Experience Tanzania: Adventure, Culture, and Service in One Unforgettable Expedition

Embark on a transformative three-week journey through the heart of Tanzania, where adventure, cultural immersion, and community service come together in a powerful, hands-on experience. The Tanzania Cultural and Service Expedition offers a unique opportunity to explore the country’s breathtaking natural landscapes— from the Ngorongoro Crater to the Serengeti plains—while making a meaningful impact through service projects.

Throughout this course, you’ll hike alongside Maasai warriors, learn Kiswahili, engage with indigenous communities like the Maasai, Bushmen, and Datoga, and deepen your leadership skills. As you work on service projects that directly benefit local communities, you’ll gain insights into global citizenship, develop problem-solving skills, and foster deep cross-cultural connections. Whether you’re on a safari, learning local customs, or participating in a homestay, this expedition is designed to challenge and inspire you, leaving you with lasting personal and leadership growth.

Photo credit: James Kagambi

A Journey Through Tanzania’s Rich Culture and Wild Landscapes

This course spends three weeks exploring Tanzania while emphasizing service learning and cultural immersion. You’ll camp throughout, developing leadership and outdoor skills, pushing yourself physically and emotionally, and having fun. Your course will take you to the Ngorongoro Crater, where wildlife awaits around every corner. This is one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders.You’ll find yourself watching the sunrise on the savannah and meeting Maasai, Bushmen, Datoga, and Chaga people in rural villages. You’ll also have the opportunity to immerse yourself in local culture, develop language skills, and serve the communities you’re traveling through.

Photo credit: NOLS Archive

Course Sections

This course is divided into three sections. The sequence and length of the sections vary by year. You will spend most of your time in rural and backcountry areas. Between sections you’ll either come back to the NOLS campus in Arusha or use the amenities of Karatu to rest, do laundry, shower, check email, reorganize equipment, and outfit yourself for the next section.

West Kilimanjaro/ Kitumbeine Backpacking

• Duration: 7-10 days
• Travel through Maasai grazing lands
• Opportunities for intercultural exchange
• Notable wildlife: giraffe, elephant, zebra, Colobus monkey, and bushbuck

You’ll spend your days hiking through villages, interacting with local Maasai people, and practicing your Kiswahili and Maasai language skills. There are endless opportunities to teach English and play games with local children, as well as visit Maasai homes.

Simultaneously, you will learn to live in this unique equatorial environment and explore its remote areas. You will begin to build both individual and group technical and interpersonal skills, which are necessary for the group to function as a team throughout the course. Your instructors will provide formal and informal classes on a wide range of subjects including camping, cooking, map reading, route finding, communication, and first-aid skills.

Service Project and Cultural Homestay

• Duration: 5-8 days
• Live with Tanzanian family in rural areas
• Service project (type of project varies by course)

Engage in a service project for a rural community while living with a local family. You will have a tangible impact on the local people, even as you yourself learn through service. Previous courses have built rooms for local government schools, taught English to local school children, and cooked meals for community members. You will practice Kiswahili language skills as you partner with one other student and live with a local family. Each day you will meet the rest of your coursemates and instructors to spend the day working on a service project. You will also continue developing your leadership skills—such as communication, and vision and action—by organizing others to accomplish tasks and achieve goals.

Natural History Safari & Tribal Visits

• Duration: 2-3 days
• Travel through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• Visit Hadza and Datoga villages
• Emphasis on conservation issues, ecology, tribal awareness, and wildlife

You will spend one day traveling by vehicle into the Ngorongoro Crater to observe Tanzania’s famous wildlife. The combination of permanent water, excellent food supply, and the natural boundary of the crater shelters the unusually diverse and concentrated wildlife population that has earned Ngorongoro its world class reputation. The diversity and abundance of species here is unrivaled anywhere in the world. You will also visit the Hadza and Datoga villages to experience the lifestyle of the transient bushmen population and a more sedentary agricultural population.

Is This Course Right for You?

This course is designed for adventurous individuals who want to immerse themselves in a new culture, learn backpacking and camping skills, gain valuable leadership skills, and contribute meaningfully to a community.

Photo credit: Kellsie Forbes

Join the NOLS Global Community and Transform Your Future

By completing the Tanzania Cultural and Service Expedition, you’ll join the NOLS global alumni network— a community of adventurers, leaders, and change-makers committed to making a positive impact in the world. The connections you’ll form, the skills you’ll acquire, and the challenges you’ll overcome will shape your personal and professional journey for years to come.

Ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime? Apply today to participate in a transformative experience that will expand your worldview, enhance your leadership capabilities, and leave you with memories that last a lifetime.