Mountain Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest stand-alone mountain in the World second to only Mount Everest which is found in the Himalayas in Asia which stands at 29,028 feet about sea level. But unlike the Kilimanjaro it is part of other mountain ranges.

Kilimanjaro was formed as a result of volcanic eruption which resulted in the present day Mount Kilimanjaro found on the tribal lands of the Chagga People. Cattle rustling was a common activity of the Chagga people and they traveled to and fro the region looking for food – hunting and gathering.

The Chagga referred to cattle rustling as Kyaro, however with the formidable mountain now standing in their way to Kenya it was now difficult to raid the people of the Kenya area. The word for barrier by the Chagga is Kilema hence the word ‘Kilema-kyaro’.

When foreigners visiting the region asked the locals what the name of the mountain was they replied ‘Kilema-Kyaro’. It is believed that the foreigners could get their tongues round these words thus the term ‘Kilima-Ndscharo’ in German which resulted into the present day name Kilimanjaro.

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For the people who are marketing Tanzania as a tourism destination, the royal couple were also able to visit Arusha national park which is being seen as a huge bonus in attracting not only British tourists, with over 75,000 visiting Tanzania annually but also people from all over the World to this beautiful African nation.

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The Al-Shabaab have negatively impacted the image of the East African countries with the most recent being the kidnapping of tourists in the most visited Islands of Kenya but this visit by the Royal couple is a great importance as confidence boost for the tourists visiting the region. The Royal family was able to visit the popular tour destinations of Arusha and Zanzibar.

According to Mr. Ibrahim Mussa the director for National Tourism in Tanzania the visit by Prince Charles and Camilla Parker can only result in increased volumes of tourists to Tanzania as a tourist destination and also the whole of the East African countries as a whole. This royal visit was beamed around the world and can only result in increased visits.

During their visit to the Arusha national park they were able to do a walking safari – an activity that was just recently introduced in this park which is one of the oldest national parks in Tanzania established a couple of months prior to the Country’s independence. It is believed that the Walking safari will become a great activity given the Royal family’s visit.

Unlike hiking safaris like climbing up the slopes of  Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, walking safaris offer a totally new experience and in Africa Tanzania is believed to be the best destination for walking safaris.

While on their visit to Tanzania they spent some time with the Masai people who gave them the names Oloishiru Ingishu and Koto Engera respectively which when translated means “the helper of the cows” – Oloishiru Ingishu and “Mother of the children” – Koto Engera.

The Masai were able to raise their grievances about the land grabbing and the increased climatic changes with is negatively impacting their community. The Prince as president of the World Wildlife Fund promised to look into the matters affecting them. The Masai live in close connection with the wildlife in the region.

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Arusha Town is surrounded by tribal societies that are in transition from traditional to modern way of life.  A visit to the villages enables visitors to get an insight of the fading African traditional life.  The following are some of the tribal areas and villages near Arusha that offer cultural tourism programmes to visitors.

Mulala is a typical Bantu village.  It is nestled on the green southern slopes of Meru, just

below the alpine forest reserve and a few kilometers from the border of Arusha National Park.  The village is about 30km from Arusha town, and is located to the north side of the Moshi-Arusha highway.

Tours to Mulala include crisscrossing coffee and banana farms, and inspecting small women’s business societies that engage in income-generating projects such as cheese making, chilli-growing, and tailoring.  The women are happy to show visitors how coffee is traditionally processed and how some traditional African food is prepared.

Tengeru is 13 kilometres from Arusha town, off the Arusha-Moshi road.  Tengeru offers a glimpse of the culture of the Meru people and their farming methods including tracing the preparation of coffee right from the farm to the table.  Tengeru also offers nature walks along the Mountain Rivers and an excursion to Lake Duluti on the lower slopes of Mount Meru.  The organizers of tours have also special programmes to visit families with disabled children and the local village primary schools.

IIkiding’a is on the higher slopes of Mount Meru about 7 kilometres north of Arusha town and offers a view into the culture of the Wa-Arusha tribe.  Walks across these villages provide impressive viewpoints and include climbing hills and having riverside picnics.  Tours of IIkiding’a include a visit to craftsmen making the traditional Maasai swords and calling at traditionally built homesteads to get an idea of how extended families live together.

Ngiresi is a village of the Wa-Arusa tribe and offers guided tours to the lush slopes of Mount Meru.  Tours to Ngiresi highlights the struggle of the people to develop and so includes visits to development projects like soil conservation, migration, cross-breeding, and the use of bio-gas.  Ngiresi is about 7 kilometers from Arusha town.

IIkurot is about 20 kilometres west of Arusha town and is a place for both the Maasai and the Wa-Arusa.  Tours of IIkurot include a visit to a Maasai boma (the traditional Maasai enclosure/village) to see the traditional houses and lifestyle of the Maasai in transition from nomadic to include programmes for watching Maasai dances and meeting women’s handicraft groups making traditional Maasai ornaments.

Osotwa is about 2 kilometers from the suburb of Ngara Mtoni, west of Arusha town, and off the Arusha-Nairobi Road.  Osotwa offers safaris to traditional Wa-Arusha-Maasai homesteads and visits to colourful weekly open markets.  Osotwa also offers a climb to Shambasha Hill, an old volcano with natural forest rich with birds, butterflies and monkeys and the privilege to enjoy a wonderful view of Arusha town.

Mkuru is a Maasai settlement on the northern side of Mt. Meru where they have gone a step beyond the traditional cattle-keeping culture by beginning to keep camels.  Mkuru therefore offers camel safaris in addition to bush walks and hill climbing and visits to Maasai homesteads.

From Arusha, the scenic route to Mkuru Juu means “Higher Monduli;” it is a cool, picturesque, green plateau standing in the middle of the usual low Maasai plains.  A visit to Monduli offers a “medicinal” tour to see the herbs and plants of Maasailand that are used in traditional medicine and to enjoy panoramic views of the Rift Valley, the active volcano Oldonyo Lengai, and Lake Natron.

Longido offers a walking safari through the Maasai plains and a climb of the impressive Longido Mountain (2690m) through dense natural forest. A tour of the extensive plains surrounding the mountain features an insight into the traditions of Maasai culture and offers the opportunity to see some of the rare birds and animals of the bush.  Longido is about 80 kilometers north of Arusha on the road to the Namanga border crossing.

Machame is to the north of Arush-Moshi road and on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro on the approach to Moshi.  It is about 50 kilometres from Arusha to the junction to Machame, and a further 14 kilometres from the junction to Kyalia, the center of cultural tourism in Machame.  Machame is a mosaic of beautiful valleys, gorges, rivers, waterfall, and farms and is home to the Bantu Chagga people.  Machame offers tales of chagga legends, forest hikes and visits to chagga homesteads.

Mto wa Mbu is situated on the way from Arusha to the great national parks of northern Tanzania, which include Ngorongoro and Serengeti. It is a green oasis just at the foot of the rift valley and bordering to Lake Manyara.  A visit to Mto wa Mbu includes farm tours, country walks and a view into the culture of many different tribes that have migrated to the area but have retained their tribal way of life.