From Gombe National Park on Lake Tanganyika to the Usambara Mountains on the east coast – those who travel with Tangier Safaris will not only encounter animals. He meets people.
A safari is more than wilderness
Most people book a safari because of the animals. Lions in the Serengeti, chimpanzees in Mahale, elephants in Tarangire. That’s understandable – and these experiences are unforgettable.
But anyone who has really taken a look knows that the most fascinating thing on a trip through Tanzania is often not what can be seen in binoculars. It’s the people.
The northern safari circle – an arc from Lake Tanganyika in the west to Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Kilimanjaro to the mountain forests in the east – is home to dozens of different ethnic groups. Each with its own language, its own relationship to nature, its own history. We at Tangier Safaris have known these regions for many years. In this article, we’ll introduce you to the races you may encounter on our travels.
1. The Tongwe – Guardians of the Mahale Jungle
Who are the Tongwe?
Before the Mahale Mountains National Park was officially established in 1985, the Tongwe lived in these dense forests on the banks of the Tanganyika River. For them, the forest was not a protected area – it was home, source of food and spiritual centre at the same time.
The Tongwe’s knowledge of flora, fauna and animal migrations in this region is incomparable. No research institute or textbook can replace what has been passed down orally over generations: which fruits the chimpanzees eat and when, which paths they prefer, how the behavior of the animals changes with the seasons.
Their importance for nature conservation
Rangers and chimpanzee researchers in the Mahale still work closely with Tongwe communities today. This cooperation is not an act of courtesy, but a practical necessity. Without their knowledge, many of the scientific findings about the chimpanzees of the Mahale would never have been possible.
Anyone who observes chimpanzees in the Mahale Mountains National Park – from a distance of two or three meters, without fences, without a circus – experiences a forest that was guarded by humans. Quietly, for centuries. These are the Tongwe.
2. The Ha – Fisherman, Farmer and Neighbor by Jane Goodall
Who are the Ha?
The Ha are the people who have inhabited the region around Kigoma and the Gombe Stream National Park for generations. They belong to the large Bantu language family and live as fishermen, small farmers and traders on one of the deepest lakes in the world.
Kigoma is the entrance city for every visit to the Gombe – you can take a boat from here to the park. If you take a little time, you will quickly feel: this port has a history.
The connection to Jane Goodall
When Jane Goodall arrived in Gombe in 1960, the Ha were her first and most important allies. Without her trust, local knowledge, and willingness to help a young researcher, Goodall’s groundbreaking chimpanzee research could never have begun. This part of the story is often omitted in documentaries about Goodall – but it is real.
A visit to the Gombe begins in Kigoma. Take time for the city, the port, the people. The history of this region is not only in the park.
3. The Sukuma – Tanzania’s largest people
Who are the Sukuma?
With almost ten million people, the Sukuma are the largest ethnic group in Tanzania. Their territory extends south and east of the Serengeti, from Lake Victoria to the bush savannah of the central country. The name itself simply means “north” – that’s what the southern neighboring peoples called the farmers and cattle herders in the north.
Most safari guests drive through Sukuma land without knowing it. Red mud houses, wide corn fields, zebu cattle on the side of the road: this is the Tanzania between the national parks.
Culture and tradition: the Bugobogobo
The most famous cultural heritage of the Sukuma is the Bugobogobo dance: a multi-day spectacle with giant drums, snake charmers, lion dancers and an energy that must be experienced once. Historically, this festival was a means of conflict resolution between village communities – a kind of cultural jurisdiction that turned dispute into art.
4. The Datoga – the people who were here before the Maasai
Who are the Datoga?
Anyone who travels in the Ngorongoro region knows the Maasai. However, hardly anyone knows that the Maasai displaced the Datoga people from large parts of this region in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Datoga are the older pastoral people and are considered one of the oldest pastoral nomadic populations in East Africa.
They call themselves Mang’ati. Other groups gave them this name as a warning: “the dangerous ones”. The Datoga have kept it – as an honorary title.
