Community Visits and Cultural Exchange

Community Visits and Cultural Exchange Safaris

We want all of our travelers to return home from their cultural vacation with a real sense of the places they visited. In addition to visiting a non-profit and interacting with the staff at the camp, a great way to get a sense of the people and culture of a country are the community visits that many properties offer. We offer the best in cultural safari experiences.

But travelers, beware! Not every property is able to offer an authentic cultural travel experience; there are many that are artificial and even uncomfortable. Our firsthand experience with properties all over Africa and beyond means that we can help you avoid the multitude of culturally insensitive and canned experiences available.

Instead of a visit to a Maasai village that feels contrived and uncomfortable, you can visit your guide’s family – Chem Chem in Tanzania is a great example! Spend an afternoon in the village that many staff members call home while staying at Tongabezi in Zambia or Nuarro Lodge in Mozambique, or explore the Makgadikgadi with the San bushmen at Jack’s Camp or Meno a Kwena. Visiting the nomadic Himba in Namibia is possible if you go with a knowledgeable guide on our cultural safari!

While climbing Kilimanjaro is mainly regarded as an athletic pursuit, one of the best parts of spending multiple nights camping on the mountain is the opportunity to get to know your porters and guides in a natural way. 

Peru is a wonderful destination for those seeking authentic cultural travel experiences, including visits with traditional Quechua villagers in the Sacred Valley, to the indigenous Uros communities of Lake Titicaca. The Amazon is home to several native tribes that receive very few outside visitors.  

Similarly, Ecuador’s Amazon is an incredible destination for travelers interested in cultures largely untouched by the modern world. If you venture to the Highlands, visitors have the opportunity to explore local mountain towns and observe traditional ways of life on our cultural vacation. 

Spend time in the stunning High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, where those interested in learning of local cultures have the chance to meet a Berber family. Get to know each other over a hot cup of tea, or even learn to cook a traditional meal or create the local pottery.

There are many opportunities to get to know the people and cultures of Israel on a cultural safari. In the North, meet a local Druze woman, and together make a traditional home cooked meal. Perhaps visit a traditional kibbutz to learn of their unique society and way of life.