Many travellers ask us about Maasai culture, and we are glad they do. An hour in a village can be the most human part of a safari, or the most uncomfortable, and the difference lies almost entirely in how the visit is arranged. Here is the advice we give our own guests, written from the Tanzanian side.
What is a Maasai village visit?
A Maasai village visit is an hour or two as a guest in a boma, a family homestead of low houses around a livestock enclosure, while ordinary life carries on around you. You may be welcomed with song, shown how a house is built, and invited to ask questions through your guide. It is just as important to say what it is not. It is not a museum, and the people you meet are not exhibits. The Maasai people are herders, and also teachers, drivers, business owners and members of parliament in modern Tanzania. Come curious about people, not costumes, and the visit will reward you.
Is Maasai culture only found in the Maasai Mara?
No. The Maasai people live on both sides of the border between Kenya and Tanzania, so the Maasai Mara and the plains around the Serengeti and Ngorongoro are all Maasai land. We are a locally owned company in Arusha and we do not sell Kenya trips, so this guide describes visits on the Tanzanian side, where we live and work, and where a boma visit fits naturally into our safari itineraries.
How do you tell a genuine visit from a show?
A genuine visit feels unhurried and a little imperfect, because real life is. Look for these signs:
- You are introduced to your hosts by name, and real conversation is possible through your guide.
- Children are in school on a school day, not lined up to meet vehicles.
- Your guide can tell you plainly where the visit fee goes.
- You can decline to buy anything and still feel welcome.
If a visit feels like a conveyor belt, tell us afterwards. We choose the families we work with carefully and we want to know.
What about photography, money and gifts?
Ask before every photograph, through your guide if needed. A camera raised without a word is rude on your own street and it is rude in a boma. Some people will happily pose, some will not, and a no costs you nothing. On money, visits are paid for, and they should be, since your hosts are giving you their time. We arrange the fee as part of your itinerary so nobody haggles in somebody’s yard. Skip the sweets and pens for children, which teach begging and help no one. If you want to give, buy beadwork directly from the women who made it, and remember that 5% of our profits already fund village schooling.
We arrange cultural visits within existing itineraries only, not as stand-alone tours. If meeting your hosts properly matters to you, say so when we plan your safari on WhatsApp and we will build the time in.
