PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS• BuildandInstallSolarPowerSystemsinLocalHomes
inaMaasaiVillage
• SearchfortheBigFiveonSafari:Lion,Leopard,El-ephant,Rhino&WaterBuffalo
• LearnSwahili,PlayGamesandRunActivitieswithStudentsataRuralPrimarySchool
• TrekOfftheBeatenPaththroughtheJungleoftheUsambaraMountains
• VisittheSpiceIslandofZanzibarandSnorkelinitsTropicalTurquoiseWater
• HikeattheBaseofAfrica’sTallestMountain:Mt.Kili-manjaro
• 30HoursCommunityService
ARCCPrograms|Tanzania:SafariandSolar
Days 1 & 2: Depart USA for Tanzania
StudentsandtripleadersmeetinNewYork(JFKairport)andtogetherflytoKilimanjaro,Tanzania,whereourlocal
guidesmeetthemuponarrival.OurguidesdriveusdirectlytoafullservicecampgroundoutsidethecityofArusha
wherewesetupourTanzanian“home”inMaasaicountry.Accommodations: Overnight Plane/Camping
Spotlight Project: Building Solar Power Systems
Throughout much of Tanzania, a large majority of homes lack electricity. This leaves little daylight for productivity,
school work, and a means of earning an income. Kerosene lanterns are widely used, but are expensive and burn tox-
ic fumes in the home, which can have a lasting impact on people’s overall health and safety. In our spotlight project,
we partner with a Maasai village to install solar power systems, which provide essential utilities to enrich the lives of
the residents. Together, we’re creating a healthier, safer, and more productive future for Tanzanians.
Day 3: Orientation and Swahili Lessons
WespendthemorningtakingiteasyasweadjusttoTanzanianlifeandanewtimezone.Wepackthe“Overland
Truck”,getorientedtotheareaandchataboutourplansforthecomingfewdays.Intheafternoonwewalktothe
localprimaryschoolwherewemeettheteachersandstudentsandenjoyanafternoonlearningessentialwords
andphrasesinSwahili.Accommodations: Camping
Day 4: Meserani Maasai Village & Continued Swahili Lessons
Todaywe immerseourselves inMaasaiwayof lifeaswevisit theMaasai
culturalcenterbeforeheadingtoanearbyvillagetomeetlocalcitizensof
allages.Wevisitthepre-school,orphanageandadulteducationcenterand
witnessmodernandtraditionalculturesblendingtobenefittheMaasaipeo-
ple.Wereturntocampforlunchandforagroupdiscussionbeforewalking
to thenearbyprimaryschool formoreSwahili lessons.Accommodations:
Camping
Days 5 - 7: Spotlight Project — Building Solar Power Systems
Wespend3daysonoursolarpowerproject,whichbenefitsfamiliesinthe
localarea.Beforewecandothehands-onfabricationwork,weimmerse
ourselves inelectrictheory, learningaboutalternativeenergies,howthey
workandwhyweareinstallingsolarpowersystems.
AcrossmostofTanzania,electricityisaluxuryitemmosthouseholdssim-
plycannotafford,asthemajoritylivebelowthepovertyline.ManyTanza-
nianhouseholds relyonhealthdamagingkerosene lanternsoropen fires
forlight,whichcauserespiratoryandeyeproblems,alongwithhundredsof
fire-relateddeathsandsevereburnseachyear.Byprovidingclean,healthy
solarpower,wenotonlyprovidegoodqualitylighting,butalsoasaferand
healthierenvironmentforfamilymembersyoungandold.
Workinghand in handwithour local partners,ARCChas spent 10 years
researching,buildingandinstallingsolarpowerinruralvillagesthroughout
EastAfrica.Ourstudent-builtsolarpowersystemsareuncomplicated,user
friendly, and lowmaintenance. They are a very simple, custom-designed
solarsystemconsistingofasolarpanel,arechargingbatteryandacharge
controller.Thissystemeasilyruns4-6householdlightsandcanchargesev-
eralmobilephoneswithalifespanof6-12yearsandverylittlemaintenance
knowledgefromhouseholdmembers.Accommodations: Camping
ARCCPrograms|Tanzania:SafariandSolar
Day 8: Visit a Local Artisan Project
Todaywehavethechancetosupportaninspirationalorganizationthat
offerspeoplewhoaredeaforhaveotherdisabilitiesthespace,resourc-
esandopportunity tosupport themselves.Theadultswhoworkhere
areartisanswhocreateuniquepiecesofartandjewelry.Welearnabout
theoriginsoftheprojectandlistentotheartists’storieswhileobserv-
ingthesetalentedartistsatwork.Accommodations: Camping
ARCCPrograms|Tanzania:SafariandSolar
Days 9-11: Primary School Teaching & Games
WetakefulladvantageofouruniqueaccesstoalocalMaasaischool.Here
wehelpthefacultyoftheschoolteachclasses,runrecessandparticipate
inschoolathleticactivities. Thisgivesusarareglimpsedirectly intothe
evolving Tanzanian educational system; a system filled with enthusiastic
participantsbutsorelylackingfundamentalsupplies,teachersandfunding.
Accommodations: Camping
Days 12-14: Multi-Day Safari in Serengeti National Park & the Ngorongoro Crater
Wepack our bags, say goodbye to our overland truck and transfer into
smaller vehicles for an incredible safari through themost famous game
parksinEastAfrica.OurfirststopistheSerengetiNationalPark.Wetra-
versethepark insearchof“thebigfive”: lions, leopards,elephants,cape
buffalo,andrhinos.Thereisnothingquitelikecominguponaprideoflions
andobservingtheirdailylivesfromjustfeetaway,tuckedsafelyinourvehi-
cles.Weareguidedthroughtheparkbylocalexperts,whoseabilitytospot
eventheslightestofmovementthousandsoffeetawayisathingofmarvel.
