Tanzania as your classroom

This trip combines unique cultural encounters with the ultimate safari experience. We are offering a balanced blend of activities, locations, and accommodations.

We will have guided nature walks and hikes with local Maasai guides. Animal enthusiasts will be thrilled by world-class wildlife viewing, and culture lovers will be enriched by connecting with local Tanzanians. We will travel with expert safari guides in rugged Land Cruisers (some days for several hours) over various terrain, including a fair share of off-roading.

Why Tanzania?

With its peaceful history, rich mix of cultures, an incredible array of wildlife, and a great variety of geography, Tanzania is the perfect location for an educational trip, no matter what the subject is. Some of the areas of study, but are not limited to :

Cultural anthropology: Tanzania has over 120 ethnic groups, including the Nilotic Maasai and the Hadzabe Hunter-Gatherers.
Terrestrial Ecology/Biology: A huge range of topics is available for study, from mammalogy to botany to general introductory courses.
Conservation issues: As one of the top safari destinations in the world with a rapidly increasing population, Tanzania faces many complex issues surrounding conservation.
Development issues: As Tanzania develops, it faces many challenges and decisions. From expanding urbanization to food and water security and healthcare issues, many areas exist to study and learn about.

We aim for U.S. teachers to understand more of Eastern Africa's culture and to teach World History and World Geography with a more knowledgeable and empathetic lens.

Cultural Exchange includes:

Stay near the communities you visit, celebrating customs and forming connections with locals.

Experiencing a village water walk and meeting with locals

Participating in Swahili language lesson

Visiting a variety of schools in Arusha and Kilimanjaro Region, including IB Schools and an adult education center for women

Beading with the Village mamas

Meet your Olduvai Gorge onside expert for a private tour of Olduvai Gorge, where Homo habilis was discovered on a National Geographic-sponsored expedition.

Seek out the great wildebeest migration in the Serengeti and spot spectacular wildlife in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Experience the 12-mile-wide Ngorongoro Crater. This World Heritage Site is a unique conservation area enclosed within a prehistoric caldera.

A wildlife biologist accompanies our trip to interpret the flora and fauna we encounter on Safari and to give fascinating lectures about animal behavior.

Spectacular stargazing in the southern sky.

Collaboration with artists, environmentalists, global thinkers, celebrities, Tanzanian communities, and change-makers.

Give a Heart to Africa is an adult women's school in Moshi, Tanzania. Urth Expedition is a supporter of this school.

Pamoja ( together)

Build bridges, sow seeds of compassion, understanding, and responsibility, and cultivate peace.

The darkest thing about Africa has always been our ignorance of it.

~ George Kimble

Itinerary:

Day 1: Travel from the USA to Tanzania

Depart from the USA - Travel to Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania (JRO)

Day 2: Arrive in Arusha

Meet your field director at the airport and transfer to your accommodations in Arusha. Settle in for the evening after your long flight. Arusha is a leading international diplomatic center. This city is considered the de facto capital of the East African Community. Arusha is surrounded by some of the most famous landscapes in Africa, including Arusha National Parks (N.P.). The climate is mild and inviting at the foot of Mount Meru on the far eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley. The transfer from KIA to your hotel will take up to 1 hour, so you can sit comfortably and enjoy the ride before arriving at your lodge for a well-deserved rest. You will be accompanied by a private guide responsible for smooth operations during your trip.

Accommodation: Kahawa House (or similar) BB

Day 3: Orientation, Swahili, Coffee Plantation, and East African Dance

Participate in a community orientation and safety overview, and welcome to Tanzania. After your Swahili lesson at breakfast, you will visit the local organic and Fair Trade coffee farm in Nkoranga Village, 25km from Arusha. Your local guide will show you the village and its history. You will see the oldest Lutheran church in Mt. Meru, visit a primary or secondary school, and walk to the farm to see small shambas (farms), where people grow bananas, maize, beans, and other vegetables and fruits. You will learn and see the difference between organic and traditional coffee farming and see how coffee is grown from young trees to when it is picked. After your walk, you are invited to a big Tanzanian lunch in our host's garden. You can taste chapati, ugali, roasted banana, rice, spinach, salad, goat meat, and fresh fruits of the season. The last stop is the coffee roasting factory. Here, you can taste freshly roasted coffee while you see the process of roasting and grinding coffee. You will get a free bag of your favorite coffee bag to bring home from Tanzania.

In the afternoon, we will visit and participate in a Dance workshop at The Cultural Arts Centre, part of Tumaini University in Makumira.

