Tanzania
The Great Ruaha
Why this trip?
Our journey begins in Iringa, a city in the southern highlands of Tanzania, at about 1,600 metres, with a cool and temperate climate very different from both the coastal heat and the lower-lying savannahs of the north.
With the forests of the Udzungwa mountain range and the savannah of the Ruaha park, this region is characterised by a rich biodiversity and a high number of endemic species. Despite the "preciousness" of this area, with primates, plants and birds that do not exist anywhere else in the world, it remains much less trodden by mass tourism.
The Hehe territory, named after the majority ethnic group, carries a history of anti-colonial resistance that has left a strong and still vibrant local identity, making it a natural setting for small-scale community tourism.
The project
In Nyabula, a village near Iringa, we support the activities of "Camminando con Mattia", an association committed to ensuring access to quality education by supporting the construction of classrooms and laboratories and funding the purchase of materials for St. Thomas Secondary School.
Volunteers spend their days dedicating time to the students, helping them with their homework or playing with them. When needed, they also assist the teachers, collaborating with them to design opportunities for exchange and learning for the young boys and girls.
Walks through the village and small maintenance and care tasks in the communal areas are another way to meet the local people and return their hospitality.
Activities are tailored to the time of year and the volunteer group. Contact us for more information.
The itinerary
From the village of Nyabula, you set off towards Ruaha, one of the country's largest and least crowded national parks. You will spend three days living to the rhythm of game drives: departures at dawn and outings in the late afternoon, the best times to encounter large mammals along the river, where lions, elephants and herds of buffalo gather especially in the dry season, with century-old baobabs and gorges carved into the rock as a backdrop.
The journey continues and the pace changes: after leaving the savannah, you reach the rainforest, which has no vehicle tracks here and can only be explored on foot. Another three days are spent trekking through the mountains of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, among waterfalls and natural pools to cool off in, and endemic primates spotted in the dense vegetation of the primary forest.
After experiencing the contrast between the open savannah of Ruaha and the vertical forest of Udzungwa, you travel towards Dar es Salaam for your flight home.
