Maasai Eco Tour 1 Day Tour

Conserving the Maasai’s natural environment

On this interesting day we drive into the rural Maasai heartland in the Great Rift Valley where you learn about Maasai tribal values and how the Maasai manage their environment from the herdsmen and young warriors, and the women and elders of the village. A Maasai's herd of cattle is one of their most sacred and treasured possessions, and they are the only tribe in Kenya who are permitted to graze their herds on public land and specifically in Nairobi. They have for centuries had to protect their land so that they do not deplete the coverage of natural pastures for their animals. But as with most indigenous communities, they have been subject to many modern pressures and for the Maasai community this has meant that their traditional nomadic way of life is progressively challenged.

You will help herd the cattle, see how herbs and plants can be used to make natural medicines, and learn about the importance the Maasai place on their natural resources like land and water. Perhaps one of the most absorbing adaptations that the Maasai are making is in the use of biogas systems; a clean, non-polluting energy source generated from cow dung which means the Maasai do not need to forage each day for firewood, and which in turn protects forests and wildlife habitats. And in the more sedentary lifestyle being forced on the Maasai, biogas provides high quality organic fertilisers that enable them to embrace crop farming. This is a unique and richly rewarding day that combines the opportunity to meet and interact with people who are part of the fabric of Kenyan tribal life, with a fascinating insight into how the Maasai are surviving on the lands that are so important to them.