Grown Up Gap Year: Join us in Tanzania in February 2021
Our exclusive group trip is for anyone in their 40s, 50s, 60s (and above!), who want to travel sustainably!
Meet like minded people and explore the best that Tanzania has to offer, in the most sustainable way possible!
A life changing experience
Want a life changing experience where you’ll learn new skills, meet new people and positively contribute to environments and communities in Tanzania? Then look no further!
How is the trip sustainable?
Sink your carbon by planting trees!
You’ll take part in Project Plant, where you’ll aim to plant at least 50 trees, offsetting the carbon from your travels.
Reducing Plastics Everywhere
You’ll receive an 8-hour cool water bottle which you can fill up throughout the day to reduce your single use plastic. You’ll also take part in Project Plastic, which aims to clear plastic from animal crossing points, and re-purpose it into something useful for the community.
Supporting local businesses and (almost) zero food miles!
Most of the food you eat will be bought from local markets. The majority of the food found there is grown in the town, where rice, bananas and avocados (and more!) grow in abundance! We’ll also mostly eat plant based meals, and any meat you do eat is bought from local herdsmen just down the road!
Your once in a lifetime trip to Tanzania starts here!
Why Tanzania?
Your trip will take place in Tanzania, in the heart of East Africa. Tanzania is wonderfully unique and offers beauty and mystique like no other. It has so much to offer in its wealth of diversity in wildlife, culture, history and geography. Tanzania boast some of the best national parks for spotting game and has the largest concentration of animals per square km in the world. Home to 162 tribal groups including the colourful Maasai, there is no shortage of culture. The Great Rift Valley cuts through the country giving life to many wonderful geographical features such as the flamingo filled Lakes of Manyara and Natron and to Ngorogoro Crator the largest of its type in the world and one of the top parks for spotting the ‘Big 5’. The snow caps of Kilimanjaro the tallest free-standing mountain in the world confirms your sense that you are truly in a special place.
Tanzania gained independence from the British in 1961 and has continued to remain a very stable country. Despite all the peace and beauty, Tanzanian is has almost 70% of its population living under the poverty line. Poverty is highest in rural areas resulting in malnutrition of primarily women and children. Education although now is free, is still basic, lacking facilities in most schools and parents still have to find the funds to support this as well as school meals and equipment. Often schools don’t contain much more than a classroom, benches, black board and have fewer educational resources than we are used to.
Grown up Gap Year: February 2021
Your 18 -day trip to Tanzania
Trip Highlights:
An 18-day sustainable adventure with like-minded people
3-day Safari to the Serengeti
3 nights in Zanzibar
Offset your carbon by planting trees & take part in plastic re-purposing projects
Visit the Maasai tribe
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival & meet your fellow travellers
Your sustainable adventure starts here! On day 1 you’ll be picked up from the airport and driven to the town, where you’ll meet your fellow travellers and the team at Green Light Ventures. You’ll also be given your 8-hour cool GLV water bottle to ensure you stay hydrated without contributing to single-use plastic waste!
In the evening we’ll gather for a traditional Swahili meal at a local restaurant.
Day 2: Orientation of town, market visit and Swahili lesson
After a good night’s sleep, we’ll have a cultural tour around the town, where you’ll see more about the Tanzanian way of life. You’ll also learn some Swahili and be able to practise your language skills on a tour of the market.
Day 3: Travel to the village, wildlife spotting
We’ll travel to the village where you’ll be staying for the majority of your time. The journey itself is a sight to be seen. The move from urban to rural takes you through amazing views of Maasai bush land. If you’re lucky you may even spot elephants, giraffe and other wildlife on the way! We’ll then head up to a view point where you can start spotting some of the amazing wildlife that Tanzania houses!
Day 4: Visit to a Maasai Village
On day 4, we’ll head out to a local Maasai village. They’ll welcome us with one of their famous dances, and you might be asked to take part in it too! They’ll teach us how to start a fire using the materials around us and we’ll share stories and tea around the fire with the distant sound of lions roaring and hyenas cackling (don’t worry, the Maasai Warriors will keep us all safe!).
Day 5: Offset your carbon with Project Plant
Through Project Plant, you’ll work with our local women to plant trees to offset your carbon. The project mixes conservation with women empowerment, as the women are paid a small amount to keep the trees alive, giving them a regular income!
Day 6: Cycle Ride through Lake Manyara National Park
In the morning we’ll head out on an amazing Safari Cycle through our local national park. Keep an eye our for zebra, wildebeest en-route, and flamingoes once we hit the lake!
Day 7: Project Plastic
We’ll be lucky enough to be staying close to an elephant crossing point. Sadly plastic litter has built up here, so we’ll be working with the community to clear the plastic away and re-purposing it into something that can be used locally. Like this hanging herb garden, which provided income for a nearby school.
Day 8: Jungle or Bushlands Hike
Day 9-11: 3-day Safari to the Serengeti
A trip to Tanzania wouldn’t be complete without a safari and we’ll be visiting the best park in the country (some would argue the world!). Over our 3-day safari, you’ll be unlucky not to spot the Big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Water Buffalo, Elephant)! The Serengeti is also the perfect park for viewing cats and other predators, with prides of lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, jackals and African hunting dogs, there will be no shortage of action!
The Serengeti National Park is nearly 15,000 km of endless plains teaming with animal life that will not disappoint. Your only regret will be that you wished you could stay for longer!
Day 12: Travel to Arusha with evening Swahili meal
After a good night’s sleep we’ll travel back to Arusha, in preparation for our trip to Zanzibar. The evening will bring a chance for sharing stories over a traditional Swahili meal.
Day 13: Travel to Zanzibar: Stone town tour and a visit to Mercury bar
It’s time to visit paradise! Zanzibar is a picturesque tropical island, filled with culture and beautiful white sand beaches. On our first day, we’ll do a tour of the main town, Stone town. The architecture itself is a sight to see, with influences from Persian, Indian and Portugese settlers here. We’ll take a wander around the spice markets and also visit the iconic Christ Church Cathedral, where you’ll learn more about the African slave trade (the church itself was built to celebrate the end of the slave trade).
Just before sunset, we’ll visit Mercury Bar. Named after Freddie, the bar is the perfect place to watch the sun go down whilst sipping on a cold cocktail.
Day 14-17: Relaxation in Zanzibar
The next day we’ll travel to the beach resort where we’ll be spending the remainder of our time. You’ll spend three days unwinding; taking strolls along the white sand and swimming in the turquoise waters! There’s also the option to snorkel and dive among coral reefs or take a sunset cruise on a traditional dhow boat.
Day 18: Fly home
We’ll make our way back to the airport, where we say our farewells!
What’s included?
3-day Safari to the Serengeti
3 nights in Zanzibar
Volunteering on the projects
Accommodation
Full transportation in-country
Three meals a day and plenty of water
Excursions (e.g. Cycle safari ride through Lake Manyara; Maasai Bushcraft and survival skills session)
Pre-departure support pack
Support from U.K. staff
Qualified Expedition Leader
First aid trained staff
Project contributions
24 Hour emergency back up
What’s not included?
Flights
Travel Insurance
Visas
Your extra Mountain Climbs and Zanzibar excursions (e.g. sunset cruise, snorkelling and diving)
Prices
18-day trip: £1,695
