Flagler College: Tanzania (2023)

We will take a flight leaving from Orlando, Florida to Kilimanjaro International Airport. There is a 7 to an 8-hour time difference so we plan to arrive in Tanzania the following day. We will immediately go to our accommodations in Moshi, a lodge 45 minutes from the airport.

Our first day we will head to the home of the Chagga tribe. The Chagga tribe homeland is still an authentic tribal village. This historic place is just 15km away from Moshi Town and is the last village before the Kilimanjaro National Park. First you will visit the waterfalls, which are around a 40-minute walk away and have lunch. Make sure to bring your bathing suit.

Next the coffee experience awaits you. Here you will learn how coffee is cultivated, dried, roasted and further processed. You will also be invited to help with the grinding of the coffee, which is traditionally accompanied by Chagga songs and dances. A lecture led by local tribal leaders at the end of the coffee demonstration and discussions on sustainability and best practices along with how the Chagga are protecting their heritage and culture will take place.

From here we will travel back to the lodge for a relaxing evening and a cooking class. Tonight students learn how to prepare traditional dishes that we will then all enjoy with our hosts.

We will have a meeting with Asali Project founder Margot, Simba’s Footprints Executive Director Charles Godfrey (who will also be one of your Maasai connections, translator and guide for your stay). We will take a short ride to the project site and get a chance to meet the local team and get a tour of the center and the surrounding community. We will see the Lagoni Primary School which will be the location of our service projects and see the new Library and other initiatives that are being funded by Stone and Compass’ global grants. Flagler students will have the opportunity to take a hands-on approach by volunteering time at the school and working with the local magistrate and Asali staff on ideas for future projects. Flagler students will also be able to enjoy a lunch with students from Lagoni Primary School.

We will also meet with the local NGO Good Hope. This foundation supports youth in staying in school and creates after school programming and support for some of Moshi’s economically disadvantaged youth. The support can last all the way until college. In the late afternoon take a small hike in Rau Forest and a Town Tour. In the late afternoon students will take part in a survival language class.

Sleep in and relax at the hotel in the morning. (We will be having a late lunch this day so pack snacks if needed)

At 11am we will drive 1 ½ hours to Simbas Farm Lodge located in west Kilimanjaro on the edge of the national park. We will have a tour of the working sustainable farm followed by a short hike to a river where you will find a natural swimming pool. A traditional lunch will be served.

After lunch we meet with the NGO Moshi Mamas. This NGO is empowering young women through design and the creation of a business to sell their crafts in a local store completely run by women.

In the evening we enjoy dinner with locals back at our lodge. This will be an opportunity for students to get to know members of the local community better and learn what it is like to live in the Moshi area.

After breakfast we will pack up our bags and check out of the hotel. From there we will head to the hot springs. It’s a natural oasis which has formed by underground small river connection to this make this clear oasis in the middle of Maasai land called Kikuletwa, you will have lunch and can relax and swim. After the hot springs we will head to Arusha and check into our new hotel.

You will be picked up at your lodge in Arusha at 9:30am and head to Karatu. You will pass by a traditional Maasai Boma along the way to experience the ways of life of the Maasai people. We will be stopping by a Maasai Village to learn about their traditions, culture and eat lunch. Our partner Maasai will also give students a chance to learn some traditional dancing. After your tour, you will be transferred to your lodge where you will be spending the night at the top of the Ngorongoro Crater!

Today students get to enjoy the full Crater experience and views of wildlife that make the crater home. Local wildlife guides will hold a lecture on how the government is protecting the area and working at implementing more sustainable goals for the future. We will eat lunch at a local spot overlooking the creator there will be a pool to swim in. In the evening we head out on the town in Arusha to dine at a restaurant where all the locals go.

On this full Arusha day, we have lectures in the morning from UN officials and the local magistrate on sustainable development and environmental impacts through tourism and what is being done to protect the environment and people while also allowing guests to enjoy all that there is to offer in Tanzania. In the afternoon students have free time to explore Arusha. The evening will be spent having a dinner with our Maasai and Asali partners.

Today we head out on a hike to Mount Meru and the waterfalls. Led by our local guides we head off into the bush and explore this incredible area.

No trip is complete without heading to Mount Kilimanjaro. Today students will meet the extreme Tanzanian “runners” who have set multiple records running up and down the mountain. Then our students get to try some low level climbing and take back a memory to last a lifetime.

On our last full day we enjoy meeting our hosts and heading out to enjoy the market areas in Arushu as well as meet with Asali and our Maasai partners for a farewell dinner.

We will take an afternoon or early evening flight from the Kilimanjaro International Airport to Orlando, FLorida. After reuniting with family members, you will cherish the lasting memories that you have made.