All Things Maasai

Begin the day with a drive into the magnificent Maasai heartland where you will be met by one of the Maasai village elders. He will take you on a tour to explain how the Maasai have managed these precious lands for centuries, and you watch the daily cattle drive and learn about some of the local plants used to make medicinal remedies. Then sit down with some young Maasai warriors, or morans, who describe various aspects of their fascinating rites of passage, and who will teach you how to throw a traditional spear or even how to climb an acacia thorn tree in the event there is danger from predators in the bush. In the afternoon you will spend some time with the Maasai women of the village who will show you the techniques of weaving the frame of a new manyatta – a traditional Maasai homestead.

Maasai Life in Focus

Begin the day back at the village by learning the traditional Maasai welcome with singing and dancing, which might include the extraordinary jumping dance, or ‘adumu’ which is how Maasai warriors demonstrate their prowess. Your host for the day has 52 siblings and his father has 6 wives; a starkly different kind of community structure to the one we are familiar with. Use the time to get to know your host and ask the questions you might have, and enjoy the humor and warm nature of the villagers as you discover that they are just as interested in your life as you are in theirs. After a traditional Maasai lunch, you enjoy some more dance lessons and sit with the women to learn how to make some traditional beaded jewelry, and then head out to help some of the community members finish the manyatta build.

Team Dinner

On the evening of Day 1, we enjoy dinner at a restaurant the locals love in Nairobi – we always have lots of fun and it’s a great opportunity to discuss and ask us all the questions that come to mind about the various communities and projects we visit.