A Top Thing to do in Kenya? Other than a safari, It’s got to be a Masai Mara Village Visit

These days, any trip to Kenya will likely come with an option to sign up for a Masai village visit at some point along the way, not necessarily located in the Masai Mara though.

Masai warrior tribes are one of the oldest known African tribes native to the Kenyan savannahs and many have maintained their traditional nomadic culture, though a local told me they travel over smaller distances than they did in the past – to avoid conflicts with other tribes.

The indigenous tribes have lived on those planes and savannahs long before ‘safari trips’ came into existence on the back of colonial shifts in history.

Masai Village Visit in the Masai Mara National Park

We were in the Masai Mara for the final leg of my safari and broke off on our last game drive day to visit a Masai Village. This was optional, not everyone wanted to do it – some just wanted to continue with more game drives instead.

Me – well I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to connect with some of the most culturally indigenous tribes of Kenya (Tanzania and Uganda too I believe) and get a first hand snapshot into how they live – with lions for neighbours to boot!!

Family

This village was 200 people strong forming 20 families – all originating from the same grandfather – they mix with other villages to find partners to marry. Women join the village of their husband.

A couple of locals told me it’s not really the norm for a non-Masai person to marry a Masai, and that certain tribal secrets would probably never be shared with them in order to protect and preserve their way of life.

Nevertheless, the Chief did ask if I fancied moving to the village….I thanked him for the kind invitation but added that unfortunately I needed to get back to work in the UK soon lol – he said “well if you ever feel like a career change…”

Others were also invited – they’re just being polite.

I suspect there are probably some organised ‘stay-overnight’ or longer Masai village experiences for tourists in Kenya but I didn’t ask about that or go looking for it online.

Yes – of course there will be some encouragement to buy things and I did buy a few bits…it’s just nice to support….but me being me, I did bargain a little because I’d already bought a few things from one of the men in the village, and I knew the prices being asked by the women were a bit ‘extra’.

That same villager came over to see what all the discussion was about and he seemed to be an authority over price setting since he made them drop the price on another bunch of bits!!

A Traditional Welcome Dance: Overwhelming

This was a lengthy dance, colourful and vocal, slightly hypnotic – I instantly felt quite overwhelmed by it, even now I try to pin down a reason why and struggle to find just one reason.

I don’t mean this in a negative way though – it was as if everything I’d left behind in the Western world, all the distractions, daily routines, thoughts and attitudes about life and people…….all were just stripped away the instant that welcome dance started, leaving me with a stark feeling of being in that place and that moment – and there being ‘more to life’ than the little bubbles we live in and the superficial things we preoccupy ourselves with in everyday life. Nothing we don’t already know deep down, but this experience began to strip it bare.

The drumming, chanting, singing, vocals, every little sound, all created a very strong atmosphere.

The animal horn also has a very heavy bass, you can sort of feel it going through you when you’re there.

Yes, I witnessed the jumping up and down that you’ve probably seen countless times if you’re researching a Kenya trip or done one before….the man who jumps he highest gets the lady, it’s a competition!  

Yes, I Felt A Lion’s Mane

Controversial, I know….

The chief of any Masai Village dresses differently to the rest of the tribe. Our Chief wore a hat made from a lion’s mane – a lion he went out and killed as part of the process all young boys have to carry out in their youth to be initiated into manhood (they do it in groups). The hornblower during the welcome dance wore one as well.

I asked if I could touch it – it felt thick and quite coarse.

On the Subject of Lions

The village is surrounded by hand made fencing from strong sticks, including gates to keep lions out.

The Chief said the lions usually target their livestock more than humans, and that lions don’t really like the colour red, they keep away from it (perhaps associating it with danger as they’ve grown to associate Masai dress with potential threat…I’m guessing…glad I decided to wear a red t-shirt that afternoon!!).

Men build the fences, while one of the women’s main duties is to build the houses.

Inside a Masai Village House

The houses are made from a mix of mud, cow dung, sticks – very organic, with no frills. There were three bedrooms in the house we went into, the bed areas didn’t have any mattresses.

Rumour has it…

I heard it from a seemingly reliable source that a lot of the Massai villages that tourists go to visit are fake, though there are real ones, a lot are just set up for tourists.   

So what?  

Even it it was a mimic for tourists – it’s still giving us a near authentic picture of how they live and still very insightful if that’s the case. Not sure I’d want tourists traipsing in and out of my home ‘willy nilly’ either.

I think maintaining their dignity and some semblance of privacy is a good thing if that’s what they choose, while doing what they can to make some money and engage with tourists in far more organic way than a theme park or other gimmicky tourist attraction lol, so I don’t mind at all.

A YouTuber who spent a lot of time volunteering in Kenya before working as a travel consultant shared: the best way to get to visit a real Masai village is through working alongside and getting to know someone who belongs to a village and then being fortunate enough for them to take you and introduce you to their family. 

A few other random interesting things

Some of the younger Masai  get jobs in the city but when they return home they contribute and slip back in line with village customs and traditions, answerable to the Chief. Our game driver told us that they don’t smoke or drink alcohol, and still remain quite conservative in terms of their lifestyles, even if they dress in modern clothes while they’re away.

Game driver also added – that despite being well equipped hunters and warriors, the Masia don’t kill animals for meat, they buy their meat instead.

Herbal and natural medicines are the way. Masai don’t go to hospitals or turn to pharmacy medicines.

We also learned that groups of Chinese tourists come to visit the village and don’t not have to pay anything because there is already some sort of advanced agreement that they can visit without the restriction of a tourist fee (I’m not sure what the detail of the agreement is, or whether it’s paid in advance), but they usually walk around, take a few pictures and then leave without buying any souvenirs….according to an insider.

I know the souvenir haggling can be a bit tiresome, but in such a remote place it’s a bit sad not to make an effort – those women do drive a hard bargain though 😂 and you’ll probably see them with little stalls set up at some of your lodge accommodation as well.

Our game driver also said, more generally that people who live in the hotter dryer regions of Kenya tend to live longer than those in wetter and higher altitudes….interesting.

In the next post we’re back into the Masai Mara National Park for more game drives, animals and some interesting ‘near/death’ experiences from our game driver….just what you want to hear in the middle of a safari right!! Stay tuned for more. 🧐

…and have a good week 🔆