Tanzania Free Time
How much free time is there during the program?
Evenings and weekends are your free time. Because the host communities are remote and engaging on their own, most free time is spent in the village. The last two days of the program are reserved for travel from the village to Dar es Salaam, and departure from the country.
Note: Volunteers traveling for three weeks before February 2009, will work Saturdays and leave Pommern two days earlier to travel to Iringa. Once in Iringa, volunteers may choose to explore the town, or arrange a safari at nearby Ruaha National Park. Volunteers arrange this themselves, working with local tour agencies in Iringa. Volunteers have told us they have paid about US$350 for a safari package. This is not possible within the two week service program.
What are free time options?
Most of the free time is spent in the village. The families you'll get to know will involve you in their celebrations and sports. Many volunteers enjoy going for long walks in the beautiful natural surroundings.
Listening to singing at the local church is another highlight.
You can also simply "kick back" and enjoy a slower pace that allows you and your team mates time for story telling, playing board games, reading and journaling.
If you arrive in Dar es Salaam early, there are many things you can do before dinner on the first Saturday of your program. There are local handcraft markets, swimming and hiking on Bongoyo Island accessible by boat cruises departing from the pier near the Slipway hotel, the Makonde Carvers, and the National Museum featuring the 1,750,000-year-old hominid skull discovered by Mary Leakey at Olduvai Gorge in 1959.
In transit to and from the village where you will serve, you will also have some time to explore the smaller town of Iringa. While not considered ‘free time’, the ground travel between Dar and the village offers breathtaking landscapes and a drive through a nature reserve that invariably provides sightings of elephants, giraffes and a variety of other wild animals.
Will Global Volunteers arrange free-time for me?
No. Because Global Volunteers is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, our team leaders and consultants are prohibited from making non-program-related arrangements for you, although they can provide general guidance and advice, including a list of activities enjoyed by previous volunteers.
