CULTURAL DISCOVERY
Walk a day in another's shoes, step outside your comfort zone and see the world through a new lens...
what's involved?
What will I do?
Guided walks, tours and home visits.
Practical activities.
Talks, indigenous knowledge workshops and informal discussion groups.
What will I learn and how?
Although exactly what you learn will differ depending on the community visited and the length of your stay you will learn about some or all of the following topics:
Daily chores and tasks (through participation and observing).
Building techniques of traditional homes (talks and some practical activities).
Family and societal structure (talks and discussion groups).
Food and how it is obtained and processed (talks and practical activities).
Spiritual beliefs (talks and discussion groups).
Oral traditions and stories (talks and discussion groups).
Pre and post-colonial tribal history (talks and discussion groups).
Traditional dress and art (talks, discussion groups and practical activities).
Traditional music and dance (practical activities!).
Traditional medicine (talks and practical activities).
The local environment and wildlife (Ecology).
Indigenous Knowledge workshops
(IK) workshops form an important part of all our programmes. Similar to a discussion group, they involve both the elders and youth of the community plus visitors. The aim is to give all participants the chance to exchange knowledge and discover each other's IK in the hope that this will encourage its preservation within each community. You can learn more about IK on our indigenous knowledge page.
The set-up
Accommodation
We run our community- based tours programs on a camping basis at private camp-sites allocated to us by the local village leaders. There are no permanent structures built at these campsites so facilities are limited to what Nyayo Discovery provides (you can learn more our mobile camping services on our accommodation page). From this base your program will follow a flexible itinerary designed to move with the natural ebb and flow of the village.
Field Crew
This is the team that accompanies you throughout your community-based program and is made up of a local guide (from the community itself and the true expert of their culture and people) a driver guide (who may or may not be taking you on a wildlife safari) and dedicated bush camp chef. In addition, in nearly every instance, the program will also be led and facilitated by either Chaca or Lauren and sometimes both! Their presence allows for greater communication between community and visitor and also provides additional support and reassurance for visitors.
Duration
Depending on the community you choose to visit, programs can be taken as a single day trip or up to a week. Please enquire about which community program best suits your time constraints.
who is it for?
Anyone looking for a meaningful, educational experience, who is interested in learning and connecting with Tanzania's people and cultures on a deeper level but isn't afraid to "rough it" a little bit. Local conditions can be challenging for some not used to camping or adventure travel, however we will do our upmost to ensure your comfort.
Although technically there is no age restriction on our programs, some are more suitable for children than others. We advise against bringing babies and toddlers to rural communities, particularly those with little travel experience. For older children (from 3 years) we leave it to the parent's discretion since you know your child best and what he or she is capable of coping with. If you are honest about your child's needs and let us know from the start we can advise about suitability and accommodate them where possible. Tanzanian culture is very child friendly and our field crew and local guides are only too happy to help out and show them Tanzania's wonders!