Our partner: Nyayo Discovery

Nyayo Discovery is a social enterprise and travel business dedicated to connecting travellers with Tanzania’s people, wildlife, and natural wonders, while protecting the environment, conserving wildlife, and directly benefiting Indigenous communities.

Founded by John and Lauren in 2007, Nyayo Discovery offers meaningful, culturally immersive, and educational experiences with Indigenous community partners, as well as off-the-beaten-track wildlife safaris and adventure activities that are ethical and environmentally conscious.

They believe Tanzania has so much more to offer than the standard safari package. Whether discovering the properties of medicinal plants in Longido, exploring the tropical forests of Tanga, or tracking antelope in the Yaeda Valley, each trip supports local communities while minimising impact on the environment.

What is special about travelling with Nyayo Discovery ?

Travelling with Nyayo Discovery takes you beyond the standard safari experience, fostering meaningful connections with Tanzania’s people as you explore and learn about this beautiful country’s diverse cultures, incredible wildlife and awe-inspiring landscapes.

The founders, John Kweka, a fully qualified guide and indigenous knowledge facilitator with over 20 years’ experience in tourism operations and a deep connection to his home country, and Lauren Sans, an Anthropology graduate with a background in cultural ecotourism research and 20 years living in Tanzania, together bring over 40 years’ experience working with indigenous communities in the African travel industry.

Specialising in culturally immersive and tailored programs and wildlife safaris, their commitment to sustainability and ensuring direct benefits for indigenous people while fostering mutual respect and understanding means deeper connections, cultural insights and personal growth compared to a typical trip to Africa.

Explore Tanzania together with Nyayo Discovery!

Nyayo Discovery community-based programs are founded on mutual trust and long-standing relationships, fostered over decades and developed collaboratively with their community partners. They give travellers the opportunity to learn directly from indigenous people about their culture and unique ways of seeing the world while exploring the landscapes they call home.

Attend a jewellery making workshop with women while learning the symbolism of colour, sit under the stars round a campfire as you listen to elders share traditional stories with the youth from their village or collect medicinal plants while learning about their properties for a nutritious soup with Maasai in Longido. Make a bow and arrow as you learn about sustainable hunting, process baobab seeds to make porridge as you discover the significance of this sacred tree or collect wild fruit and tubers with the Hadzabe in Lake Eyasi.

By combining a community-based program with wildlife safaris to national parks, forest and waterfall walks, nature trails and treks, mountain climbing or canoeing on some of Tanzania’s most stunning lakes your trip can be specially tailored to meet your needs and interests.

Packages also include accommodation with their carefully selected, fantastic providers who are aligned with the conscious explorer’s values.

What is the philosophy behind Nyayo Discovery?

"Nyayo" means tracks, footsteps or prints in Kiswahili. Inspired by the deep relationship indigenous people have with each other and their environment "Nyayo" represents the excitement of new discovery (like tracking a wild animal or finding a new trail); inter-cultural learning and exchange fostering curiosity, empathy, mutual respect and understanding (taking a walk in each other's shoes); respect for the environment and low impact tourism (leaving behind just footprints in the dust).

Our vision of a more curious, empathetic and sustainable world is inspired by the philosophies of Ujamaa (meaning familyhood or community mindedness in Kiswahili) which emphasises the importance of social equality, and Ubuntu (a word used in many Bantu languages sometimes translated as “I am because you are”), a set of values and practices which recognises the interconnectedness and responsibility of individuals to one another and the world around them.

Nyayo Discovery operates a quadruple bottom line: To facilitate connection and understanding between people and with the natural world through inspiring, educational and immersive experiences for the adventurous traveller (purpose) while improving the lives and well-being of local communities (people); regenerating and protecting the environment (planet); and contributing to the local economy (profit).

Fundamentally protecting the environment needs to go hand-in-hand with economic and social benefits for local communities. One cannot exist without the other. Indigenous people have equally valid ways of knowing and play a fundamental role in shaping and maintaining this balance. Their knowledge is also vital in the fight against climate change, environmental degradation and cultural diversity and needs to be preserved. Community-based tourism is just one of the ways that supports them in achieving this.

The “how” is as equally important as the “why”. Indigenous peoples are the only true experts of their culture. Self-representation and agency are vital, so programs are developed in collaboration with community partners; they decide how they interact with tourism and what aspects of their culture they share, based on their own values. Programs are led by indigenous local guides and coordinators who share their knowledge, expertise and culture, which means greater control for communities and more authentic experiences for travellers.

Lauren and John's background in the non-profit sector means they understand that cash payments from tourism are not enough. As a social enterprise, in addition to community fees, which are paid directly to community partners, 10% of the net profit from each program goes to grassroots projects. Projects typically centre women and are based on the self-determined needs of each community, utilising their indigenous knowledge and expertise, with communities deciding how these additional funds are allocated.

Nyayo is proud to be partnering with Conscious Explorer, sharing their values and commitment to responsible travel and authentic experiences which put people and planet first.

What programmes does Nyayo Discovery offer?

Nyayo offers both bespoke and pre-arranged group trips to suit various budgets and interests that explore a wide range of Tanzania’s cultures, landscapes and terrains.

Whether it's tropical rainforests and chameleons, coastal fishing communities and coral reefs, acacia forest and pastoralist communities, open savannahs with Hadzabe hunter-gatherers, or spice tours and Swahili culture, the diversity of experiences on offer is vast.

You’ll also have the opportunity to take part in community-service activities that give you first-hand experience of some of the community projects currently running. This might be forest management, collecting data, or replastering a community centre using traditional building techniques.

They provide mixed-range accommodation to suit most budgets, from luxury eco-lodges to locally owned guesthouses or camping. Whichever you choose, their accommodation partners have been selected to balance sustainable practices with comfort and excellent service.

All community-based programmes are mid-range camping-based, serviced by Nyayo Discovery’s field crew and their own fully equipped mobile camp, including all the essentials: canvas safari-style tents, mattresses and bedding, a full camp kitchen and mess tent with a dedicated bush camp chef, and a mobile composting toilet and shower and/or hand-washing facilities.

All their camps operate under a careful “leave no trace” policy. Meals are simple but delicious, using the best local produce Tanzania has to offer and include breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and coffee and drinking water.

Programmes run from 1-3 weeks with bespoke extensions also possible.

Learn more about Nyayo Discovery!