Get creative
Organize your art supplies and get to crafting. Paint your own TingaTinga painting, design a necklace inspired by the beaded jewelry of the Maasai Mara, create your own rock art, or can sculpt your own Makonde art.
Pick a film
Watch a film set in Tanzania to gain a better understanding of the culture and geography in the region:
- Tanzania: A Journey Within (2011)
- Africa: The Serengeti (1994)
- Africa’s Elephant Kingdom (1998)
- The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (2008)
- Darwin’s Nightmare (2004)
Study some history
Did you know Tanzania is home to the oldest human settlement at Olduvai Gorge? Located in northern Tanzania, it was found by Louis and Mary Leakey and is often referred to as “the Cradle of Civilization.”
Take a look at modern-day Tanzania as well, formed after Tanganika and Zanzibar gained independence and merged together. Today, it’s one of the largest countries in eastern Africa, with 90% of the country’s population living in rural areas.
Choose a book
Read and discuss a book that takes place in Tanzania and think about how it describes local culture and geography. Below are a few suggestions to get you started:
- The Tree Where Man Was Born by Peter Matthiessen
- Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
- Among the Elephants by Iain Douglas-Hamilton
- Serengeti Shall Not Die by Bernhard Grzimek
Fill up your plate
Try out a few dishes traditional to Tanzania with your family or host a virtual cooking class with your travel group. You can pour yourself a cup of chai tea and snack on mandazi, or grill mishkaki for dinner with a side of chappati.
Learn the language
Although Tanzania’s national language is Swahili, the majority of Tanzanians speak the language traditional to their ethnic group. Over 100 languages are spoken within the country and many people learn Swahili as their second language.
Before traveling to Tanzania, practice your Swahili with a friend and learn the basic phrases. Click here to get started—pretty soon you’ll be greeting your family and friends by saying “Jambo!”
Did you know?
Serengeti National Park is believed to be one of the Earth’s oldest ecosystems. The essential features of climate, vegetarian, and fauna have barely changed in the past million years!