Arusha City Tour: Shanga Workshop & Maasai Market

Shanga recycled-glass workshop, Maasai Market vendors, Cultural Heritage Centre tribal collection

The Essence of Arusha City Tour is a half-day to full-day guided tour from Arusha visiting Shanga, a social enterprise where disabled craftspeople make beaded jewelry from recycled glass, followed by the Maasai Market and the Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre. Private transportation, snacks and all fees are included. You choose the duration that fits your schedule.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Arusha's cultural highlights

• Visit Shanga Foundation workshop
• Browse Maasai Market stalls
• Tour Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre
• Explore Tanzanite Experience boutique
• Visit Bangata Waterfalls and fish ponds

The experience

Shanga sits at the heart of this tour: an Elewana initiative based at Arusha Coffee Lodge where physically challenged artisans create necklaces and beaded pieces from recycled powder glass. You'll walk through the workshop itself, seeing the craftspeople at work and the walls lined with repurposed wine bottles that catch the light. The business sells throughout Tanzania and abroad, and the income goes directly to deaf and disabled workers who would otherwise have no employment. After the tour, you can browse the shop and order pieces if something catches your eye.

The afternoon takes you to the Maasai Market, where vendors sell coffee, fruit, spices and produce in a working market atmosphere, and then to the Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre. The Centre holds modern art and traditional crafts from Tanzania's 120-plus ethnic groups, along with a jewelry boutique, restaurant and gift shop. The Tanzanite Experience boutique here lets you order tanzanite bracelets and necklaces as souvenirs. The Centre has hosted U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Norwegian King Harald, and U.S. Secretary of State James Baker.

If you book the full-day option, the itinerary extends to Bangata Waterfalls on the foothill of Mount Meru. You'll pass through small agricultural villages where locals grow coffee, maize, bananas and other produce, and at the waterfall entrance you can learn about avocado cultivation and fish farming before descending to the falls themselves. Private transportation is included throughout. Snacks and all entry fees are covered.

What’s included

• Private transportation throughout the tour.
• snacks.
• all entry fees and taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to Saturday

AgesAdult (18 to 29 years) · Senior (30 to 50 years) · Youth (15 to 17 years) · Child (6 to 12 years) · Infant (under 6): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 9 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Take Me To Tanzania Adventure & Safaris

Is this one for you?Choose the half-day tour if you want to see Shanga and browse the market and Cultural Heritage Centre without a long commitment. Pick the full-day option if you want to add Bangata Waterfalls and the agricultural villages on Mount Meru's foothills.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (15 to 17 years); Child (6 to 12 years); Infant (under 6): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is Shanga and why is it part of this tour?

Shanga is a workshop and retail initiative where disabled and deaf craftspeople create beaded jewelry and other items from recycled materials, particularly powder glass beads. The tour includes a visit to the working workshop so you can see the artisans and their craft, and the income from sales goes directly to workers who would otherwise have no employment.

Is the Maasai Market a tourist market or a working local market?

The Maasai Market is a working market where locals buy and sell produce, coffee, spices, fruit and other goods. It is not a curated tourist market, so you'll see vendors and activity as they happen daily in Arusha.

What's the difference between the half-day and full-day tour?

The half-day tour covers Shanga, the Maasai Market, and the Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre. The full-day option adds Bangata Waterfalls on Mount Meru's foothills, where you'll walk through agricultural villages and learn about local farming before reaching the waterfall.

What does the Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre have?

The Centre displays modern art and traditional crafts from Tanzania's 120-plus tribes, along with a jewelry boutique, restaurant, gift shop and the Tanzanite Experience boutique where you can order tanzanite jewelry. It's a private establishment that has hosted several U.S. Presidents and other international dignitaries.

Is transportation included, and do I need to arrange my own way to the tour?

Private transportation is included throughout the tour. Your guide will pick you up and handle all transport between Shanga, the market, the Cultural Heritage Centre, and Bangata Waterfalls if you book the full-day option.