African Safari Day 2(pit stop) - The Masai Village

On our way to The Serengeti our driver gave us an option to visit a Masai village. We decided that we wanted that authentic experience and decided to do it. They told us the money we would "donate" goes to taking care of the village so we figured it would be a good to help out. When we arrived it was clear this was not their first time and almost something of a show they put on daily for Western tourists. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone if you are just stopping by on a quick tour, but I have heard they do immersion tours where you stay with a tribe over the course of a few days. The immersion tour seems like it would be a more authentic experience. Nonetheless I'm glad we did it and didn't leave the question of what it would have been like.

The villagers were waiting outside of the walls, and greeted us with their tribal dance. They donned on us their traditional garb and gave my friend a "chief" leader stick. During this dance the men traditionally jump up and down. We decided to join in on the fun! The women had their own traditional set of dances and songs they would sing along side the men as well.

After the dance we were all lead to separate areas of the village and shown around by a local. My tour guide for the village happened to be the chief. It got awkward at times cause they would really push giving money culture or try to sell us items. We got to see inside their homes and their schools though. The children were precious and would count in English for everyone. All these parts did seem staged though.

Overall the whole thing seemed very rehearsed and if you were truly looking for a tribal experience I would recommend doing the immersion experience where you get to live amongst the tribe. If offered to do a day stop I would recommend to decline the offer and continue on about your day!

!steemitworldmap -2.788552 lat 35.009557 long Masai Village D3SCR