Cultural safaris

Destination East Africa is most famous for wildlife and nature tourism especially in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania however cultural safaris are also a unique setting here. Wildlife parks and reserves are the most visited for wildlife viewing activities such as gorilla trekking, game drives, boat rides, hot air balloon safaris. However, it’s also rich in culture and heritage because there are diverse groups of people that share ancestry, folklore, and culture, traditional arts including poetry, dance and drama. And every country is beautiful in its own way, be it with history and culture. Visitors can enhance wildlife experiences in national parks with cultural tours which include a number of interesting activities such as village walks, campfires, food tours, city tours, and much more.

Cultural safaris explore local culture and provide visitors with unique experiences of authentic Africa which are quite different from what you’re used to. They also promote development of community tourism in the areas neighboring protected areas, thus local people are able to earn a living from tourism which helps in alleviation of poverty. There are examples of cultural initiatives that have worked towards conservation, sustainable tourism and community development. For example, iby’iwacu cultural village in volcanoes national park Rwanda and Nshenyi cultural village in southwestern Uganda. Village walks to these destinations offer a combination of culture and nature at the same time contribute to the livelihood of the local communities.

A cultural itinerary might include cultural encounters with ancient tribes including Maasai of Kenya, and Tanzania, the BaTwa pygmies (shortest people on earth) of southwestern Uganda and Rwanda, the Karamojong in north eastern Uganda. These interactions allow visitors to learn about the traditional lifestyles including local food, dance, storytelling, arts and crafts among others. Community tours also include visiting local schools, orphanage, water projects, farms and plantations and craft making centers among others.

Africa is believed to be the cradle of mankind with evidence of the oldest human skull discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania East Africa. This means that Africa’s culture and heritage forms a remarkable experience for visitors in addition to wildlife safari. From learning the ancient culture, through the colonial times to the modern times, the cultural experience is fascinating. There are ancient rock art paintings such as Nyero rock paintings in kumi eastern Uganda musanze caves in Rwanda. Beyond the local communities, there are also cities like Kampala, Kigali, Arusha, and Nairobi which are worth visiting. Generally, it takes a tailor-made itinerary as short as 3 days or longer than 7 days to experience culture and wildlife in one trip. All the places you have dreamed of visiting in East Africa can be incorporated in your cultural safari. Just tell us what you would like to experience when visiting Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda or Tanzania; we will tailor a cultural safari whether you’re a family, couple, and private small groups.