Babati, the secret jewel of Manyara Tanzania.

livingstonetanzaniatrust.com

The trick about all jewels is to know how to look at them, even the best diamond stops glistening at night. Babati is best seen from a local's perspective. To live there with the community, to eat and drink local food and enjoy the surrounding countryside is like sipping a fine wine. From the sunny slopes of Mt Kwaraa you can see for miles, across the glistening Lake to the far off hills, home to Bror Blixen for a while, then in the other direction you can see across to the Rift Valley Escarpment, the escarpment that surely inspired Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan. Behind us, stretching off to the blue horizon in the Tarangire National Park, home to large herds of elephants and the largest Baobab trees outside of Madagascar.

The tranquility of this phenomenal location is just one the benefits that travelers can experience here. Here you can walk through the local village and see how they live their lives and meet them. Don't be a stranger because these generous people want to know about you, about your culture and your way of life, just as you want to know about theirs. Trains that go underground, buildings that go high into the sky are so alien to them you might as well come from mars!!

If you want to experience this type of peace, this type of remoteness, then come and visit us, take a cultural tour in and around our communities or volunteer with us at the Livingstone Tanzania Trust.

Babati is a jewel not just for it's stunning scenery, it's wonderful people, but also because it is the home to a great poverty alleviation model that helps people improve their lives.

Julian is the Director of the Livingstone Tanzania Trust, a poverty alleviation charity based in Babati. He works at a number od schools in the community improving the educational environment, training the teachers and developing sustainable source of income to create sustainability. The charity relies on donations, travelers and volunteers. So come and help us or send us a few coins to help us help others. £3 a month can make a huge difference.