enjoy the goat BBQ prepared just for guests. Your night in Osiligilai will be a night to remember.
Day 4: Osiligilai to Serval Wildlife Sanctuary to Chemka Hot Spring:
What an excellent program! After a heavy English breakfast from the Maasai empire, you can travel to Serval Wildlife Sanctuary to explore the habituated wild animals in that magnificent sanctuary. You can have time to take a closer picture with lions, zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and elands, to mention a few. It is a one-hour tour, so a journey to Chemka Hot Spring will continue.
Arriving at Chemka Hot Spring after 1-hour drive, the awe-inspiring view of the clear water pool covered by bamboo trees will take your breath away. As people call it, the healing water will give you a free fish spa treatment (ichthyotherapy) as you soak your legs in the water and say goodbye to your dead skin. Swimming at Chemka is one of the pleasant experiences that will take you home, and during the afternoon, you will have your packed lunch from Osiligilai Maasi Lodge.
During the evening, you will proceed to Arusha town, the second largest city in Tanzania and a safari city hub for all northern safari destinations for your overnight.
Day 5: Meru Culture and Arusha National Park:
After breakfast, you and a private guide will start a drive to Arusha National Park, just one hour from the city center. While en route, you will have a chance to pass by one of the Meru cultural houses to have short insights about this ethnic tribe; two hours will be enough to spend with the Meru women group and learn about their culture.
After two hours, a short drive will lead you to Arusha National Park, where you can explore the wildlife found in that area; however, the goal is to enjoy the experiences in the wilderness. So, upon your arrival, you will head to the walking safari starting point with an armed ranger, where you can encounter Buffalo, Zebras, Warthogs, and Giraffes from a closer look.
After a walking safari, your driver guide will take you a little bit remote under the foothills of Mount Meru, where you will find a small paradise to have your hot lunch. The area is tranquil and lush year-round, with waterfalls near your dining table for a complete off-the-beaten adventure.
The tour does not end there; after lunch, you will head to the lake inside the park to enjoy the Flamingos and canoeing. Later in the evening, you will head back to Arusha town for your overnight.
Day 6: Explore Tarangire National Park:
After breakfast, you take your packed lunch off to Tarangire National Park, a safari that will take two and a half hours to the main entrance. Tarangire is famous for its big Baobab trees and giant Elephants. Tarangire is incredible; with the abundance of wildlife, you may spot predators, like lions, cheetahs, and leopards, in their natural habitats from a closer look.
After lunch in one of the remote picnic sites, you will have your final game drive before heading out to your hotel at the shores of Lake Manyara for an overnight. Remember you have to book earlier to get this property’s availability as it tends to be fully booked around high season from June to September.
Day 7: Engage in Hadzabe Cultural Experiences:
Hadzabe is among the ancient tribes that have preserved their cultural heritage till now. Visiting this ethnic tribe will impact your travel style in Africa. Two hours drive will be enough to take you straight to the Hadza villages after your early breakfast.
You will have time to hunt with Hadzabe, dance with them, and get inside their local houses. Hadzabe are not cultivating, so they live depending on hunting and harvesting honey.
Later in the afternoon, you will have a fantastic view from the lake shore of Lake Eyasi while enjoying your lunch. During the evening, you head back to Karatu town for your overnight.
Day 8: Departure:
You have come to the final day to make a summary of your African travel design. Hopefully, this trip will be one of the best trips you have ever made and will leave you with unforgettable memories.
We have decided to blend cultural tours with wildlife game viewing as Tanzania boasts many natural wildlife areas and cultural heritages.
After breakfast, you will pack your things with your packed lunch for three hours to Arusha airport if you want to extend your tour to Zanzibar Island for a beach holiday or drive to Kilimanjaro International Airport for a connecting flight back home. See you once again.
