National Geographic Student Expeditions - Tanzania - Travel Programs for High School Students

The Expedition

Tanzania is renowned for its incredible wildlife, yet its diverse cultures and welcoming people are equally fascinating. Though the Maasai are perhaps the most widely recognized tribal group, Tanzania is home to more than 120 ethnicities. Immerse yourself in village life, and discover how tribal communities have interacted with their environment for centuries. From vibrant villages to open savanna plains, examine the challenges of preserving Tanzania's prized wildlife and cultural traditions through an On Assignment project of your choice—Photography, Wildlife and Conservation, or Exploration.

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 several 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 youths, practice batik, and participate in lively discussions about politics and social issues.

Wildlife Safari and MAASAI Tribal LANDS

7 days. Our safari begins in 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 accept 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 pick up camp and move 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 to finish our community-service projects, make our presentations to the group and the community, and have a farewell celebration before flying home.

National Geographic Expert

Wildlife ecologistANNA ESTES' introduction to eastern Africa began as a child when her parents were studying wildebeest in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. Anna became involved with the National Geographic Society in the late 1990s when she worked on a Society-sponsored study in Ngorongoro Crater, a project that led to the publication of one of her photographs in National Geographic magazine (December 1998). Anna is a PhD candidate in ecology at the University of Virginia. She will join us on the safari portion of the expedition.

Choose one of these On Assignment projects. Throughout your expedition, you'll break into teams to delve further into your selected area of focus.

icon for Photography On Assignment Project PHOTOGRAPHY: Document your exploration of Tanzania in photographs. Capture images of market-bound trucks heaped with bananas, Maasai children nestled up against their mothers' backs, or a lioness tending her cubs. Teach photography skills to Tanzanian teens.

icon for Wildlife and Conservation On Assignment Project WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION: Investigate local and national efforts to protect Tanzania's incredible wildlife. Meet rangers in training at a wildlife management school. Track lions or elephants and learn to identify rare bird species. Talk with park officials about anti-poaching laws and the balance between resource management and the economic needs of local communities.

icon for Exploration On Assignment Project EXPLORATION: Identify a topic that interests you and explore it in depth. Learn about Maasai life while driving cows and goats with children, or study the behavior of predators in the wild. Interview locals about the ways that technological advances are affecting traditional tribal dynamics and wildlife monitoring.

Your participation in a National Geographic Student Expedition provides support to National Geographic's mission of increasing global understanding through exploration, geography education, and research.