Complimentary breakfast on your own at the hotel. Today, we explore Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial center and one of the world's fastest-growing cities.

In the hotel lobby, we gather and meet William "Maasai Prince," who will join us for the next two days. Straddling traditional Maasai and modern culture, William's insights are fascinating. You will get to know William and his family over the next few days.

We drive to the newly-renovated Old Boma. Built in 1866, it is one of the oldest buildings in Dar es Salaam. We meet Gwamaka of Dar Es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage (DARCH) housed at Old Boma. 

Founded in 2014, DARCH plays a critical role in helping Tanzania preserve its architectural history while modernizing for its future (read more). We learn about Dar Es Salaam’s colonial history, links to Zanzibar, and the East African slave trade. We view the port and Dar's changing skyline from DARCH's rooftop.

We tour through central Dar es Salaam and head to local favorite Makuti Dar. We are joined by Mary-Louise Kidaha from Renew Capital. Renew has been inviting individuals to invest in Africa for more than a decade. Mary Louise ("ML") opens our eyes to Tanzania's start-up scene. Joining us is one of Tanzania 's climate leaders, Gibson Kawago. Gibson is the founder of lithium battery repurposing company Waga. 

Afterward, we visit one of Dar es Salaam's innovative companies, Ubongo. Hosted by Chief Operating Officer (COO) Christina Bwana, we'll learn how Ubongo creates and distributes locally relevant edutainment for millions of children across Africa (Ubongo 2022 Annual Report). We return to the hotel and relax for the afternoon.

Over dinner at the Slipway's Waterfront Restaurant, we have more time with William, who shares stories of growing up in a rural Maasai village, his quest for an education, and his young adult life as a musician (YouTube and Instagram). Read more about Wiliam in Venture Stories.

Complimentary breakfast on your own at the hotel. Check out and meet in the lobby with luggage at 7:30am.

Joined by William, we transport via private coach to Morogoro, a town of about 350,000 people located 125 miles west of Dar es Salaam. The ride alone introduces you to the many facets of Tanzania.

We stop to pick up box lunches in Chalinze to enjoy with William's family in Bwawani. It's an opportunity to see life for a traditional Maasai family, and more deeply connect to William's personal story. We continue onward to SEGA Girls' School.

In Tanzania, 28% of girls who complete primary school do not enroll in secondary school. So educating and empowering young women is the most powerful way to break the cycle of poverty and further economic prosperity. 

Founded in 2007, SEGA educates 280+ girls annually, equipping them with academic, business, life and leadership skills; 100% of SEGA graduates qualify for continuing education. SEGA is supported by U.S. based non-profit Nurturing Minds. Read about SEGA's founding and achievements and latest annual report.

After getting oriented and settled in at SEGA Lodge (watch this video!) we are welcomed by SEGA students and staff and learn about the school's history, programs and impact. Form 3 student ambassadors lead us around the 30-acre campus which is a model of environmental sustainability; it is entirely run on solar-power, has a rainwater catchment system, and its organic gardens provide nearly half of the school’s produce. 

We unpack and relax at SEGA Lodge. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm, where we are joined by Headmistress Elly Sarakikya to learn more about SEGA student life.

Up early? Walk the campus grounds before morning coffee (6:30am).

Enjoy breakfast at SEGA Lodge. We drive to Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) campus where we visit the Belgium organization APOPO which trains rats to detect Tuberculosis (TB). Slow and inaccurate detection methods make TB the world's most deadly infectious disease; 10 million people globally contract the disease each year, and Tanzania is one of the higher-burden countries. 

Afterward, we visit some Morogoro markets. We start with the souvenir and fabric market, learning about the traditional Tanzania fabric called kanga. Feel free to purchase some of your favorite patterns—a tailor at SEGA Lodge can create your ideal customized garment and deliver to you on Saturday.