Bronze art and face tattoos
The Datoga are highly gifted with their hands. Her bronze smithing is known throughout the region; Bangles, knives and jewelry of the Datoga are widely traded. They are also recognizable by their characteristic facial tattoos, fine lines around the eyes, which are particularly pronounced in women.
Today, Datoga communities live mainly around Lake Eyasi and in the plains of Tarangire. A visit to them is one of the most tranquil, dignified experiences a Northern Tanzania safari can offer.
5. The Iraqw – Kushites in the heart of Tanzania
Who are the Iraqw?
In a region dominated by Bantu peoples and Nilotic herders, the Iraqw are an exception. They speak a Cushite language – linguistically related to the peoples of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, not to their Tanzanian neighbours. How they came to the highlands south of the Ngorongoro Crater thousands of years ago is still a fascinating question of research today.
Its center is Karatu, a lively small town on the way between Arusha and the Ngorongoro. Almost all safari guests drive through – few know that they are just crossing the heartland of the Iraqw.
Underground houses and terraces
The Iraqw are brilliant farmers. They terraced steep slopes with a precision reminiscent of advanced civilizations in the Andes and developed historically semi-underground houses – built deep into the ground to protect against the cold and enemy raids. This construction method is unique in East Africa.
Proud identity
The Iraqw call themselves “the people” – like many indigenous peoples around the world. They have withstood the pressure of other groups for centuries and have preserved their language, their rituals and their agricultural tradition. Anyone who visits a market in Karatu or wanders through the coffee plantations is in the middle of their lively present.
6. The Hadzabe – one of the last hunter-gatherer races on earth
Who are the Hadzabe?
On the southern shore of Lake Eyasi, a few kilometers from the Datoga, live the Hadzabe – and the distance between these two peoples could hardly be greater. The Hadzabe are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer peoples in the world, and the last in East Africa. No fields, no herds, no permanent houses. They live as humans have done for a hundred thousand years.
Their language is unique: Hadzane contains click sounds and is not related to any other language on earth. Genetic studies suggest that the Hadzabe are among the oldest surviving population lines of mankind.
Life from the forest
The men hunt with handmade bows and poisoned arrows – impala, zebra, porcupine, whatever the day brings. The women collect berries, roots and baobab fruits. Everything is shared. There is no chief, no hierarchy, no duty to stay. Those who want to move on.
That sounds romantic – and sometimes it is. But above all, it is real. No play, no museum. The Hadzabe actually live like this.
Endangered way of life
The pressure on the Hadzabe is growing. Farmland encroaches on their hunting grounds, water sources dry up, tourist groups sometimes appear without regard for their dignity. A visit to Lake Eyasi with a responsible operator such as Tangier Safaris respects their conditions and directly contributes to their livelihood.
7. The Maasai – between icon and reality
The most famous people in Africa – and the most misunderstood
No nation in Africa is photographed more often than the Maasai. The red scarves, the long spears, the Adumu jump – the world knows this picture. And yet: What is behind it is more complex than any travel photo shows.
The Maasai have never practiced agriculture. For them, cattle are not only farm animals, but also carriers of identity, wealth and spirituality. The social order, the marriage rules, the religious rituals – everything revolves around the herd.
The Moran: warriors, nature connoisseurs, border crossers
The Maasai warrior class, the Moran, spends years of their lives out in the wilderness. They learn to read animal tracks, predict weather changes, and orient themselves in the savannah. This is not folklore – this is a more sophisticated early warning system than any app can offer.
Tradition and modernity
Today, many Maasai youth have a smartphone in their pockets. They post on TikTok, go to university, work as guides and entrepreneurs. Tradition does not die. It changes. And many Maasai communities near Arusha offer authentic encounters – and benefit directly from the tourism they help to shape.
8. The Meru – proud neighbors of Kilimanjaro
Who are the Meru?
At the foot of Mount Meru, Tanzania’s second-highest mountain, live the Meru – a Bantu people who often stand in the shadow of their neighbors: the Maasai on one side, the Chagga on the other. Yet the Meru have their own fascinating history.
They are farmers and cattle breeders at the same time and have cultivated the fertile slopes of Mount Meru for centuries. Coffee, bananas and corn – the picture that presents itself on the drive through their country is lush and green, almost surprising after the dry savannah in front of it.
