Shall we meet the locals?

 

 

16-10-2015

By: Denise Berkeveld
Source: Anthony Ham, Lonelyplanet
 

Currently, a trend in tourism is that tourists want to meet the local community when they are travelling.  The connection with the local indigenous people is becoming increasingly important to the *New Tourist of the 21st century. Those tourists would like to experience the destination they are visiting completely and get the local experience as well. Tourists do not want to feel like tourists anymore.

 

In Kenya it is also possible to visit the local community, they are called the Maasai. Those people are the characteristic image for the East of Africa. Most of them are still living a semi-nomadic lifestyle, which is changing with the seasons. When tourist want to visit them, the tourists are mostly only allowed to visit them for a short time and take some pictures. You have to have some knowledge to get beyond the typical tourist experience and to discover the real live of the Maasai.

The most conmen way to see the Maasai is by visiting a Maasai manyatta ( a village where the Maasai is living) that is possible to reach by road, near to safari parks (e.g. the Masai Mara National Reserve and Amboseli National Park in Kenya's south). But some of these villages can be overwhelmed with tour buses in the high season and this is most of the time not the experience that the New tourist is looking for. He or she can better choose for the mayattas that are removed from the main road and visit those in a small group with a Maasai guide. A guide like this can help to break down the barriers. When you are there, you can talk a bit with the woman or take a walk with a warrior for example. Moreover when you are not afraid, you can also try one of their special dishes.

 

Usually, an entry fee for a visit to one of the manyattas is around 20 to 25 US dollars. Furthermore, they almost always try to earn more money by selling for example souvenirs. This money goes to medicines, fund schools or they use it to expand the cattle herbs which is really important for the Maasai.

 

It is also possible to sleep like a local, in one of the private wildlife sanctuaries that are run by the Maasai. But the lodges in these wildlife sanctuaries are not cheap, it is around 500 US dollars per person per night, this is full board, but I think this is still really expensive. But in exchange for it you will have a once-in- a-lifetime experience. You will get an inside into the local culture and ecology that most of the travels will not experience when they are visiting Africa. The money they earn with it goes for example to community projects. Possible sanctuaries to stay in a lodge are:

 

• Ol Donyo Lodge – Here you can stay in a private lodge on the Maasai communal Mbirikani Group Ranch, between Amboseli and Tsavo West national parks.

• Il Ngwesi Ecolodge – A ecolodge on the Laikipia Plateau.

• Campi ya Kanzi – In the Kimana Community Wildlife Sanctuary east of Amboseli National Park.
   

Looking at this trend in the tourism industry, the local population of a destination can either bear the brunt from tourism or they can benefit from it. If the tourism industry develops at a particular destination, it is often the governments and hotel chains that have an advantage from it. Especially in developing countries are locals often not involved in the planning of the tourism developments.  The locals are later useful for the work in the tourism resorts and are poorly paid and this is also still happening in Africa. But fortunately there are more and more training and education that train locals to work at all levels within the tourism sector, which is shown above.

 

 

* New Tourist: “ Tourists are looking for unique activities, tailored Tourists are looking for unique activities, tailored experiences, special interest focus, experiences in a experiences, special interest focus, experiences in a lifestyle destination setting, living culture, creative lifestyle destination setting, living culture, creative spaces and creative spectacles spaces and creative spectacles” (Cross and Brown, 2006).

 

 

 

Click on the logo from Lonely planet to read the article: Drawing near to the Maasai, from Loney planet.