The itinerary below is a sample itinerary. Depending on the group and travel times, the actual itinerary may vary in day-by-day content and total number of days. Call us (888-359-3801) for specific details. This is a tentative itinerary for a 14-day workshop to Tanzania. The timeline is flexible.

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha

Arrive in Nairobi, Arusha, or Dar es Salam, depending on costs of flights. Orientation and safety talk with students and teachers. Stay overnight in hotel.

Day 2: Depart for Serengeti

Depart for the Serengeti National Park, a World Heritage Site and Tanzania's largest National Park. The students will be camping at an official park campsite within the Serengeti plains. While the sites are equipped with modern bathrooms and showers, the kids will still be hanging out with the wildlife as they eat their food prepared by safari chefs.

Day 3: Visit Serengeti

Game drives in the Serengeti. Students can expect to see lions, elephants, buffalo, cheetahs, antelopes, and hippopotamuses. They will camp again that night under the Serengeti skies.

Day 4: Explore Olduvai Gorge & Ngorongoro Crater

In the morning the troops will pack up and move out of the park. On their way to the Ngorongoro Crater they will pass by Olduvai Gorge to learn about the Origins of Man. This is a 50km gorge where some of the oldest fossils on earth have been found including a 1.8 million year old ape-like skull. At Olduvai, they will learn about the fieldwork of evolutionary scientists, tour the small natural history museum, and learn about the local topography. Afterwards, they will move onto their campsite on the rim of the beautiful Ngorongoro Crater.

Day 5: Wildlife Safari in Ngorongoro Crater

Spend the day touring Ngorongoro Crater, one of Africa's best-known wildlife viewing areas, home to the largest density of predators in the world. This 20km wide crater is a conservation area not a national park, which means that local Maasai tribesmen still use the land for herding their cattle. Students will learn about the symbiotic relationship between the human and animal communities as they view the variety of habitats and species that are contained in the Crater. Students conduct behavioral observations, recording and analyzing data. Finally, they return to sleep on the rim of the Crater.

Day 6: Visit a Rural Maasai Village

After departing from Ngorongoro, the group will proceed to a rural Maasai village. The Maasai are a pastoral tribe whose traditional range is from central Kenya to northern Tanzania. The trip to the village will be organized by Aang Serian, a youth-run NGO aimed at preserving the traditional cultures of Tanzania, especially Maasai, and fusing their cultures with the modern world. While in the village, the students will experience a day in the life of the typical Maasai villager. Part of the group will stay with the women while the others spend the day with the men. They will also use this time to learn about the local vegetation and its traditional uses. As part of a research project, they will take a vegetation survey of the area. In the evening the group will camp outside of the village. That night, they will learn traditional Maasai dancing and singing as everyone gathers together around the campfire. This opportunity will give the students a chance to teach about their own culture by singing and performing as well.

Day 7: Visit a Rural Maasai Village

During the second day in the village the groups will switch. Those who stayed with the women the day before will go herding with the men and vice versa. The afternoon will be spent talking with local doctors about traditional medicines and beliefs. This information will be used in conjunction with the vegetation survey. That evening the group will depart for Arusha and stay the night in a local guesthouse. Because Tanzania also has a large Indian population, that night they will go out for an authentic East African Indian meal.

Day 8: Explore Arusha National Park

Outside of Arusha stands the elegant Mount Meru. The students will spend the day on a walking safari on the forested slopes of the mountain and in the plains of Arusha National Park. While walking through the varied habitats with a trained, armed guide they will see hippos, buffalo, giraffes, and other wildlife through a different lens. That evening they will proceed to the YMCA in Moshi town.

Day 9: Visit Moshi's Markets

On this day the students will visit Moshi town, the jump off point for Kilimanjaro treks. While touring the town they can pop into the local market to sample the fresh fruits, look through the curios, and eat at local Tanzanian restaurants. In the afternoon they will be given free time to explore the town in small groups, swim in the YMCA pool, or simply gaze at the spectacular view of Mt. Kilimanjaro's peak.

Day 10: Visit Kibosho Village and Coffee Plantations

After a brief stop at Mweka Wildlife College, the foremost wildlife training college in Africa, the students will go to Kibosho village. After touring the area on foot with local Roots & Shoots members, the youth will visit coffee farms and banana plantations. That night the youth will stay in a local hostel.

Day 11: Work Together with Roots & Shoots Students

The youth will spend the day at a local school learning about Roots & Shoots activities and a typical school day. They will even receive basic lessons about greetings in Kiswahili and Kichagga, the local tribal language. While at the school they will work with the students on a community service project such as tree planting, building classrooms, or helping in the school garden. That afternoon they will continue with their vegetation surveys as part of the research project.

Day 12: Learn from a Roots & Shoots Women's Group

After spending the previous day with student R&S groups, on this day the youth will join the community-based R&S Women's Group. While with the women they will help with the reforestation project, try cooking traditional Chagga food, and learn about local medicines. This information will be used with the information gained from the Maasai medicine men. A comparison can be done of local vegetation types and how these correlate to medicinal uses. In the evening the students will rest in preparation for the next day's hike.

Day 13: Explore KINAPA Park and Kilimanjaro

On this day, the youth will enter KINAPA Park to see the pristine forests of Kilimanjaro. While hiking they will see the dramatic change of vegetation as the elevation rises. This will also give the students a chance to continue with their vegetation survey and take note of how human land usage has changed plant distribution and coverage. Though tired from the hike, that evening the students will attend a small going-away gathering with their Roots & Shoots friends that will included dancing and music.

Day 14: Return Home

Depart for Nairobi/Arusha/Dar es Salam airport and go home. (Depending on what time the flight leaves, the group may return to the city the night before.)

Notes:

*The Roots and Shoots Program of the Jane Goodall Research Institute (http://www.rootsandshoots.org) will be helping to organize the day-by-day activities and providing the group with a guide.