Mto wa Mbu Cultural Day Trip

Mto wa Mbu — Swahili for "River of Mosquitoes" — sits at the base of the Rift Valley escarpment near the Lake Manyara gate, and is unusual for a small Tanzanian town in that it's home to people from more than a dozen tribal groups, drawn by the fertile, well-irrigated land.

Cultural tours move on foot or by bicycle through the farms and irrigation channels, stopping at local markets, a wood-carving cooperative, and small farms growing banana, rice and maize, usually with a chance to try locally brewed banana beer. It's a grounded, unhurried look at everyday Tanzanian life, and pairs naturally with a game drive at Lake Manyara or Ngorongoro.