The word "safari" automatically conjures visions of vehicles making their stealthy way through tall savannah grass: of lions, elephants, leopards, gazelles and other game that can only be glimpsed with great difficulty, in a journey thick with breathless suspense.

Today, this is not all that can be described by the word "safari". In recent times, the word has returned closer to its original Swahili meaning of "a long journey", and now refers to any journey undertaken for the purpose of exploration. Therefore, "birdwatching safaris", "photographic safaris" and "cultural safaris" have become popular activities to undertake on a tour to Africa.

The greatest exploratory journey one can take is without a doubt the cultural safari. The cultural safari includes all forms of exploration over an extended period of time, taking you through all that the country has to offer - museums, scenic beauty, historical sites and relics, geographical wonders and religious structures. Put together, all the aspects of the cultural safari can give the traveler a quick, tantalizing glimpse of the history, geography, social mores, rituals, religion and customs of the explored region. So if you, as a traveler, want to see everything and are not sure where to begin, the cultural safari is definitely an excellent start.

Tanzania is one of Africa's most popular safari destinations, mostly thanks to the world-famous Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. However, there is much more that the country has to show and offer - its fascinating history, its tribal culture, and its traditional art forms such as the tingatinga drawings and the Islam-influenced taarab music have largely been ignored by tourists, but have an incredible wealth of richness to offer when explored with an open and eager mind.

Located in East Africa, Tanzania has seen repeated and intimate interaction with peoples of several cultures through the centuries. As a result, Tanzanian culture has evolved from a hybrid of the traditional, West Africa, the Islamic, and finally the British, all through its long history beginning from the time of hunter-gatherers and evolving through to the present day.

If you plan to visit Tanzania, or any other place with a long and colorful history, it is best to do so as soon as possible. Slowly but surely, remnants of the country's traditional and tribal culture - languages, relics and preserved sites - are dying out, lost to the world's memory and never to be revived again.

Wildlife, too, is only to be found at a premium - big game hunting, commercial poaching and mass-scale deforestation have rendered many species, once plentiful in their natural habitat, nearly extinct in the wild. The African Lion, African bush elephant, Cape buffalo, manatees, Black rhinoceros and white rhinoceros are fast dwindling, and their numbers depend upon the conservation efforts that are woefully inadequate, at least in the present.

If you have decided to explore Tanzania at some point in your life, the time to do it is now. With the cultural safari, the insight you will get into the country shall give you food for thought for a long time to come.



Wild Things Tanzania Safaris Design your own Tanzania Safari to suit your interests and budget. Specialists for Selous, Ruaha, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro and cultural safaris.