Responsible Travel Without The Hashtags: Our Quiet Approach To Kenya and Tanzania
For a while now, there’s been a lot of buzz about ‘travel that gives back’. And while that’s great to see, it’s also given us something to feel quietly proud of ourselves about. You may not know, but we’ve been on this train since day one!
At Fencox – and in fact the entire Leatherback Travel group – we’re all about trips that go deeper. Ones that don’t just parade you past a checklist of the top ‘must see’ attractions but actually connect you with the people and not-so-well-known places that make a destination what it is.
Our Swahili trip is no exception. Across Kenya and Tanzania, we’ve built in three community experiences where simply showing up makes a real difference to local lives. And yes, actual, on-the-ground impact. It doesn’t mean a saviour complex.
Meet Nairobi’s Real Storytellers
Nairobi isn’t an easy city to live in, and the Nai Nami tour doesn’t pretend otherwise.
On your first full day, you’ll hit the city’s streets with guides who know them better than anyone… Because they used to sleep on them. These guys grew up navigating Nairobi’s rougher edges, and now they run one of the most unforgettable, eye-opening city tours we’ve ever come across.
We get it… the words ‘city sightseeing tour’ usually make us shudder too. All we can picture when we hear that is the ticking off of landmarks and snapping of pics through a bus window! Luckily, this tour is the exact opposite of that. Winding through Nairobi’s backstreets, you’ll hear what survival looked like, smell the matatu fumes and see the city through the eyes of someone who lived it. By the end, Nairobi will feel a whole lot more human.
Nai Nami gives former street kids steady, paid work as tour guides, turning their lived experiences into a job with dignity. By showing up, you’re backing that. And we think that’s pretty freaking cool.
Try Woodcarving With Mto Wa Mbu’s Masters
You’ll find the Makonde woodworkers just off the main drag into the village of Mto Wa Mbu – carving by hand, dust on their shirts, radios crackling in the background. Some were taught by their fathers. Others picked it up because it was the best way to put food on the table. Whichever way they came to the craft, the results are one-of-a-kind sculptures of ancestral figures, spirits and personal stories that are probably unlike anything you’ve seen before.
We never were big fans of sitting and watching from the sidelines. That’s why we’ve arranged VIP access for you to roll up your sleeves and try your hand at the basics, guided by the masters themselves, who, yes, will laugh kindly at your first attempt. But everybody’s got to start somewhere!
On the visit, you’ll also hear how colonial bans nearly wiped this tradition out, and how the Makonde fought to keep it alive. Today, the craft goes far beyond being a mere source of income… to being a source of pride. Your visit helps support these local studios, keeps the tools in the woodcavers’ hands and ensures that the next generation gets taught too.
Head Into The Bush With Tanzania’s Original Nomads
The Hadzabe are one of the last true hunter-gatherer tribes in Africa, and you’ll spend a morning walking in their footsteps. Quite literally! You’ll join them on a hunt (don’t worry, you’re just there to observe), learn how they track animals, make fire from sticks, and then… drumroll please… have a go at throwing a spear! It’s harder than it looks.
Visits like this help fund legal support for the Hadzabe to hold onto their ancestral lands, and back projects that protect their autonomy and cultural survival on their own terms.
We had to pull a few strings to get you this kind of access, as this isn’t something most travellers even know exists, let alone get to be part of. So, soak it up, ask questions, get stuck in, and give that spear your best shot!
How We Choose These Projects (And Why It Matters)
Real talk: the last thing we want is for this to feel icky. There are way too many tours out there doing the whole ‘pop in, pat some kids on the head, post a selfie’ thing – and we want no part of that.
We vet every single community experience on our itineraries, and this Heartland of the Swahili trip is no exception. We don’t just do this to make sure that the visits we support are authentic, but also to make damn sure that the initiatives are welcome, community-led and doing actual good. That’s why you’ll find that these aren’t ‘projects’ to be fixed. Instead, they’re just local legends doing brilliant work that we want to support.
This stuff matters. And if you’ve read this far, we reckon it matters to you too. So, check out the itinerary, and if it sounds good to you, we’d love to have you along.
See you in the Heartland of the Swahili!