At the local produce market, we purchase gifts for our afternoon home visit with SEGA student Evaline Jakobo Kimaya. Evaline is a 16 year-old second-year (Form 2) student whose family lives around 60km from the SEGA campus. We enjoy lunch with Evaline and her family and learn about day-to-day family life.

We return to campus, with the option of joining the girls for afternoon sports or games. We relax at SEGA Lodge before enjoying our casual dinner.

Up early? Walk the campus grounds before morning coffee (6:30am).

Enjoy an early breakfast at SEGA Lodge. We depart early to drive to Morogoro town to meet our guides for a beautiful hike through Choma village and the Uluguru Mountains up to the Choma waterfall. The medium-grade round-trip hike will take several hours. It's a wonderful way to get a perspective on the city and day-to-day life in Tanzania. Bring your swimsuit and towel to enjoy swimming at the waterfall. 

At the hike's end, we stop for lunch with a local family. 

We return to the SEGA campus. As students wrap up classes for the week, it's sports time! Join a skills session led by SEGA visitors--yoga (Jamie Morris), soccer (Shannon McWilliams), or paddle ball (Angie Popek).

Enjoy a well-deserved rest before enjoying dinner at SEGA Lodge. 

Still awake? Join students for a Friday night tradition—movie night in the Big Banda!.

Up early? Walk the campus grounds before morning coffee (6:30am).

Enjoy breakfast at SEGA Lodge. The weekend is the perfect time to see SEGA students and graduates outside of the classroom. There are opportunities to play sports (soccer or netball) and practice some Swahili.

In the morning, we partake in the SEGA Entrepreneurship Program. The program teaches Form 3 (third-year) students essential life and business skills. We enjoy tea with SEGA Director, Laina Mwandoloma, and learn about students' post-graduation journeys.

After lunch, we head to the Morogoro Town Community Center to see graduates in action. “Msichana Kisasa” or Modern Girl is SEGA's community outreach program, providing a safe space for girls and boys mentored by SEGA graduates. We participate in their training activity and game—it's led in Swahili, but the coordinators translate.

Back on campus, we enjoy our last dinner at SEGA Lodge while preparing for our early morning departure. 

Still awake? Join students for Saturday movie night in the Big Banda!.

Enjoy breakfast at SEGA Lodge. It's time to say farewell to SEGA as we depart via private vehicle for Mikumi National Park. We enjoy driving to the park on a newly paved road; expect to see our first animals on the drive.

We stay at Foxes' Vuma Hills Tented Camp. Our accommodations are luxury tents on elevated wooden decks with thatched roofs, each containing comfortable beds, showers and bathrooms. A large veranda looks over the bush. 

After being welcomed with lunch, we enjoy leisure time and an afternoon game drive with our exceptional guide Fraida Boaz. Female safari guides are rare in Tanzania, and Fraida is one of the few who fight the stereotypes. 

At sunset, we gather for a relaxing dinner at the Camp. We are joined by Juliana Moses Sengalai. Juliana is William's younger sister who graduated from SEGA in 2022. She is currently studying tourism at nearby Mikumi Veta. Through Juliana's story, our family learning journey comes full circle.

Enjoy a hearty Camp breakfast prior to a full day in the bush. 

We are led by expert wildlife guides on morning and afternoon game drives and walking safaris in the park. Expect to see a wide variety of African birds and wildlife--giraffes, zebras, impalas, wildebeest, lions, hippos, warthogs and more.  

We gather at sunset to view animals around the watering hole, followed by a relaxing dinner at the Camp. We enjoy our last evening together, reflecting on the most impactful moments of the week and what it is leading us to think about next.

We take our breakfast to-go and enjoy one last game drive before departure.

Our drive to the Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) for our international connecting flights will take approximately 5-6 hours. Departing flights should leave no earlier 6:00pm (most international flights depart late in the evening). For those departing earlier, alternative transport will be arranged (additional $350 fee).

As we say farewell to Tanzania, we consider the new connections made and rich experiences enjoyed, and think about ways to share our learnings with our family and friends back home.