Tanzania Cultural Excursions

Tanzania Cultural Excursions

Home to approximately 120 tribal groups, most of these comprise small communities that are gradually being assimilated into the larger population due to changes in land use and the economic draw of city life.

Pastoralists who fiercely guard their culture and traditions, Masaai tribal life revolves around protecting and caring for their herds of cattle and finding ample grazing land in their region.

The 'Spice Islands' of the Zanzibar Archipelago, Pemba, Mafia, and the entire Tanzanian coast is home to the Swahili people, a vibrant mix of Arab, Indian and Bantu origins who historically based their livelihoods around Indian Ocean trade.

The Swahili Coast, as the region is called, is a predominantly Islamic region with old mosques and coral palaces found throughout the area. Swahili culture centres around the dhow, a wooden sailing boat powered by the seasonal wind.

Visit: Masai Central Market, Mto wa Mbu, Lake Manyara National Park Tanzania

This wonderful cultural excursion will immerse you in the fascinating ancestry of these noble people. At the Maasai village playing host to your tour, you will have the opportunity to meet with a Maasai family, visit a traditional boma, the village huts (called Manyatta), made of cow dung and clay plastered over stick frames, and perhaps venture to a local school or clinic. If you would like to extend your half-day adventure, and turn it into a full-day’s exploration, you can experience a day in the life of a young Maasai or, for an authentic interaction, watch a bloodletting ceremony. It is an extraordinary reality how the Maasai people live in the heart of the bush, with warthogs foraging and elephants trumpeting just on their periphery.

The most famous of Africa’s people, these fierce warriors are still practicing their ancestral way of life and are known for their pastoral traditions, living off their herds of cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys. Since time immemorial the Maasai moved nomadically in search of water and pasture for their herds. Today they have established permanent settlements, and many of the Maasai do not roam. They still exist on a diet of milk, blood, and meat, however, it is becoming very common place to supplement their diet with grain. The few Maasai left today still coexist collectively with the profuse wildlife.

Duration: 1 day

Visit: Chagga Museum, Near Main Entrance To Mt. Kilimanjaro, Marangu Tanzania

Watered by year round snow and ice melt, the volcanic soils of Kilimanjaro’s lower slopes are extremely fertile and are exploited by the Chagga using a sophisticated system of intensive irrigation methods and continuous fertilization with animal manure which permits year round cultivation and supports one of Tanzania’s highest human population densities. Arabica coffee has been the Chagga’s primary cash crop since colonial times, although maize and bananas remain staple foods. The cultivation of bananas is traditionally a man’s work, as is that of eleusine seed (ulezi), which is boiled and mixed with mashed plantain to brew a local beer (umbege or mbega) that is still used in traditional ceremonies and as a form of payment to elders in their role as arbiters in conflicts.

Duration: 1 day

Visit: Bagamoyo Museum, Mango Tree Drive, Bagamoyo Tanzania

Bagamoyo, Tanzania, is a town founded at the end of the 18th century, though it is an extension of a much older (8th century) settlement, Kaole. It was the capital of German East Africa and was one of the most important trading ports along the East African coast along the west of the Indian Ocean. In 2011, the town had 82,578 inhabitants and is the capital of the Bagamoyo District.

Being a former colony of both Germany and Britain, architectural styles in Tanzania reflect Arab, German, and British influence and occupation. There is also a long rich history of slave trade and other goods that can be seen in the architectural remains and buildings, as well as culture of the coastal towns and offshore Zanzibar Island (The Portuguese, Arabs and Indians and Chinese were also involved in this trade). For instance, ruins of Arab mosques as well as nineteenth-century stone houses on narrow streets can be seen in Bagamoyo, which was one of the main endpoints of the East African slave trade. There are also tombs embedded with Chinese ceramics dating to the twelfth century.

Duration: 2 days