Discover Mto wa Mbu by tuk-tuk

Explore Mto wa Mbu, a culturally-diverse farming hub, on this fun half-day tuk tuk tour. I was born here and as one of Tanzania’s first female tour guides, I’m proud to show people around my home town by tuk tuk. Visitors really enjoy this local form of transport as they feel immersed in the scenery and daily life.

Mto wa Mbu is a successful farming town because it’s set on an escarpment in the fertile Great Rift Valley. It’s also on the road from Serengeti to Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro, making it a key trading hub. People from over 120 tribes in Tanzania live, work and trade in and around Mto wa Mbu, so it’s very interesting culturally. On the tour, we’ll go through the market and pass homes where women might be hand washing outside or peeling vegetables.

You’ll learn about local farming industries when we stop at rice fields and a banana plantation. A highlight is visiting the Makonde tribe, who are famous for their wooden carvings, as well as meeting skilled tinga tinga painters. Guests love touring the banana farm, where you get to meet the farmers, taste some plantain and try the banana beer. It’s a beautiful setting where we sit down for a homemade African lunch.

What’s extra special about the tuk tuk tour in Mto wa Mbu is that it’s run by a social enterprise that supports Tanzanian women who make biodegradable lunchboxes for Lemala. The organisation also hires local families to cook traditional meals for guests and provides free training for young women from disadvantaged backgrounds to become tour guides.