Tanzania: Culture and the Crater

Camping: During the bulk of the program, students will sleep on safari mattresses in tents or in a common house or classroom donated by the village, within the community. The conditions will be rustic – you will not have running water, showers, flushing toilets, or electricity. Bathrooms are simple outhouses and pit toilets. Wet wipes are strongly recommended, and hand sanitizer is required.

Guesthouses: Students will stay in guesthouses for a few nights throughout the program. The guesthouses in Arusha and Karatu are charming and comfortable, and students will have access to Western-style toilets and hot water.

Rustic Pathways works with local community leaders and organizations to identify and prioritize the needs of each community. Please note that while we try our best to ensure we provide our advertised projects, some changes may occur due to the communities and project partners we work with.

Village Service: For the community in Mongola Juu, you will join a long-term education enhancement program designed to both improve the physical quality of the education facilities, build or improve housing for teachers to leverage government resources and attract more teachers to the village, and enhance the students’ English education with hands-on teaching, tutoring, and 1-on-1 language exchange partners. You can also plan on learning some Swahili!

This program involves sports and service that require students to be physically active (e.g. construction). 

We have cooks that provide most of our meals and have worked with us for a number of years. They do a wonderful job of creating familiar dishes for the students, while also fixing the occasional local meal. Meals typically include soup, salad, main course and dessert.

Dietary Requirements/Food Allergies – Special circumstances can be accommodated as long as we have ample warning. Note that vegans can be more difficult to accommodate based on the food available in Tanzania, though not impossible. Vegans and those with severe allergies should consult with the Country Director or a Personal Travel Advisor before committing to this program.

Rustic Pathways uses sterilization techniques or purchases bottled water to ensure that all drinking water for students is potable and safe to drink. We ask students to bring reusable water bottles in order to reduce plastic usage.

We are in Tanzania in their winter, so in the villages and cities, the weather will usually be sunny and warm during the day (high 70s F), and cool at night (50s F). It is the dry season, so we do not expect heavy rain.

Flights: Rustic Pathways scheduled flights will depart from New York (JFK), travel through Amsterdam (AMS) and arrive in Arusha, Tanzania (JRO). This route includes about 21 hours of travel, starting from your take-off in New York. The return journey will begin in Kilimanjaro (JRO), travel through Dar Es Salaam (DAR) and Amsterdam (AMS), and arrive in New York (JFK). The DAR stop is just 1 hour on the tarmac – students will not exit plane. The advertised dates for this program include travel time from the USA.

Visa: Visa requirements for Tanzania vary slightly based on program, so please visit our partner G3 Global Services to assist in the visa application process. You can review the updated visa requirements on their site at www.g3visas.com/rusticpathways.html. Since requirements for visas vary by nationality, G3 is only able to process applications for US citizens. However, they have provided additional information to assist families residing outside of the United States. Should you choose to apply for your visa directly through the embassy or via another visa service agency please contact us at tanzania@rusticpathways.com if you require additional assistance.

Internal Travel: There are no internal flights on this program. The drive to and from the Mongola Juu from Arusha takes 4-5 hours, depending on the condition of the roads. There are also short drives on the safari day and on the cultural experience day with the Hadzabe tribe. Students will be transported by private bus and will travel to Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, and Karatu and its surrounding areas, including the village of Mongola Juu.

Students are allowed to bring phones on their Rustic Pathways program, but must abide by our cell phone policy. Students will not be allowed to use their phones during group activities, (whether as a camera or as a means of communication) nor at any other time where it is disruptive to the group dynamic. If students are unable to abide by this policy, disciplinary action may be taken.

You will not have access to internet. On your last day, during brunch with the rest of the students on programs in Tanzania, you will have the option of visiting an internet café if you so choose.

All activities in this itinerary are included. Checked luggage fees, personal gifts, internet, phone calls, and snacks are not included. All other costs (accommodation, meals, in-country transportation, and activities) are included in the program price. We recommend $200-300 to buy snacks on the way to the village, and souvenirs on the last day.

