Tanzania Cultural Tour
Maasai Cultural Tour
Cultural tours are a popular product in Tanzania that is mostly sold as an add-on to enrich main safari tour programs. Most cultural tour sites in mainland Tanzania were developed by the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) in conjunction with the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), starting with selected villages around Arusha in northern Tanzania and spreading out into other areas.
These are traditionally existing villages which have been made accessible to visitors who may have a glimpse of the authentic lifestyle of the more than 120 tribes in rural Tanzania. Most visitors to Africa, especially first timers, find the continent and its people enchantingly different and a special experience. We at Leopard Tours appreciate this fact and endeavour to include visits to the local communities to give our guests the opportunity to see first hand the way of life in a typical African village.
Besides enriching itineraries and adding quality to the tours offered in Tanzania, the cultural tours are generating direct income to the local communities that are being visited, contributing to their development. Thus by visiting the cultural sites the guests would be giving support to community health, water supply, primary education and many other social and economic projects carried out at village level as well as reforestation and protection of environment.
Maasai Cultural Tour
At the base of Mount Kilimanjaro on the border between Moshi and Arusha lies one of the many homes to one of the most famous tribes in Tanzania, the nomadic Maasai who retain their original culture and practices. Within the Maasai tribe the men and older children move with their cattle, to find suitable grazing areas before returning to their home base, while the women stay at home and take care of the home and younger children.
As well as witnessing many of their traditions, you will have the opportunity to participate in the authentic life of these people who still live in harmony with nature. A lifestyle known for its modesty and simplicity,
From beaded jewelry making, to learning about traditional medicinal plants and trees, and enjoying a roasted goat feast, we will introduce you to their culture, stories, songs and dances, their beliefs, and daily practices. If the timing is right, you may be lucky to witness a Maasai wedding or circumcision ceremony. A truly unique and insightful day that you will definitely never forget. Day trips and overnight stays at the luxurious Maasai Lodge are available.
Hadzabe Tribe
The Hadza people, the last true Nomads of Africa, are are a culturally, linguistically, and genetically distinct population of approximately 1000-1500 individuals living around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley and in the neighboring Serengeti Plateau. They are the last functioning hunter-gatherers in Africa living as they have for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. About 5-6 families form a nomadic tribe which moves to a new location every two months or so. Being mobile is an essential part of Hadza culture, both as a way to find food and as a way to peaceably regulate social interactions.
Using vowels, consonants and clicking sounds, they are known for their non verbal communication, using clicks, modern genetic research suggests that they may beclosely related to the Pygmies. The Hadza language appears to be an isolate, unrelated to any other.
The Hadza are highly skilled, selective, and opportunistic foragers, and adjust their diet according to season and circumstance. Men usually forage individually, bringing home some honey, fruit, or wild game when available. Women forage in larger parties, to collect berries, baobab fruit, and tubers. Men and women also forage co-operatively for honey and fruit, and at least one adult male will usually accompany a group of foraging women.
The contribution of meat to the diet increases in the dry season, when game becomes concentrated around sources of water. During this time, men often bow hunt in pairs with poison treated arrows. and spend entire nights patiently waiting by waterholes, hoping to shoot animals that approach for a night-time drink.
This unique and educational experience will take you on an amazing adventure with the Hadzas. An early morning start, you will join the men on their daily hunt using traditional Bow and arrows, or join the women as they forage for fruits and berries. An authentic African cultural experience, not for the faint of heart.
Datoga Culture Tour
The Datoga people are of nilotic origins, classified as Highland Southern NIlotes. They are thought to have settled in the Lake Eyasi area about 3,000 years ago from Southern Sudan and Western Ethiopia highlands, where they originally lived before moving to this new region.
Background
In their migration southwards, their ancestors came to occupy the highlands of Kenya and Tanzania. During the migration, they split up into two groups: the former settled in Kenya and gave origin to the Kalenjin people; the latter settled in Tanzania and gave origin to the Datoga ethnic group. The Datoga occupied the open expanses of northern Tanzania, but because of wrong strategic choices and with the Masai progressively taking control of the region, they were forced out of many areas, retreating to the banks of Lake Eyasi, where they currently live.
Customs and traditions
The elongated ear lobes are a typical feature of the Datoga people. This alteration is sought-after and is not the only one. Girls have very big drawings on their face and shoulders, etched by carving marks in their flesh. Some even carve extremely deep marks to make the picture more visible.
The mask-shaped drawing on the woman’s face is a distintive mark which identifies members of the Datoga tribe
Materuni Waterfall and Coffer Tour
Materuni is one of the few villages of wonder in Northern Tanzania sitting at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. The village is blessed with full of all the beauty worth much visiting for holiday, week-end outing or vacation. While in the village, scenic view of Moshi Town and Mount Kilimanjaro is astonishing.
This green village with fresh air from green vegetations welcomes visitors to explore the beauty of the land and cultural heritage of the Chagga people. A cultural experience such as banana beer brewed or coffee roasted the traditional way can be added to your hike.