Domestic tourists under the Mwisho wa Mwezi Adventures initiave enjoy a hearty lunch during their visit to the Ngorongoro Crater recently.
By The Arusha News Reporter.
A modest initiative and sheer spirit of adventure started by three Arusha veteran tour guides promises to be a game changer for Tanzania’s domestic tourism, which despite years of promotion, has largely lacked enthusiasm and vigorous pursuit.
Christened “Mwisho wa Mwezi Adventures,” the initiative hatched by veteran tour guide, Saimon Sirikwa, takes domestic tourists from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater and back for just Sh 150,000 a seat in a seven-seat specialist Four Wheel Drive tour vehicle. Also, the amount includes charges for quality breakfast and lunch, park fees and mineral water, as well as the services of a professional guide.
Ordinarily, it costs dollars 295 a vehicle for Crater services, dollars 73 per person as entry fees, dollars 10 lunch box, dollars 2.0 for a bottle of mineral water and dollars 250 for vehicle hire. Thus, it costs a minimum of dollars 630 (roughly Tsh 1.6 million) for a tour vehicle to enter the Crater. It costs a group of domestic tourists Sh 1,050,000 only to go Ngorongoro and back.
The brains behind the initiative, Saimon Sirikwa, told The Arusha News that the excursions are for the last Sunday of the month only and so far, the response has been encouraging. The maiden convoy comprising three vehicles and a total of 26 passengers, including three drivers and two media personnel, left Arusha on August 31, 2025 for Ngorongoro Crater and returned to Arusha.
But in the roughly one week, the organisers have since received calls from Mwanza, Dodoma and Dar es Salaam, with many callers making bookings to join the programme, which translates in Kiswahili as “End of Month Adventure.”
Sirikwa said he was determined to make a change after witnessing one morning in Arusha as hundreds of Land Cruisers passed him on their way to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti National Park as curious locals appeared merely to cheer them on. From that day, he decided he would do something to tilt the scales and have locals also enjoy their country’s natural beauty.
The guides do not have vehicles of their own but can now easily hire from tour operators, thanks to the end of the high tourist season, which usually lasts from June to August. The Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park are unequalled in global natural beauty although many Tanzanians hardly visit the places.
With the regional cooperation protocols, observers said low tourist tariffs to Tanzania’s National Parks apply also to East Africans and citizens from member countries of the Southern Africa Development Cooperation (SADC). Tanzania is a member of both regional blocs.