Resistance and dignity
The Meru are known for their historical resistance to land expropriation. The so-called Meru Land Case of 1952 – in which the colonial administration forcibly resettled Meru families – became a precedent that was carried all the way to the United Nations. For many Tanzanians, it is a symbol of the struggle for self-determination.
Gateway to Arusha National Park
If you visit Arusha National Park – with its giraffes, buffaloes and the view of the Meru peak – you will find yourself in the heartland of Meru. Most of the local guides here come from Meru families. Your knowledge of the mountain and its wildlife is the foundation on which every hike stands.
9. The Chagga coffee farmers on the roof of Africa
Who are the Chagga?
On the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, where the volcanic soil is particularly fertile, lies the homeland of the Chagga. This people has shaped the region for centuries – as coffee farmers, as political pioneers, as educational advocates.
No other people in northern Tanzania relied so early on education as a means of independence. As early as the early 20th century, Chagga entrepreneurs founded coffee co-openatives, which still exist today.
The Mfongo: An engineering work from the Middle Ages
The Mfongo system is one of the most astonishing examples of pre-industrial engineering in East Africa: an extensive network of irrigation canals that channeled meltwater from Kilimanjaro into the fields. Hundreds of kilometres of canals, laid out without machines, with astonishing precision.
No Kilimanjaro without Chagga
Most of the guides and porters on Kilimanjaro come from Chagga families in Moshi. They have known the mountain since childhood. Anyone who wants to go to the Kibo summit depends on their knowledge – whether they know it or not. And the coffee you drink halfway up? Most likely Chagga-Arabica.
10. The Pare – Tanzania’s forgotten mountain forge
Who are the Pare?
Between Kilimanjaro in the north and the Usambara Mountains in the south rise the Pare Mountains – two mountain ridges, green, quiet, hardly developed for tourism. Most safari vehicles drive through on the main road without stopping. That is their loss.
The Pare are a Bantu people who have lived in these mountains for centuries. Their language is called Asu (also Chasu), and anyone who has ever spent the evening in a Pare village remembers the melodic quality of this language.
Master of Iron
The Pares were considered excellent metal craftsmen in historic East Africa. Their iron tools and weapons were traded far beyond the mountains and were coveted by neighboring peoples. This tradition is no longer so present today – but the talent for craftsmanship has remained.
What makes a visit special
A detour to the Pare Mountains shows Tanzania from its most unobstructed side. Terraced fields where corn and beans grow. Children waving from school. Old women drying coffee beans in the sun. No show culture, no tourist office. Just real life.
11. The Sambaa – Kings of the Usambara Mountains
Who are the Sambaa?
The Usambara Mountains in northeastern Tanzania are among the most species-rich habitats on earth. They are older than the Himalayas, and evolution has gone its own way here over millions of years: endemic chameleons, butterflies and bird species that do not exist anywhere else.
The people who have lived in these forests for centuries are the Sambaa. Their kingdom – the Kilindi Empire – was one of the most powerful political entities in East Africa in the 19th century under King Kimweri ye Nyumbai, with territories from the mountains to the coast.
Lushoto: a town in the fog
The center of the Sambaa today is Lushoto, a small town at about 1,500 meters, surrounded by cloud forests and tea plantations. The temperatures are cool, the air clear, the landscape breathtaking.
Hikes through the Sambaa country are cultural journeys and nature discoveries at the same time: you meet tea pickers, talk to farmers about their cultivation methods, and slowly understand how closely people and forests are connected here.
Why these people should be part of your safari
A trip with Tangier Safaris is not a journey through an open-air museum. Tanzania is a living country, and the peoples who inhabit it are not a backdrop. They are the reason why these landscapes are the way they are.
At Tangier Safaris, we work with these local communities – with guides who come from these peoples, with villages that benefit from respectful tourism, and with a deep belief that if you want to protect Tanzania’s nature, you need to know its people.
If this article has given you something, then that would be nice. If you have any questions about a trip – Mahale, Gombe, the Usambara trekking or a Maasai community safari – just write to us.