Tanzania Safari & Cultural Visit

The Swahili culture was born as a result of intermarriages, exchange of ideas and trade with foreigners (Arabs, Greeks, Persians, Romans and Chinese) starting Cultural safaris in Tanzania about two thousand years ago. The Swahili culture started in the islands and coastal towns along the Indian ocean stretching all the way to Kenya. In time, the culture spread to the inner parts of East Africa. The Swahili culture and cuisines takes inspiration from the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Chinese. Kiswahili has grown from a language of trade to become a national language that unites all the people of Tanzania. To experience the authentic Swahili culture, one needs to visit Zanzibar island.  Here you will immediately notice the result of the intermarriages between the local Bantu people and foreigners arriving at the coast. The key features of the original Swahili-speaking people are their lighter skins, business-orientation and Swahili mother tongue.

The tribe lives on the sloops of the Kilimanjaro and represents a powerful life force for the local Chagga people. Providing rich volcanic soils for agriculture and an endless source of pure spring waters. Their way of life is based on agriculture using irrigation on terraced fields , using oxen to plough the ground of the fields, using their own fertilizer methods for at least thousands of years. They cultivate, yams, beans, maize, bananas and are well known for their arabica coffee.

When you get in contact with the Chagga tribe, they will be eager to show the process of making your own cup of coffee or brew banana beer. Interact with the farmer methods and lifestyle. And most of all you can taste delicious products and even buy your own ecological coffee beans or beer. This souvenirs will remind you of the memories with the Chagga tribe when you are back at home.

The Olduvai Gorge is an archeological site where Dr. Louis Leakey discovered the skull of the “Nutcracker Man” also known as Zinjanthropus in 1959. This particular fossil and many others date back to about 2 million years ago. Because of these discoveries, Oduvai Gorge is now known as the cradle of Mankind. The handy man or “Homo habilis” and the Zinjanthropus can be seen in a small museum at the site. Olduvai Gorge is found along the road leading to the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro crater.

 Like the Khoisan in Southern Africa, the Hadzabe Bushmen speak a language consisting of clicks. They still live as hunters and gathers along the caves of Lake Eyasi. The Hadzabe first arrived in Tanzania about 10,000 years ago but their numbers have dwindled in recent decades with only about 1000 left. The decline in population is because of climate change, competition for resources with more assertive tribes like the neighboring Datoga tribe and commercial hunting which has left them with little to feed on. What has protected this tribe from total extinction is the isolation and primitive lifestyle.

Visiting this ancient tribe will expose you to their unique way of living and culture. What will you learn from visiting the Hadzabe? You learn how honey, fruits and tubers are collected out in the wild. You also learn how to make bows and poisoned arrows. There is also the traditional dance performances and storytelling from the elders. The Hadzabe will teach you how to smoke meat, make fire using sticks, build huts and track wild animals. You may even be lucky to take part in a marriage ceremony or visit one of their winter caves.

Mto wa Mbu is one of Tanzania’s leading cultural sites. It was built on the foot of the East African Rift Valley by the Government of Tanzania in conjunction with SNV. The site lies close to Cultural heritage sites in TanzaniaLake Manyara National Park, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Mto wa Mbu brings together many of Tanzania’s tribes to showcase their own cultural heritage. The site has grown so much that it is now a small town on its own. No other place brings together tribes from almost every part of the country in the way that Mto wa Mbu does.

The main activities while at the site include climbing the Balala Hill, visiting the local farms, going for a village walk and checking out the local development projects. For those who love art or wish to buy souvenir, this is one place you cannot afford to miss. By the end of your visit, you would have encountered the Chagga people, the Sandawe, the Rangi and the Mbugwe among others.

The Masai migrated from Kenya to Tanzania around the 15^th century. As they arrived into the country, they fought other tribes in order to acquire more pasture for their domestic animals. The Masai stand out from all other tribes in Tanzania because of their pride, intelligence, assertiveness but also friendly nature. They are arguably the most visited indigenous tribes in Africa.

The Masai believe all cattle belong to them Historic sites in Tanzaniaregardless of where they are located on earth. They would organize raids to reclaim their cattle from other tribes hence causing great devastation. The government put a top to their raids and claims but have allowed them to live close to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area hence offering tourists an opportunity to visit them.

On a typical Maasai Community visit, tourists are able to visit their bomas (homesteads) or manyattas and learn from the elders about their cultural heritage. A visit is incomplete Tanzania Cultural tour without watching Maasai warriors leaping, dancing and drumming. For the best cultural encounters, you need to visit the Seneto Maasai Boma and Irkeepus in the Ngorongoro area.

The Datoga are a Nilotic tribe living close to the Masai people in northern Tanzania. Along with the Hadzabe, they are one of the last truly primitive tribes in the country. Like the Masai, they rely on cattle keeping but have recently embraced subsistence farming. One of the intriguing things about the Datoga is their dress code. They wear bracelets and collars made of brass or bead. Another outstanding feature of the Datoga are the tattoos Tanzania cultural safarissurrounding their eyes.

The Datoga culture encourages aggression and because of that have not always lived peacefully with their neighbors like the Iraqw or Hadzabe. Despite their reputation as warriors, the Datoga are friendly to tourists. If you pay them a visit, they can share a lot about their life and cultural beliefs. What will you see when you visit the Datoga? Well, you will learn about their way of living including how to prepare cattle fences, build huts, make traditional dresses, make weapons and milk a cow. You will also learn how to make traditional beer, food and herbs to treat common ailments.

The Datoga are a Nilotic tribe living close to the Masai people in northern Tanzania. Along with the Hadzabe, they are one of the last truly primitive tribes in the country. Like the Masai, they rely on cattle keeping but have recently embraced subsistence farming. One of the intriguing things about the Datoga is their dress code. They wear bracelets and collars made of brass or bead. Another outstanding feature of the Datoga are the tattoos Tanzania cultural safarissurrounding their eyes.

The Datoga culture encourages aggression and because of that have not always lived peacefully with their neighbors like the Iraqw or Hadzabe. Despite their reputation as warriors, the Datoga are friendly to tourists. If you pay them a visit, they can share a lot about their life and cultural beliefs. What will you see when you visit the Datoga? Well, you will learn about their way of living including how to prepare cattle fences, build huts, make traditional dresses, make weapons and milk a cow. You will also learn how to make traditional beer, food and herbs to treat common ailments.