Sharing culture, conservation, and connection in Tanzania
As Putney Student Travel celebrates 75 years, we’re also recognizing the partnerships that bring each program to life. In Tanzania, that partnership includes Dorobo Tours & Safaris, a family-run organization that has worked with Putney for more than three decades.
For Neema Saruni, a guide with Dorobo, the experience is rooted in something deeply personal.
“It has been a great privilege to work as a guide,” she shares. “For me, it’s the best experience to be able to educate young people.”
Through her work, Neema introduces students not only to Tanzania’s landscapes and wildlife, but also to its culture: offering a perspective that goes beyond what they might expect from travel alone.
“For me, as a young Maasai woman raised in Maasai culture, it is a privilege to share what I know about my culture and how I was raised.”
That sense of exchange, of learning from place, is at the heart of the partnership.
Dorobo co-founder Thad Peterson has seen that connection grow over time. What began more than 30 years ago as a chance meeting has become a lasting collaboration, bringing generations of students to Tanzania.
Together, Putney and Dorobo have created programs that combine wildlife conservation, local cultural immersion, and meaningful community-based service. From safaris and time spent in Tanzania’s national parks to community-based experiences and even Kilimanjaro climbs, students are introduced to the natural environment and the people who call it home.
“We’ve focused on giving students an experience with the wildlife and the incredible natural heritage that Tanzania has, as well as its cultures,” Thad explains. “But also introducing them to people, to families, and to the broader community.”
Over the years, the partnership has become something widely recognized within Dorobo itself.
“If you say Putney, everybody here knows what you’re talking about,” Thad says. “We’re honored to have been part of this journey.”
At its core, the relationship is grounded in shared values.
“Our partnership has worked because we’re a family,” he adds. “And those values in running a business are very similar to what Putney Student Travel does.”
For both Neema and Thad, the impact of that alignment is clear. It’s not just about the programs themselves, but about the connections formed along the way, between students, communities, and the people who help bring these experiences to life.
