While in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, you will have the opportunity to visit a Masai village, known as a boma. It typically costs about $50 per vehicle, although the fee is negotiable. Whether or not a boma visit is worthwhile is dependent on the expectations of the observer. If you are looking for a chance to see how the Masai actually live, go inside their huts, speak with a few, and view a traditional dance, you should enjoy it. If you are expecting a 100% authentic interaction, you will be disappointed.
The boma visit experience is a bit contrived. Think of it as a performance – the dancing, the school visit, the inside of a hut, with a tour guide, followed by the gift shop. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the experience is fake, because it’s not like the Masai change into jeans and watch television after all the visitors have left. The village would be there whether or not any cars stopped there.
And I believe it is reasonable for them to charge money for tourists to visit. Can you imagine if strangers kept stopping by your house to take photos?