Afternoon

Arrival, welcome, introduction at CAC grounds

1.15 pm 1:45 pm African Dance/drumming workshop

2:30 pm Guided tour Traditional bomas & traditional instruments Traditional

3:45 pm Dance & Music Performance

5.00 pm Departure

CAC is a thriving center of music and dancing, both traditional and Tanzanian fusion, and was created as a project of Tumaini University Makumira, the Music Department, with support from the European Union Development Fund in 2014-2018. Through this fund, they developed their school outreach program and ethnographic documentation of music and dance cultures in Chagga, Meru, and Maasai groups in Northern Tanzania, as well as developing a professional facility for dancers and musicians in the Arusha area.

Accommodation: Kahawa House (or similar)HB

Day 4: Cultural Heritage Museum, Shanga, and ISM School

After Breakfast, we will visit the ISM School Arusha Campus, a fully accredited independent International Baccalaureate ( IB) school in northern Tanzania. With a structured boarding program and the PYP, MYP, and Diploma curriculum, ISM provides education for local and expatriate children. The students are aged from 3-19 years, with over 500 students on two campuses from over 40 different nationalities,

After that, we stop at the Cultural Heritage Museum, which houses the world's only collection of its kind. The collection ranges from African antiques to contemporary paintings and sculptures, and you will be dazzled by the assembly of art and artifacts.

Before we return to the Lodge, and if time allows, we stop at Shanga (a Swahili word for bead), a heartwarming project that employs over 55 Tanzanians with disabilities.

Accommodation: Kahawa House (or similar)HB

Day 5: St. Jude's School Visit - Beading with Maasai Mamas, Aid Tanzania

We will visit a school in Arusha that works with Rotary International to serve the poorest of the poor with exceptional results. See and learn how the founders of this school serve the community at St. Jude’s School.
We will visit students' families at their homes, have drumming lessons with the students, take class and school tours, and explore the farm to learn how they sustain the school and how it thrives. Lunch will be provided at the school.

10:00 am Tour of St. Jude’s Smith Secondary Campus

At Smith Secondary Campus, located at Usa River, you will get a chance to meet some of the older students who will tell you about their dreams and ambitions for the near future. You’ll be amazed by the artistic talent of these students when you visit the art room and the music class.

11:00 am Farm project visit

The farm project supports our goal of sustainability by reducing food costs and providing a regular supply of fresh vegetables to our students. The school aims to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. The farm covers 12 acres of our Smith Secondary Campus and has been fully funded by incredibly generous donors. We have two greenhouses, a teaching area, and a water pump that enables us to use drip irrigation to water the crops. Students work on the farm on Saturdays and have classes to teach them about modern agricultural methods.

12:00 pm Class Visits

The availability of class visits will vary from week to week. However, these visits will allow you to observe our science labs, computer labs, PE, art, and music classes and interact where appropriate.

12:30 pm Lunch with secondary students

We will drive to Karatu in the afternoon and spend the evening at Aid Tanzania in Karatu, which will include a Maasai women's beading co-operative and a traditional Maasai goat roast welcome dinner.

Aid Tanzania's mission is to help Tanzanian pastoralists live a more secure and stable life
through women's income-generating activities and girls' secondary education.

Accommodation: Isoitok Camp Manyara (or similar)HB

Isoitok Camp Manyara is set in a rich, rugged savannah at 1075 meters above sea level overlooking The Great Rift Valley. It backs onto the Losimingori mountain range, a natural wildlife corridor from the Ngorongoro highlands to Manyara Conservancy and Tarangire National Park.

DAY 6: LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

“The Ecology of Your Surroundings"

Drive to Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its elephants, hippos, giraffes, flamingos, and tree-climbing lions. Set out on our first Safari to discover East Africa's legendary wildlife amid the stunning Rift Valley landscape.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations: Isoitok Camp or similar

Included: 4x4 open-top,. Private English-speaking guide, Park fees, and Day Safari

DAY 7: NGORONGORO Conservation Area and CRATER

“Let’s Meet the Big Five (and Other Charismatic Mega Fauna”

Prof Jackson Njau, Paleoarchaelogy Project Dinner (tbc)

After breakfast, travel to the Ngorongoro Highlands, where we will meet with Maasai community members. Far from the tourist circuit, enjoy a rare opportunity to view traditional singing and dancing, witness an initiation ritual, and learn about this fascinating culture from the village chief and his wives. After lunch, descend 2,000 feet to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, where volcanic slopes shelter almost 25,000 animals. Observe the interactions between predator and prey; spot colorful birdlife, from superb starlings to crowned cranes; and track elephants, rare black rhinos, cheetahs, and more.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner AI

Accommodations: Rhotia Valley or Similar

Included: 4x4 open-top,. Private English-speaking guide, Park fees, and Day Safari

DAY 8: Olduvai Gorge

“Animal Behavior: Making a Living in the Wild”

Kopie Lion Project

Drive to the Olduvai Gorge, where, on a National Geographic-sponsored expedition in 1960, Louis and Mary Leakey discovered Homo habilis, one of the earliest members of the human genus. This morning, a local conservationist will discuss the ongoing work at Olduvai Gorge. Then, take a private tour of the site or accompany the onside conservationist on a walk through the area where much of the research has been conducted. This afternoon, drive to our lodge in the southern Serengeti, looking for lions, giraffes, and leopards along the way.

