tanzania asilia: cultural discovery and the “big 5” 

14 day, 13 nights (including arrival and departure days)

Day 1 (Arrival):

  • You will be met at Kilimanjaro airport by your driver guide who will transfer you to your hotel (Karama Lodge/ Outpost Lodge) in Arusha.

Day 2-3: (Maasai community-based program)

  • At 8:30 a.m. meet with your driver guide, Lauren or Chaca and/or the community facilitator for orientation.

  • Depart for the village at 9:00 a.m, passing through town to collect “zawadi” (gifts) of tea and sugar for the village. Arrive at the village by 10:30 a.m.

  • Introduction to community elders and local guide.

  • The following 2 days include a mixture of activities such as taking part in daily chores and leisure activities, a tour of a traditional homestead, educational “bush” seminars with practical workshops and discussion groups and a community service option to give back to the community before you leave. This is an incredible opportunity to challenge your perceptions and open your eyes while not only experiencing but taking part in how Maasai people really live, the challenges they face and how their lives could be changed for the better in a community led, sustainable way. Whether sitting by a fire listening to an Mzee (elder) tell you traditional stories or helping a Maasai mama milk her cows you will leave this village with a new world view.    

Day 4: (the next two days are traveling days with activities which help break up the journey to the Hadza village is a good 8-9 hours from the Maasai village  in total)

  • Wake early and begin the first leg of your journey, stopping at Tarangire National Park for a game drive (approx. 2.5 hours)

  • Arrive at Tarangire (approx.. 10:00 a.m.) for a day of game driving, stopping for an “on the bonnet” picnic lunch. Tarangire is well known for it’s high concentration of elephants which can be seen all year round. It is also wonderful for birding and has high numbers of primate species such as baboons and vervet monkeys.

  • Spend the night at Tarangire Safari Lodge.

Day 5:

  • En-route game drive out of park and then depart for Lake Babati in Babati district. Babati was one of several districts ear-marked for the development of “ujamaa” or socialist villages by the first president of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere. Babati town itself, although not an Ujamaa village was and still is a major trade centre for agricultural crops in the region. It is a bustling, fast growing town in the shadow of Kwaraa Mountain, on the shores of Lake Babati, famous for its’ fish and hippos.

  • Visit paddy fields, sunflower oil manufacturers followed by a traditional Swahili/Bantu family lunch before retiring to the lake shore for canoeing, dinner and overnight.

Day 6-8: (Hadzabe Community-based program)

  • After an early breakfast continue with your journey onward. This journey is most definitely off the beaten track where you are unlikely to see many cars or other tourists for the next few days.

  • Journey from Babati to Mbulu district. Duration: approx. 5 hours.

  • Stop for lunch break along the way.

  • Arrive at Hadzabe village late afternoon.

  • Introduction to village elders.

  • The following 2 days include a mixture of activities such as taking part in daily chores and leisure activities, a tour of a traditional home and educational “bush” seminars with practical workshops and discussion groups. This is the second community you will visit on your trip and represents a vastly different lifestyle but no less eye-opening. The Hadzabe are considered to be a largely egalitarian society and represent a way of viewing and connecting with the world that has been lost to many during the “new age” since industrialisation. Whether listening to a Hadza man play a traditional instrument or walking with the mamas as they collect wild fruits you will leave this un-spoilt area of true wilderness with a fundamentally changed perspective on life.

Day 9:

  • Transfer to Karatu, passing by Lake Eyasi and stopping briefly for a visit to the Barabaig blacksmiths and lunch. The Barabaig are a pastoralist group who share many similarities with the Maasai but who are also uniquely different.

  • Arrive at Country Lodge in Karatu for dinner and a hot shower!

Day 10:

  • After an early breakfast head to the Serengeti via Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stopping for majestic views of the crater before continuing the journey on towards Serengeti.

  • Make a brief stop at Oldupai Gorge to view and take part in a short lecture about this fascinating archaeological site.

  • Stop for lunch at the Serengeti gate before continuing with an en route game drive to the lodge.

  • Arrive at Kati Kati tented lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 11:

  • After breakfast begin your full day game drive.

  • Stop for either a picnic OR “on-the bonnet” lunch, depending on where the animals are – we’ll leave this up to the driver to decide unless you would prefer lunch at a park picnic site, please let him know.

  • Continue with game drive.

  • Return to camp.

Day 12:

  • After breakfast enjoy your second full day of game driving in the Serengeti with lunch box. 

Day 13:

  • Wake early for breakfast and begin en route game drive back towards Ngorongoro Conservation area.

  • Continue on to the crater, heading down for a full game drive of the area stopping for a picnic lunch at one of the crater’s small lakes.

  • Head out of the conservation area back to Karatu for a night at Gibbs Farm Lodge.

Day 14 (Departure):

  • Depending on your flight time, spend the morning enjoying the grounds at Gibbs Farm lodge, learning about its’ history as an old colonial farm and then “game lodge”, take a tour of the lodges coffee plantation and vegetable garden or book a massage (not included in overall price). After a hearty lunch depart for Arusha and then Kilimanjaro for your flight home.