Makuyuni

Most travellers pass through Makuyuni without stopping, but it is worth a slower look. It sits at the point where the tarmac from Arusha forks ? one road continuing to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, the other running toward Lake Eyasi and the Hadzabe territory to the south. Roadside stalls sell carvings, Maasai beadwork and fresh produce, and the small market is a genuine slice of rural Tanzanian commerce rather than something built for tourists.

For travellers with time, a stop at Makuyuni's market or roadside curio stands is a good, low-pressure way to see everyday Tanzanian life and pick up souvenirs directly from the people who make them, before the tarmac gives way to the dust roads of the parks ahead.