Ourguidesareanincredibleresourcefor informationaboutthepark,the
wildlifeandconservationefforts.Thebigfivegoalhopefullyaccomplished,
weexittheparkandheadforournextsafariinnearbyNgorongoroCrater.
NgorongoroCraterisoneofAfrica’ssevennaturalwonders.Designateda
WorldHeritageSite,Ngorongoroisahugecollapsedvolcanoapproximately
15milesfromrimtorim.Thegrassyflatbottomofthecraterispopulated
byover25,000animalsandhasoneofthedensestcollectionsoflionsin
eastAfrica.Weleaveourrimcampandwindourwaybyvehicledownthe
narrowtracktoarriveatthebottomofthis100squaremilenaturalenclo-
sure.Herdsofelephant,zebraandbuffalogreetusatthebottom.Thepark
comesaliveasthesunworksitswayoverthecrater’srim,bathingthefloor
insunlight.Wespendthedayzoomingaroundthecraterinsearchofthe
park’spredatorsandwitnessinglifeunfoldbeforeusontheAfricanplain.
Accommodations: Camping
Day 15: Return to Meserani and Mto Wu Mbu Oasis
WetraveltothesmallvillageofMtoWuMbubywayofMeserani.Mto
WuMbuisasmalloasisinthedesert.Duetoitsuniqueclimate,thisarea
isfamousforgrowingavarietyoffruitsincludingpinkbananas,mango,
papayaandotherfruitsnormallyonlyfoundinhumidcoastalregionsof
Tanzania.Wehavetheafternoontoexploretheareawithaguidefrom
alocalcommunityecotourismproject.Hetakesusthroughtheplanta-
tionsandteachusabouttheplants,traditionalfarmingtechniquesand
thehistoryof thearea. We finishoff theafternoonwitha traditional
dinnerinoneofthevillagehomes.Accommodations: Camping
Days 16-18: Travel to Mt. Kilimanjaro
Nextwejourneyto“theroofofAfrica”:Mt.Kilimanjaro.At19,341feetabove
sealevel,itisthetallestmountainontheAfricancontinent.Wetakeinthe
awe-inspiringsizeof themountainandgazeat it’s remainingsnowygla-
ciers,whichhavesadlybeenreducedinrecentyearsasaneffectofclimate
changeandsurroundingdeforestation.Wecomeawaywithagreater re-
spectfortheenvironmentaswehikeatthebaseofthemountain,eagerly
exploringitslushjungleandhiddenwaterfalls.Accommodations: Camping
ARCCPrograms|Tanzania:SafariandSolar
Days 22-25: Travel to Bagamoyo and Explore Zanzibar
Fromhere,wetraveltocoastaltownofBagamoyo,theformercolonial
capitalofGermanEastAfricaandanimportanttradingportofthe1800s.
Weexplorethecitybeforeboardingatraditionaldhowsailboatthatef-
fortlesslymovesalongthebeautifulturquoisewatersoftheIndianOcean.
WearriveinZanzibarexcitedtowanderthenarrowlabyrinth-stylestreets
ofStoneTownthatdatebackhundredsofyears.Thissmall,historictown
hasbeenanUNESCOWorldHeritageSitesince2000.Welearnwhythis
islandisoftenreferredtoasthe“SpiceIsland”andspendourfinaldays
heretakingadvantageofthebeautifulbeaches,swimmingandsnorkel-
inginthewarmbluewatersatourfingertips.Accommodations: Bed and
Breakfast
Days 19-21: Usambara Mountain Village
OurTanzanianodysseycontinuesasweheadontotheUsambaraMoun-
tains–hometoabiologicallydiverseworldofplantsandanimals,anda
numberof rural villages. There,webegin anovernight trek into the lush
mountainvegetationpassingthroughanumberofremotevillagesandgiv-
ingusaglimpseofalifesodifferentfromourown.Alongthewaywemeet
withalocal“healer”andlearnaboutherbalremediesandtraditionalmedi-
cinesstillwidelyusedinEastAfrica.Westayinarusticcampnestledinthe
cloudshighinthemountainswithviewsoftheAfricanplainsfarbelow.The
followingday,weventureintoold-growthcloudrainforestwherewemeet
localsubsistenceandcoffeefarmers,conversewithsmallvillagecommuni-
ties,andlookfortherarelyseenUsambarachameleonandEagle-owl.Ac-
commodations: Camping
Day 26: Farewell to Tanzania
Afterthreeweeksofhardworkandadventure,ourTanzaniasummerser-
viceprogramcomestoanend.WetraveltoDaresSalaambyferryand
prepareforafamed“finalfeast,”Tanzania-Style.Ourlastnightisfilled
withactivitiescelebratingourthreeweeksoflife-changingexperiences
andthediscoveryoflifelongfriends.Accommodations: Bed and Breakfast
ARCCPrograms|Tanzania:SafariandSolar
Day 27: Flight Home
Eventuallyallgoodthingsmustcometoanend.WeheadtoKilimanjaro
airport,sayfarewelltoTanzaniaandbeginourjourneyhome.Oncewe
arriveinNewYork(JFK),weboardourflightsforhome.Wecarrywithus
thememoriesofourtimeinMaasailand,theimpactfulsolarproject,our
incrediblesafarisandthevibrantcolorsofZanzibarfromthisjourneyofa
lifetime.Accommodations: Plane
Want to Learn More? Contact the Regional Director:
Whitney Hall | Regional Director Tanzania [email protected]