Meet with a conservationist from KopeLion to learn about the work they do to prevent human-lion conflict in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. KopeLion was founded by National Geographic grantee Ingela Jansson, a field biologist who studied lions in northern Tanzania for over ten years.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner AI

Accommodations: Ndutu Safari Lodge or similar

Included: 4x4 open-top,. Private English-speaking guide, Park fees, and Day Safari

Did you know a group of hippos is called a bloat? A group of giraffes is called a tower!

Tanzania is home to more than 35 species of carnivores, including the African lion, cheetah, leopard, and wild dog. Study the behavioral ecology and conservation challenges facing these incredible creatures while observing some of Africa’s largest remaining carnivore guilds up close.

DAY 9: WALKING SAFARI/ SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Tracking Wildlife and Avoid Confrontation

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner AI

Accommodations: Ndutu Safari Lodge or similar

Included: 4x4 open-top,. Private English-speaking guide, Park fees, and Day Safari

EXTRA OPTIONAL EXCURSION IN SERENGETI:

Serengeti Balloon Safari Experience: ( optional)
Early morning pick-up from your lodge transfers you to the balloon ride briefing point. Meet other guests who will be joining you for this spectacular experience. While being briefed, you will enjoy some light bitings and beverages. After the briefing, you will board and fly over the Savannah in the Balloon as you enjoy the sunrise. Upon landing after this spectacular experience, you will enjoy a Bush Champagne Full English Breakfast. After the Balloon safari, drive back to the lodge to enjoy the facilities that the lodge has to offer as you await lunch. In the evening proceed for a Game Drive.
Balloon Safari Supplement: $599 per person

DAYS 10-11: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

"Anatomy and Physiology - Adaptations of Plants and Animals in the Serengeti”

The ecology of your surroundings

History, present, and future of Tanzania's natural world and resources

Biodiversity Game Drives- mammals, birds, trees- understanding and protecting the Great Migration

Attempt Mara River Crossings- Conservation Challenges and Solutions

Sand River/Kogatende- Ethics and Sustainable Tourism.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Daily AI

Accommodations: Great Migration CAMP

Included: 4x4 open-top,. Private English-speaking guide, Park fees, and Day Safari

DAY 12: SERENGETI- AFRICA AMINI LIFE

After a final early-morning safari, we drive back to Arusha. Here, you will experience Maasai life, culture, and traditions.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations: Original Maasai Lodge

DAY 14: Africa Amini Life

After a final early-morning cultural ritual, relax at our lodge before transferring to the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) to connect with your flight home.

Meals Included: Breakfast

What to Expect

Prices are per person based on double or single occupancy (unless otherwise noted) and do not include international airfare to/from your destination. All prices and fares are quoted in U.S. dollars and are subject to change. Please have a look at this trip's terms and conditions for more information. (will be sent separately)

Total Cost for $ TBD

Single occupancy is an additional $500.00

Included:

Transfer to and from the Airport’s

4x4 Safari Vehicle
All Accommodations are listed in the itinerary.
Coffee Tour, including traditional Tanzania lunch.
CAC tour with an African dance lesson
All National Park Fees
Ngorongoro Crater fee

Safari package

AMREF Flying Doctor coverage

One Trip leader (Teacher or Trip Coordinator at no extra cost)

English-speaking guide throughout the trip
UNESCO World Heritage sites ( Ngorongoro Crater

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Airfare to and from destination,

Trip cancellation insurance

Visas when applicable

Alcoholic beverages

Gratuities

Pre-trip information

Urth Expedition General Release of Liability (due at the time of final payment)

Information on immunization recommendations from the CDC

Information on international travel from the U.S. State Department

Your Private Safari Vehicle

We operate Toyota Land Cruiser cars that have been modified to withstand off-road safari conditions while still optimizing your comfort and wildlife viewing potential.

Our vehicles seat 5 or 7 guests allowing us to fit your group in a vehicle best.

Enjoy cool drinks from your fridge, located between the back row of seats, and keep your camera batteries and devices charged with an inverter that has a universal charge strip.

Equipped with radios, allowing us to keep in touch with other cars in convoys and get an idea of what might be in the area from other cars out there.