Tanzania expedition

Find out about our Gap Year Expedition in Tanzania

If you had to choose just one country to visit in Africa on a gap year or career break it would be easy to put together a strong case for it being Tanzania. Tanzania is one of the best places to view Africa's incredible range of wildlife (Ruaha game reserve, the Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park and the Serengeti are all in Tanzania) - meaning that a Tanzania expedition offers the potential for all kinds of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. If you fancy the idea of travelling on a Tanzania expedition Real Gap's ‘Gap Year Expedition - Tanzania' programme offers pretty much every experience you could possible hope for.

The thinking behind Real Gap's Tanzania expedition programme is to provide a ‘real' travel experience different from other overland expeditions - taking in people and places off the usual beaten track as well as all of Tanzania essential sights. Central to this philosophy for a Tanzania expedition is the fact that travellers on the programme get involved with some highly rewarding volunteer projects. Working as a volunteer on a Tanzania expedition is an ideal way to immerse yourself in local culture whilst at the same time making a positive and valuable contribution to a worthwhile cause. For full details on this Tanzania expedition click on the above link but, in order to whet your appetite, here are a few of the programme's highlights…

Tanzania expedition - Beach life

Life on the road on a Tanzania expedition can get tiring and one of the great things about this programme is that it also provides plenty of opportunity to relax on some of Tanzania's idyllic Indian Ocean beaches. The base for the Tanzania expedition is Mbezi beach, 8 miles or so from the capital Dar es Salaam and close to the beautiful spice island of Zanzibar. The journey to Zanzibar on a traditional dhow boat is just one of many memorable experiences on the Tanzania expedition.

Tanzania expedition - Unforgettable wildlife

For most people the stand-out highlight of a Tanzania expedition is seeing some of the world's most incredible animals roaming free in their natural habitat beneath the seemingly endless African sky. All of Africa's ‘Big Five' (lion, rhino, leopard, elephant and wildebeest) can be seen on a Tanzania expedition. Staying in a bungalow on the banks of the Ruaha River on the Tanzania expedition - listening to all of the distant (and not so distant!) night time sounds you can hear in the background - is an unforgettable experience.

Tanzania expedition - Learn the language

You get so much more out of a Tanzania expedition (or an expedition to anywhere else for that matter) if you make the effort to speak the local language to people you meet along the way. The locals you come across on a Tanzania expedition are generally extremely open and friendly anyway - but they always greatly appreciate your efforts if you don't always presume they will speak English to you. With this in mind the Tanzania expedition includes some lessons in Swahili, most of which are given during the first week at Mbezi Beach - so don't worry, the lessons won't be too taxing!

Tanzania expedition - Maasai tribe stay

One of the most privileged experiences on Real Gap's Tanzania expedition is a five-week stay with a Maasai tribe in an incredible setting close to Mount Kilimanjiro. During this mutually-beneficial part of the Tanzania expedition travellers help teach the Maasai English and, in return, they receive a unique insight into the Maasai culture and way of life.

Tanzania expedition - Volunteer

In total contrast to the rural setting of the Maasai stay the volunteer projects on the Tanzania expedition are based in the lively capital city, Dar es Saalam. The two volunteer projects you can choose from on the Tanzania expedition involve either assisting in an orphanage or at a local school.

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