Tanzania
Rift Valley, Maasai Villages, Longido Mountain
Our homebase: Longido
The families working with Gogi Abroad are excited to welcome visitors to their community. We live and work with a modern Maasai family and with a traditional Maasai family. Living in the village is the best way to truly experience the life and culture. You will see and experience things that most travelers staying in a hotel will never have the opportunity to. Longido is about 2 hours 30 minutes from Kilimanjaro and 45 minutes to Arusha, which is around 45 minutes away. Arusha is a fertile area and is well suited to agricultural production. Our homebase allows for excursions to nearby wildlife parks, including the Serengeti Plains, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire. Waterfalls and banana and coffee plantations await!
Gogi Abroad Guides
Leyeyo is a Maasai, born in Longido Tanzania where he lived for the first 8 years of his life. He moved to Vermont with two American parents who had been volunteering in his village. This was a big culture shock for him, however, Leyeyo learned English quickly, and later attended The Grammar School and Vermont Academy.
We stay with his family and his community. We are welcomed with open arms, belly laughs, and cups of Chai tea. This is a unique connection because Tanzania can seem like such a foreign land and culture, yet immediately, students are treated like family and feel right at home. We travel with native Maasai and visit where our friends grew up in the Crater. This is not part of a tourism experience. It is an authentic, safe, and a transformative experience. We continue to grow our programs from Northern Tanzania all the way down south to witness and understand the difference between the Maasai tribes.
Beyond our homebase:
Safari Adventures and Maasai Boma: During a weekend excursion, students will experience the raw beauty of Tanzania as we embark on a safari adventure to the Ngorongoro Crater and live with a tribe at their boma. Giraffes, zebras, lions await as we enjoy a safari adventure.
Visiting the Ngorongoro Crater and spending the night in a family boma: From our homestay in Longido, we will travel to our host’s birthplace right outside the famous Ngorongoro Crater. Staying in the boma (traditional Maasai village dwelling), students have the exceptional opportunity to fully engage with the Maasai. This is not a tourist attraction, unlike most places on the safari tours. We will cook, laugh, and experience daily life with our host’s family. After our evening with the family, we will take a safari jeep tour into the Ngorongoro Crater known for world class wildlife viewing. Students will spot lions, monkeys, and elephants and learn about the history of Maasai cattle herding and how it is incorporated into the African safari. This is a truly unique experience to fully integrate with the culture, not something that is created for tourism.
Gap Year:
As a gap year student, you will live with both modern and traditional Maasai in Longido and in the boma. Gap year students work side-by-side with the Maasai people of Tanzania. There are a variety of ways for you to get your hands dirty during your stay; from building a playground at a village school, to gathering water and milking goats, days will be full and fulfilling.
During a weekend excursion, you will experience the raw beauty of Tanzania as you embark on a safari adventure and live with a tribe at their boma. By continuing to go Outwards you will then discover the waterfalls near Mt. Kilimanjaro and experience sustainable practices of farming in the area. You will have the opportunity to attend a ceremony of some kind, such as a wedding or a boma gathering of singing and dancing.
