Longido Cultural Tour

In this tour you start at Sembeo’s household where several traditionally built, round houses give you an idea of how an extended family live together. The view of the Ngarenaro Valley and Leleto Hill is beautiful, and the presence of Mt. Meru makes it unique. Sembeo will show you how knifes are made and will explain how he runs his business. From here you either walk through a small coffee plantation and enter the open fields where potato, cabbage, maize, beans and other crops are cultivated. In Ilkisingo you will enjoy the view overlooking Arusha. Afterwards you walk down the house of the traditional healer. He is ready to answer all your questions and will give advice if needed.

From there you head on to visit a craftsmen group, where the members make small wooden stools, jewelry, knives and traditional clothing. If you have had enough walking you can be picked up by car or you can carry on to the canyon of Njeche. Scrambling into the canyon is an adventure and abundant plants cover the caves and rocky walls.

Longido Cultural Tour

Detailed itinerary

Itinenary

Full Day Tour:
The one-day tour adds a walking safari from Ol Tepesi to Kimokouwa, along a narrow Maasai cattle trail that winds over the slopes of Longido Mountain. In two hours time, you gradually climb from the plains at an altitude of 1,200 meters to a hilltop of 1,600 meters. On clear days you have beautiful views of Kilimanjaro and Meru, and once you have arrived at the northern side of the mountain you can oversee the Maasai plains till deep into Kenya. The last hour you descent to Kimokouwa, where several Maasai bomas are peacefully situated in the green “valley of wells.” Nearby you can visit a historic German grave.
Longer Walks:
Day 1:Tourists with strong legs longing for adventure can climb the 2,690 meters high mountain. The first day you walk to the campsite of Kimokouwa.Day 2:Guided by Maasai warriors you leave the campsite early in the morning and follow narrow footpaths through a dense forest. After three hours you arrive at the “dawa ya supu” (medicine soup) viewpoint. From here you will follow the trails created by buffaloes to reach the top in another 2 hours climb. With loud cries the Maasai warn the buffaloes that people are coming to avoid dangerous encounters. On clear days you can look more than 200 kilometers far and see all mountains of Northern Tanzania. The descent of the steep mountain is another challenge. In three hours time you arrive at the campsite, have a rest and in another hours and a half you reach the jeep road where a car is waiting for you. In the evening you enjoy a meal prepared by the FARAJA women’s group. On Wednesdays you can extend your stay with a visit to the bustling colorful cattle market.
Guides:
Our guides are young Maasai who grew up in the area. They speak some English and further use hand signs to show you the beauty of Longido. They know all attractions and dangers, and have received tourism training. On walking safaris Maasai warriors armed with knives and spear protect you from animals.
Facilities :
In Longido you can spend the night in guesthouses or put up a tent at campsites at the foot of the mountain. The guesthouses are simple, but clean, and always have a toilet and bathroom. On request warm water will be made for you. The FARAJA women’s group, who has developed a catering service for the campsites in the area, will prepare meals.
Development Funds :
Cattle diseases are one of the main problems the Maasai are facing in Longido. Each year about 1,000 cows die, mainly because of tick-born diseases. Since Maasai life is centered on livestock, this can create quite serious problems. A reduction of the herd size means less work, less income and less food. Preventing cattle diseases is of major importance to the Maasai. Regularly dipping will kill all ticks and eradicate tick-born diseases. The only cattle dip in Longido is however out of order. During socialist times the dip belonged to the whole community, and therefore no one really felt responsible for it and the dip became neglected. Now the Maasai have established a committee, which is going to rehabilitate the dip, this is almost finalized. Part of the income generated from tourism has been used for this purpose, and 15 water distribution points have been installed in Kimokowa village.

Inclusives

Inclusives

  • The cost of all ground transportation and Fuel
  • Full-time safari guide and his associated expenses
  • Park entrance fees
  • Accommodation and meals

Exclusives

  • Items of personal nature like Laundry, Beverages, Flights, Beers, Beverages
  • Tipping of staff

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