Visa: Students should bring $100 for visa (or $50 for non-USA citizens). Bills should be clean, unwrinkled, and dated 2006 or later.

Donations: In the past, some students have also made donations to the school such as goats, school supplies, uniforms, etc., or supplemented our tips to the safari guides with additional tips of their own. Note: students should only bring monetary donations, not items from home! Imported donations tend to crowd out local businesses and impair the local economy. A more sustainable practice is to bring money and use that to purchase goods (school supplies, etc.) from local suppliers.

You will have the chance to do laundry once guaranteed, and possibly twice, during this program. We pay some of the local women in the village to do our laundry, charged on a per-piece basis (laundry is not included in the program cost).

Tanzanians in general dress modestly, and as polite visitors we will also dress relatively conservatively. While Arusha town can be a little more relaxed, it is important that we show respect at all times and particularly in Njoro village. The requirements are fairly straightforward:
Shorts – basketball-style only; no running or soccer-style shorts. Rule of thumb is that the bottom of the shorts should be approaching the kneecap for both boys and girls
Leggings or yoga pants – not to be worn by either boys or girls. If the pants are paired with a truly long T-shirt, then leggings will be acceptable.
Loose-fitting pants, capris, and long skirts – acceptable and preferred
Tops – shoulders must be covered on both boys and girls. No tank tops or spaghetti straps.
If you arrive and your garments are deemed unacceptable by your program leaders, you’ll have to purchase appropriate wear before service work starts in the village.

Ensuring the safety of your teen as they travel with Rustic Pathways is a top priority. Please review our Health and Safety measures.

Our Travel Protection Plan helps protect our participants, their belongings, and their travel investment in those unforeseen circumstances that may arise during travel. Learn more about the plan offered through our partner.

Required Gear: A reusable water bottle, sleeping bag, and headlamp with spare batteries are required.

Mosquitos/ bugs: There may be some mosquitos, but generally in those regions and at that time of the season the mosquito population is much lower. We do not carry bed nets, but we do encourage the use of bug spray if mosquitos appear.

Immunizations: Please consult with a travel doctor or your family physician for immunization and other medical recommendations, based on the area(s) where you will be traveling and on your own medical history. In addition to consulting with a medical professional, please visit the International SOS and Center for Disease Control websites for country specific information around immunizations and traveler’s health. For entry, we will note that yellow fever or other vaccinations are currently not required to enter Tanzania. The exception is if you have spent time in a yellow fever-endemic country (such as Kenya). You will want to review the countries to which you have previously traveled to determine if you will need to show proof of vaccination for entry.

Safety: Tanzania is considered the most stable country in East Africa and now sees over a million tourists every year! Safety tips for traveling here are much like traveling anywhere – be conscious of your belongings, keep money hidden, travel in groups, and do your research beforehand. All of which we do and teach you to do as a young traveler. There are a couple of health issues to note specific to Tanzania. The country is considered endemic for malaria and dengue fever. Both are vector-borne illnesses spread by mosquitos; malaria has both prophylactics and antibiotics available for prevention and treatment, but there is no cure or vaccine for dengue. Those most at risk for serious complications from dengue are those who have contracted it before. These diseases present the greatest risk during the rainy season (March-May), and near large bodies of water or in low-lying areas, such as the more southern city of Dar Es Salaam. Risk in the inland north where we operate is much lower. The fact that we travel during the drier and cooler winter months in Tanzania helps reduce that risk. Nevertheless, students should be vigilant on all programs to use bug spray with DEET and to wear long sleeves and pants, particularly at dusk and dawn.

Program Leader Certifications: Each program in Rustic Pathways will have leaders who are certified in First Aid and CPR. On Culture and the Crater, at least two staff will have the more advanced Wilderness First Responder certification.