Tanzania

Village in Northern Tanzania

8 days. Settle into a small agricultural village in a rural area near Mount Kilimanjaro to get acquainted with Tanzania and our group. Spend the first couple of days working together with the villagers on a community-service project, such as developing a water-delivery system or helping build teacher housing. Learn firsthand about ujamaa, the uniquely African concept of interdependent community developed by Tanzania's first president, Julius Nyerere. Break into your On Assignment teams to plan projects and interact with community groups, artisans, and village youth. Visit young children in an orphanage, play sports with Tanzanian kids, or tutor English at the local school. Assist community leaders and educators with their programs promoting education, good nutrition, and HIV/AIDS awareness. Learn about music and dance from local youth, practice batik, and participate in lively discussions about politics and social issues.

Wildlife Safari and Maasai Tribal Lands

7 days. Our safari begins with a special invitation to spend one night with the Maasai in a Boma settlement, a group of traditional mud huts ringed by thorns to keep predatory animals away from the livestock at night. Dressed in brightly colored robes and adorned with intricate beaded jewelry, the Maasai welcome our group into their lives. Meet schoolchildren who split their time between tending cattle and attending school. Witness drumming and jumping contests. Learn how these nomadic herders are adapting to the modern world. Then move to the Oldonyo Sambu Wilderness Area outside of Tarangire National Park. Here, set up camp and spend the next two days on hikes with traditional Maasai warriors through their ancestral hunting grounds.

Then continue on to a site among the baobab trees deep in magnificent Tarangire National Park. On daily game drives, get up close to lions, zebras, cheetahs, elephants, baboons, and jackals in their natural habitat. With our professionally trained guides, discuss natural selection, animal behavior, and the wildlife-management challenges facing the people of Tanzania. Continue to Ngorongoro Crater, one of the best game-viewing spots in the world. Situated on the edge of the vast Serengeti plain, this volcanic caldera contains almost 30,000 animals at any given time. Spot lions, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, and even black rhinoceroses from the safety of our safari jeep.

Continue on to flamingo-fringed Lake Manyara National park for more game viewing.

Village in Northern Tanzania

4 days. Return to the village and spend your last few days at a cultural center that brings young Americans and Tanzanians together. Learn traditional dancing and drumming from local teenagers, make your final presentations to the group and the community, and have a farewell celebration before flying home.