People/Culture
The entrance to a boma of a typical Wakuria family
Located on the northwest border of Serengeti National Park, Machochwe is a small community comprised predominately of the Wakuria tribe, a people who have called the area from Lake Victoria to the Serengeti region home for hundreds of years. In the past the Wakuria used to hunt wild animals for sustenance but since this act is now considered poaching, and punishable by law, the Wakuria have made the transition into a dual agrarian/pastoral society over the last few generations. Due to Machochwe’s location on the border of Serengeti, one can hear farmers yell into the dark night trying to scare away elephants that would otherwise consume or stamp over their crops. While this noise hovers in the background, elders play checkers with bottle caps well into the night, the board lit only by flashlights and occasionally a kerosene lamp as there is no electricity in the village.
Meet the Wakuria farmer, Mugess, who has been a part of the HGF Serengeti Small Business Project for the last 3 years here >
Tourism :
Camps in the national parks purchase produce from local communities
Slicing its way across the northern tip of Serengeti National Park, the Mara River continues its western swing and meanders towards Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake. This is the famous river where wildebeest slide down steep, eroded banks into the croc infested water on their annual migration to better grasslands in the north. Besides this spectacle, herds of elephant calmly graze along with many types of antelope and other herbivores. A pack of lions patrol the area and can be seen napping in the sun on top of kopjes, old metamorphic boulders that look like small islands amid the sea of high grass. It is due to this idyllic surrounding that up-scale tourism enterprises have permanent and seasonal camps in the northern Serengeti area. These visitors also have the opportunity to witness and participate in cultural experiences with local peoples, like the Wakuria, who live just outside the park boundary.
Read what the managers of Asilia’s, Sayari Camp in northern Serengeti have to say about Honeyguide’s Serengeti Small Business Project and how it has benefited them. Click here >
Natural Resources:
The north-west section of Serengeti National Park is home to Terminalis mollis woodlands and receives the most rainfall of any region in the Serengeti. Therefore, farmers in the region can expect to receive sufficient amounts of rain to support their crops of maize, wheat, cassava, and beans. The high amount of rainfall is also attracts a wide array of wildlife species. Herbivores follow the rains that give life to dry grasses and soils while predators constantly lurk about. The flowing water of the Mara River provides abundant places to drink and attracts birds from the colorful bee-eater to Egyptian Geese.
To find out about our projects in this region click here >
