Tribes of Africa experiences

A number of lodges and camps in the Kaokoland offer a chance to meet the Himba people, a fascinating and disappearing culture who adorn themselves in bright red ochre pigments. The Himba are a proud people, living a unique existence and finding ways to adapt despite modern-day vices, and the increase in tourism. If you do visit the Himba on a guided trip, make sure the settlement gains some benefit from the experience, and most of all, be sensitive to their unique way of life.

The Samburu tribe are Kenya’s most colourful tribe. The women are brightly adorned in beaded necklaces, bracelets, anklets and head dresses whilst the moran (young warriors) display elaborately braided hair dyed with red ochre. Few places in Kenya hold so strongly onto their culture as the 1,200 Samburu families of this district do and so much so that though they welcome visitors to their homes, ceremonies and gatherings, photographs are not allowed.

The rugged coastline and white beaches of the Eastern Cape's Wild Coast are untainted by development. Round thatched huts and free-roaming cattle dot the rolling hills while indigenous forest blankets deep gorges. This is Xhosa country, birthplace of Nelson Mandela, a place of unusual rock formations, shipwrecks and surfing dolphins.

There's a reason why some call the Cedarburg 'The Louvre of Africa', with its many examples of intricate Khoisan rock paintings that cover the caves and overhangs in the mystical mountain landscape. Short hikes will take you to thousand-year-old paintings depicting antelope and humans, made using animal blood and plant sap as pigments.

Literally meaning "to get out of water" in the Lozi language, the Kuomboka is the traditional ceremony held annually to mark the movement of the king to higher ground at the beginning of the rains. It’s a time of great celebration, and the ceremony is conducted to the pounding of drums, while the paddlers, resplendent in animal skins, dance and sing. For a chance to catch sight of the king’s barge, complete with a life-sized replica of an elephant (the king's symbol), book your safari for March/April. The ceremony is, however, dependent on the floods and dates cannot be guaranteed.

Leave your home-away-from-home in the Amboseli to meet the people who are the true keepers of Kenya. Dressed in traditional red shukas and ornate beadwork with a spear in hand, it's an honour to meet the warriors of the centuries-old Maasai tribe. Visit a local homestead where you'll hear the stories and legends that have been passed down for generations, listen to traditional songs round the fire and see the landscape through new eyes. You may even get the chance to ask where the name 'Amboseli' came from.

In the dense, green forests of Dzanga-Sangha, where you'll easily believe few humans have ever visited, the Ba'Aka people have lived for centuries. Believed to be the oldest inhabitants of the area, visit the community for a glimpse into life as a hunter-gatherer and lend a hand with building new structures and net hunting. Your local guide will accompany you, sharing information and facilitating conversations. The lifestyle of the Ba'Aka people has remained unchanged for millenia and their knowledge of the land has become an irreplaceable resource for conservation in Dzanga-Sangha.

You don’t even need to be creative to take part in an Art Safari – the talented artists at Tribal Textiles spend their days producing unique, hand-painted textiles in the heart of the bush and, on an Art Safari, they’ll show you exactly how it’s done. Spend a morning or a day with them and paint a cushion cover or design a wall hanging and take home your very own piece of African tribal art.