Arusha City & Maasai Experience
A slower, more grounded day focused on local culture and everyday life.
Full day, approximately 9–10 hours
Arusha
Approximately 1.5–2 hours each way to the community
1–6 travellers
Slow and observational, with an early start
Lunch
One day. Markets, a workshop and a Maasai community.
The morning is spent in Arusha — its working markets and a social enterprise on the edge of town — before heading west into Maasai country for the afternoon. It is designed to give context beyond the safari: how people live, work and trade in this part of Tanzania.
The day
Morning — Arusha
- Approximately 07:30 to 12:00
An early start, while the city is at its busiest and before the day warms up.
We begin at the Central Market, the city’s working produce market — vegetables, spices, dried fish, household goods and the daily trade that supplies the rest of Arusha. It is busiest first thing, which is why we start there. Your guide will explain what is being sold, where it comes from and what it costs, which turns a chaotic place into an interesting one.
A short distance away is the Maasai Market, a covered warren of stalls selling beadwork, carvings, textiles and souvenirs. Bargaining is expected here and traders are persistent — your guide can advise on fair prices or negotiate on your behalf if you would rather not.
We then drive out to the western edge of the city to Shanga, a social enterprise at Arusha Coffee Lodge that employs people with disabilities to make glass, beadwork and textiles from recycled material. You can watch the glassblowing and weaving, and the staff will show you through the workshop themselves. We stop here for lunch at the coffee shop before heading on — an early one, but the afternoon is long and there is nowhere better on the road west.
Afternoon — Maasai Community
- Approximately 12:00 to 17:00
The drive west leaves the town behind for open grazing country, with Mount Meru behind you and the Rift escarpment ahead.
The visit itself is a simple and respectful interaction — observing homes, learning about their way of living, and understanding how communities adapt to changing conditions.
- Welcome by the community, with traditional songs and dances
- Introduction to Maasai traditions, lifestyle and culture
- Visit to traditional homes (manyattas), and how they are built
- Opportunity to ask questions and interact with the community
Late afternoon is a good time to be there — the herds are returning and the boma is at its most active. We leave in time to be back in Arusha before dark.
What's included
- Transport for the full day, including the drive to and from the community
- Pickup and drop-off at your hotel in Arusha
- Professional guide and local facilitator
- Maasai village and community visit fee
- Market visits and Shanga workshop
- Lunch
- All scheduled visits and activities
- Drinking water throughout the day
- Personal purchases at the markets or at Shanga
- Museum and gallery entry fees, where applicable
- Airport transfers, available on request at USD 50 each way
- Tips and gratuities: guideline USD 5 per traveller for your guide
- Drinks
- Any optional activities not included in the programme
Before you travel
This day starts and ends in Arusha
We collect you from your hotel around 07:30 and drop you back there in the late afternoon. It is a long day with three to four hours of driving in total — worth knowing if you have just come off a safari.
At the markets
Traders at the Maasai Market are persistent and opening prices are often several times what an item is worth. This is normal and nothing to be uncomfortable about. Your guide will help you negotiate.
Visiting the community
Photographs are welcome, but please ask first — of individuals, always. There is no obligation to buy anything. If you would like to bring something useful for the community, ask us beforehand and we will tell you what is actually needed.
Need a hotel in Arusha?
Accommodation is not included, but we are happy to book it for you. Just tell us your dates and the kind of place you have in mind.
Travelling with purpose
Tanzania is one of the most extraordinary places on earth. When you travel with us, you experience the country while helping to secure the lives of orphaned children.
We support Severe Children’s Home in Arusha, a registered Tanzanian non-governmental organisation. Every booking contributes directly to its work.
Severe Children’s Home
OONGO/R/8978, registered under the Non-Governmental Organizations Act, 2002
4 February 2026, valid to 3 February 2036
P.O. Box 3013, Arusha, Tanzania
Follow the home on Instagram: @severechildrenshome. Our certificate of registration is available on request: just ask and we will send it with your booking confirmation.
Prices depend on the number of travellers in your group.
All prices in US dollars, per person. Smaller groups pay more, as the guide, vehicle and community fee are shared across fewer people.
Full day · starts and ends in Arusha
1–6 travellers
Every booking contributes directly to the work of Severe Children’s Home in Arusha.