Welcome to My Village: African Tribal Village Visits
Welcome to My Village: Locally-based, community-supported African Tribal Village Visits
By Lauryn Axelrod
Sure, we’ve all heard of the “tribal visit;” the one where so-called “Native Villagers” dress up in costumes and show off “traditional” arts that have long since been replaced by Walkmans and Nikes.
But what if you want an authentic, local tribal experience?
What if experiencing how villagers really live their daily lives is your goal? What if you want to help support tribal culture, not denigrate it?
The answer lies in a handful of unique, locally-based, and community-supported tribal village visits around Africa.
Walking Tours in Ghana
Just outside of Accra, Ghana, travelers have the unique opportunity to enjoy walking tours of Ga, Twi, and Akan villages in the company of native, local guides, Joseph Adjei, Abigail Kotey and Ebenezer Mensah.
Over the course of a weekend, several days or even longer, travelers visit farms and other local industries, learn about traditional herbs, medicine and cooking from villagers, study tribal languages, histories and culture, and take part in storytelling, dancing and drumming.
Visiting Giriama Villages
In Kenya, you can forgo the “wild animals” and take an 11-day and night “safari” through Giriama villages around the gorgeous coastal village of Watamu, surrounded by game parks and marine reserves.
Led by a tribal member, Nelson Bashora, and his family, you will visit local schools, live in local homes, eat local food, and take part in the rituals and cycles of daily life, as well as bird watching in nearby game reserves and swim with manta rays off the beach.
In the hills of Swaziland, travelers have the opportunity to experience community life at the Liphupho Lami (“My Dream”) Holiday Camp on the Community Farm of Kapahunga in the company of the local host, Mxolisi Mdluli. Visit markets, nearby villages, and scenic sights, participate in daily life, and even teach English in the local school!
Zimbabwe’s Zaka Valley
In the Zaka Valley of Zimbabwe, you can live in the rural home of Sekiwa Madanhire and his family as their guest, eating traditional foods, helping with daily harvesting, cooking and animal care, hiking nearby areas, joining local parties with dancing and drumming, and socializing with other members of your hosts extended family and friends.
In the Kalahari Desert of Namibia, a special government-granted program offers travelers the opportunity to stay at a !Kung-owned lodge in the Intu Afrika Kalahari Game Reserve, visit a !Kung village or be guided through the desert by a !Kung guide!
In Zambia, the Kunda villagers of the Luangwa Valley have created the Kawaza Village Tourism Project, where travelers can live with the villagers, learn about their daily lives, participate in evening storytelling and dancing, and the proceeds all go directly to the villagers! See The Kawaza Village Project for more information.
The Tanzanian Cultural Tourism Office offers 15 different tours throughout Tanzania led by specially trained local guides and groups from the communities themselves. You might join locals in a carpentry project or a hike into the nearby mountains, participate in the day’s fishing or learn about local spices and help cook the communal meal!
I like local.com also offers homestays in Tanzania. website
Accommodations include village homestays, locally-owned guesthouses or camping nearby. In each case, you’ll be able to see the specific effects of the income generated from these visits. In some instances, you’ll see a school building, and in others, it might be energy-saving stoves or a cattle dip for flea and tick control.
In addition to the obvious benefit of getting close to the local village tribal life and people, these community-supported, locally-based village tours are amazingly affordable: most cost less than US$25 per day including food, accommodations and any applicable fees. One Ghana village trip leader even invites travelers to stay for a whole month for only US$350!
And while many of these programs offer set itineraries, they are led by individuals, not big tour companies, so all are flexible to the needs and interests of individual travelers or small groups. Just ask!
In a world in which traditional village life is rapidly disappearing only to be replaced by a Disney-fied version for tourist cameras, these opportunities are the closest travelers can get to the real thing.
And the best part is that the few dollars you spend really do help support the villages and villagers who extend their generosity and culture to you.
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June 4, 2020 @ 1:26 pm
So, I am commenting here because the Madanhire family is wanting to encourage travelers again to come to their village and when the people type in his name, they are getting my comments from 2019 and are scared to go as any are single travelers. So if you fall in this category, please give me a call and talk to me personally (801-368-9842), because I want to reassure you that 99% of my experience there was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and unfortunately, my post has eclipsed all of the good experiences I had in the minds of people who want to go. This family has so much to share with you that is positive and good. So, please call….
Tamara
March 5, 2021 @ 9:09 pm
No. No one should go if there is a possibility of being raped. If what you said is half-true, you should NOT encourage others to put themselves in a dangerous situation.
If you are claiming that 99% of your trip was wonderful, you’re either lying or still processing your trauma.
As someone who was sexually assaulted, I can tell you it changes your entire life and casts a shadow over every single relationship you have.
Get help and stop telling people to go somewhere where rape is a true threat.
And stop posting your phone number. That isn’t safe either. A Google search literally shows your home address.
June 13, 2019 @ 9:18 am
For future readers because internet comments are pretty much permanent. Instead of getting scared and not traveling, just educate yourself. When you are in a situation you don’t understand, you won’t understand it when you are in it, so you will feel confused. Hindsight is the only way to learn. If you want to get ahead in this process, here’s some info you might want. 1. Educate yourself about the grooming process. 2. At anytime and anywhere in life, address the FIRST unwanted sexual comment, gesture, etc. either with that person if you are safe or with another adult who will address it head on with that person. It takes guts and knowledge to do this. After going through the process I have, though receiving very good support, the amount of uncomfortable feelings you may suffer to promptly and thoroughly address unwanted sexual situations even at their smallest indications is worth it.
February 14, 2019 @ 8:52 am
I stayed with Sekiwa’s family in Zimbabwe Africa. Though I enjoyed it, and at first I thought I had found paridise, If you are a girl you will not want to go there. I was raped the last night I was there in front of his wife. Please contact me for more info. His contact should be removed in my humble opinion
April 4, 2019 @ 12:57 pm
Hi Tamara, would you be able to please give me more information on what sounds like an awful experience in Zimbabwe? As a solo female traveller planning a trip to get as far off the beaten path as possible in Africa, it would be really valuable to know more about what happened. Hope you’re okay. Thanks a lot
June 13, 2019 @ 7:56 am
Hello you can call me at 801 368 9842 and we can talk. If you are planning on traveling I still would because if was such a wonderful experience, but I had no idea I was in a bad situation when it happened. Most situations like this are so complicated at so many levels, but with how much we have all gone through to talk openly about this and I’ve gotten the help I’ve needed, We’ve put it in hands of God and are moving on. Somehow, I could recommend still going. I’d just say to respond to your first gut feelings and keep safe.