Cultural Tourism

Babati and Hanang:

Babati district is located along the Arusha-Dodoma road in the Rift Valley, south of Lake Manyara Park and west from Tarangire. The town boasts Lake Babati where floating hippos can be seen and which is rich in fish, both tilapia and Nile perch. Here commercial and farming tribes co-exist with conservative cattle herding tribes to provide a distinguished cultural contrast. In Hanang District close by the beautiful  Mount Hanang (3418m), live the Barbaig people whose traditional culture is still unchanged and unspoiled. The   women wear traditional goatskin dresses and the men walk around with spears. Visitors can mix freely with the Barbaig, commonly known as the Mang’ati living in the Mang’ati plains. If you are interested in bird watching, 400 bird species will welcome you on your walks in the area.
Welcome to the fertile lands and farmland where most crops grow on the edge of the Rift Valley. Here you can walk and see a mixture of tribal cultures and rural lives as lived by ordinary Tanzanians off the well trodden Tourist Circuits such as:  A special Barbaig cultural insight hike ,an exclusive Mount Hanang climb, a fishing adventure with local canoes on Lake Babati while viewing hippos, a chance to participate in local brick and pottery making and beer brewing, a visit to development projects like cattle, dairy farming, piped water projects & Cycling expedition through remote areas.

Lake Eyasi Bushmen:Small groups of Hadzabe bushmen live around Lake Eyasi . Their language resembles the click languages of other bushmen further south in the Kalahari. Their small population was seriously threatened, in particular during the period when Julius Nyerere tried to introduce his Ujamaa policy. The tribe resisted the forcible settlement policies of Julius Nyerere and nowadays most of their children have never seen a doctor or school – the bush provides for all their needs and is a class room for their offspring.
They are often willing for visitors to come and see their simple bush homes where the tree canopy alone or a cave provides them with shelter. They live entirely off the bush and from hunting, generally small antelopes and baboons, although in rainy seasons gazelles and antelopes come down from the Ngorongoro or Serengeti to their then lush bush lands offering them richer pickings. In the recent past their hunting activities were resented by trophy hunters who tried to stop their “illegal” hunting.
The string on their lethal bows is made from giraffe tendons and the arrows are coated with a strong poison made from another tree. The commiphora tree provides excellent firewood which they kindle by rubbing wood, a green commiphora provides a mosquito-repelling sap, and juice squeezed out of the sansaveria provides a cure for snake bites while aloe is used to heal cuts. Roots provide a wide range of medicines and the mighty baobab fruits as a source of drink. A few hours spent with the bushmen makes the apparently inhospitable bush country come to life and to watch them hunt a unique experience as they stealthily spot then creep up on their prey skillfully killing it.

Maasai Village Longido:The Longido is about 90 kilometers north of Arusha town. It’s one of the places to visit and see Wa-Maasai and other tribes like Wa –arusha. Visitors have chance to see cattle being auctioned in the market and how local people( Maasai & Wa-arusha) conduct that business traditionally, the Maasai are benefiting from ‘green’ tourism by organizing tour of the mountains and plains near their community.
The tour guides fill visitors with fascinating information about history, culture and the natural wild. And visitors get to enjoy the traditional meals prepared by Maasai women. A potion of the tour fees go into a village fund that finances local development projects. Longido offer a guided tour hiking to Kimokouwa along with Maasai cattle trails that winds over the slopes of the summit of Longido Mountain .
There is a chance of viewing wildlife such as elephants, Impala and buffaloes. It’s also famous for camel-back safari which can be arranged as an optional of your safari package. A tour can take a half day to a week, depending on your wishes.
The safari takes you through the plains that are home to different species of birds: Mountain around the area (Longido and Oldoinyo Lengai) with a beautiful terrain that allows hiking to take place. Depending on a person’s physiology, hiking can be done just for one day to the top. Once at the top you have the good view of the mount Meru and Kilimanjaro Mountain as well as Maasai plain in Kenya side on a clear day. Get a chance to see and learn a little more about the pride of Maasai pastoralists in Tanzania .