4 Tips to Truly Experience North African Culture
A trip to North Africa can be a once and a lifetime experience. North Africa has everything from large metropolitan cities like Casablanca, Algiers, Tunis, or Cairo, to beautiful beaches, and the majestic Sahara Desert. Across North Africa, there are ruins dating back to ancient civilizations. A trip to North Africa needs to be more than sightseeing and searching for photos on Instagram. If given the opportunity, take advantage to truly experience North African culture.
It is important to note that throughout this article I am going to refer to North African culture. While there are some similarities across North Africa, there is not a singular monolithic North African culture. North Africa is made up of many different countries, languages, traditions, foods, and ethnic groups. We want to honor the different cultures and give you the opportunity to experience North Africa in all of its unique beauty.
We at Mosaic North Africa offer tours in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt. We offer custom tours in each of those specific countries, and combined country tours. It is our hope that all our travelers will come as learners ready for a wonderful adventure. Whatever you hope to glean from your encounter with this region, we trust you will see, experience, and enjoy the many pieces that make up the beautiful ‘Mosaic’ of North Africa. To help our travelers get the most from their trip, here are some tips to ensure that you have a positive experience traveling in North Africa.
- Book with Travel Agents who have been to North Africa
- Have a local guide
- Go to a variety of places
- Be open-minded to a different culture and set of values
Tip #1 – Book with Travel Agents who have been to North Africa
There is so much to see and experience in North Africa – trying to plan everything by yourself can seem like a logistical nightmare. It can feel overwhelming trying to plan flights, research the best sites and activities, book lodging, and arrange local transportation. Juggling all of that information makes it hard to truly experience North African culture. Our goal is to ensure that everyone has a positive experience from researching North Africa to returning to your passport country full of memories and souvenirs.
Our travel experts operate all across North Africa and live in Tunisia. Living in North Africa allows us to have a better understanding of the culture and make custom tours unique to everyone’s needs. Our travel experts love North African culture and want to honor the culture we have to privilege to live in and experience. Booking with a travel company that understands the nuances of the host culture takes the stress off of you and allows you to truly enjoy the host culture.
Tip #2 – Have a local guide
A local guide is so important to a great tour and experiencing the culture. A guide can not only explain the history and traditions of the host culture but also invite travelers to learn and experience the culture for themselves. So much of culture, traditions, and history are passed down from generation to generation, so having a guide from the host culture is key to experiencing its nuances and richness.
Traveling abroad always has some risks; however, traveling with local guides and drivers helps alleviate some of those risks. Guides and drivers have your best interest in mind and want to keep you safe and experience the fullness of the culture.
We have some amazing guides and drivers who want our guests to enjoy and appreciate North Africa on a deeper level. Read some of the reviews of our guides, drivers, and tours.
Tip #3 – Go to a variety of places
We encourage anyone to go to North Africa for any amount of time, however, to get a full picture of North African culture try to go to many different regions, even within the same country. Traditions and culture can vary throughout all of North Africa and sometimes within the same country. A singular city or region is just one piece of the wider mosaic that is North African culture.
Our travel experts have carefully curated tours to make sure our guests have a wide variety of experiences even within the same country. For those craving an even wider variety of experiences, consider looking into our combined countries tour,
Tip #4 – Be open-minded to a different culture and different set of values
Sometimes when traveling to a new environment, we bring our own preferences and expectations from our culture to the host culture. Things like showing gratitude or hospitality are taught to us at a young age, however, not every culture shows these in the same way. Our preferences and expectations are not inherently bad, sometimes they are just different. There is beauty in the diversity and the differences in cultures and traditions.
I would encourage travelers to observe and ask questions – our guides are experts at answering questions. Curiosity is important to learn more about a given culture. Think about the different aspects of culture, everything from food, history, architecture, clothing and fashion, religion, transportation, conducting business, tone, nonverbal communication, and sports. The list can go on and on. If you truly want to experience a culture, ask questions and make observations around those topics.
Plan Your Next North African Adventure
North Africa is full of breathtaking landscaping, mouthwatering food, rich history, and hospitable host culture. Our travel experts would love to help you plan your next North African adventure. We hope on your adventure you have the opportunity to truly experience North African culture.
