Safari Overview
The Hadzabe are people with an estimated population of less than 2,000 individuals but they are also increasing in few number due to various factors of their survival, the Hadzabe are one of the last tribes to stay true to their tribal history and ancient life of their ancestors while depending on nature for survival since nature is part of their life and with its sustenance it provide. Existing far from the crowds and globalization they exist much as they always have even if the flows of tourism are inevitable in their land and social changes. The Datoga people in Tanzania are a semi nomadic and pastoralist tribe who live in the northern part of Tanzania around the Manyara region particularly around Lake Eyasi. They are thought to have settled in the Lake Eyasi area about 3,000 years ago. The clothes they wear bear the resemblance to those of the other tribes like the Masai people as they also live close to Maasai society. They do that to emphasize the primordial tie with their land as they mainly use earth tone blankets as cloaks or clothes, endowed by leather trinkets and necklaces. Women’s clothes are adorned with beads and worn under their traditional cloaks, covered by well-tanned, comfortable goatskin coats and the married women also wear skirts made with thin strips of leather. The elongated ear lobes are also a typical feature of the Datoga people. Girls have very big drawings on their face and shoulders, etched by carving marks in their flesh. Some even carve extremely deep marks to make the picture more visible. Your memories will last forever by visiting this people because every item of every animal has either practical or ritual purposes in their life.
Day 1 –> Arrival to Tanzania
Welcome to Tanzania, we will pick you up at Kilimanjaro international airport and overnight at hotel in Arusha city.
Day 2 –> Arusha- Lake Eyasi
A full day cultural experience in Lake Eyasi to meet and accompanied by Hadzabe people. After breakfast at the hotel the driver will pick you and drive you to Karatu then to Lake Eyasi. The drive will be (approximately 3 hour drive). In Karatu you will see town and the locals bushing small shops named before the names of big and famous people in the world. At the arrival to Lake Eyasi you get time to meet the Hadzabe people and plan to go to the bush together. Going to the bush for hunting technique and skill will be one of your experiences you have ever seen. Later afternoon your guide can take you for a walking safari around the edge of the lake, spotting out for some of the beautiful birdlife for which Lake Eyasi is famous with spectacular birds. You will have dinner and overnight at Lake Eyasi campsite.
Day 3 –> Full day Hadzabe in Lake Eyasi
In the early morning to afternoon the Hadzabe guides will take you to the bush to show the Hadzabe natural hunting skills of their survival. You will explore the landscape of the Hadzabe and their roots of survivals.
Start off early with your bushman guide to meet a group of resident Hadzabe people. Enjoy the Hadzabe Tour walking into the bush with the only hunter-gatherers remaining in the East Africa region of the great savannah. The Hadzabe speak a click-based language and move their encampments with the seasonal movements of the wildlife. Your guide is a member of the group so he will explain to you about their customs and their way of life. You will get a chance to hunt, track wildlife, make fire and even take honey from bee’s nests with the hadzabe people. Return to the camp for lunch then afternoon proceeds with the activity. Dinner and overnight Lake Eyasi.
Day 4 –> Full day Datoga People
After the breakfast you can meet the Datoga tribe, famous for being the blacksmiths of Tanzania, explore their culture and lifestyle. Dinner and overnight at Lake Eyasi.
Day 5 –> Lake Eyasi- Serengeti.
You will take an early breakfast and you will begin the day with the scenic drive towards the Serengeti. Along the way you will pass through the mist-shrouded rainforests of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where you might be lucky enough to glimpse cape buffalo, baboons, or even elephants and leopards in the dense undergrowth. It’s a nearly four hour drive to the Serengeti park gates, you can also stop at the rim of the crater to see the depression of Ngorongoro crater but you can also choose to break up the drive with one or both of the below optional activities on the way: Oldupai Gorge Museum: Sometimes known as the Cradle of Mankind, the Oldupai Gorge Museum commemorates some of the oldest evidence of human habitation ever found. Here you can see some of the oldest fossil evidence in the world of human habitation, visit the Oldupai Gorge Museum to learn more about the human journey, and take in the stunning views of this stark gorge country.
Maasai boma visit: Pay a visit to one of the famous Maasai bomas or cultural boma, where you’ll have the opportunity to witness (and participate in) traditional Maasai dance, tour an authentic Maasai village, and even do a little souvenir shopping at the local market.
As we’ve got a big day of exploration and adventure ahead of you. After finishing up museum exploration and lecture, you will head out towards the Serengeti National Park and travel in the midst of the never ending plain grasslands. The Serengeti is arguably the most impressive wildlife sanctuary in the world. You will have an afternoon game drive in the endless plains of the Serengeti for a chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles or a pride of lions lounging in the shade. A picnic lunch will be done during the day long game drive itself. The eventful day comes to an end with a heavy dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation at a lodge or campsite in Serengeti.
Day 6 –> Serengeti national park
You can both have a relaxed breakfast and depart for full day game drives with packed lunch and return back to lodge late afternoon or you can depart at 6:00 AM on an early morning game drive. Later return to accommodation for breakfast and relax for a bit and depart on an afternoon game drive with packed lunch. You will explore the central portion of the Serengeti National Park on this day. The legendary Serengeti National Park is the most renowned safari destination for its incredible population of lions and leopards. The central portion of the Serengeti – known as Seronera area is one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park. It features the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. During the off season of the migration, one must really look out for the many lion pride that thrive in this region. The interactions and survival of these lion pride provide an excellent game viewing experience all year round and your memories will last forever. Along with a picnic lunch during the full day game drive, the day will come to a close as you will have a heavy dinner and a good night’s rest in your accommodation at the lodge or camp in Serengeti.
Day 7 –> Serengeti-Ngorongoro conservation Area
After breakfast early morning at the lodge or camp in Serengeti national park, you get right on the road back towards the Ngorongoro Conservation area which is on the UNESCO’s World Heritage site List. Your drive takes you back through the Serengeti via the plains while experiencing game drive in the endless plains. Serengeti national park is offering plenty of opportunities to spot the animals that eluded you on the day. As far as the eye can see, you’ll spot thousands upon thousands of animals in herds; wildebeests and zebras migrating together, tall and graceful giraffes, jumping antelopes and gazelles, the powerful African elephant and the most respected group of animals: the predators. You will have the chance to spot lean cheetahs and shy leopards, foraging hyenas, and last but not least, the king himself; the lion. Dinner and overnight on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater according to the standard and the type of accommodation requested from your options.
Day 8 –> Ngorongoro crater service – Mto wa mbu.
After early morning breakfast, you will drive to Ngorongoro crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact caldera from a long extinct volcano, Ngorongoro which is said could be taller than the Kilimanjaro (tallest free standing mountain in Africa), which is home to about 25,000 wild creatures, including 26 black rhinoceros, which live within the safety of the caldera walls. There are 7,000 wildebeests, 4,000 zebras, 3,000 eland, and 3,000 Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles. We will have a memorable day in the Crater. We have a picnic lunch by the hippo pool and ascent the crater to mto wa mbu. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 9 –> Biking and African Art
After breakfast at the hotel or campsite we start a day with riding bicycles in mto wa mbu area, on the way you will get to see the banana and rice farms in mto wa mbu including red bananas, you will meet the local farmers in the area. After riding you will ride back to hotel or campsite for lunch. After lunch at this day you will discover African arts by attending two visual culture workshops in mto wa mbu. We believe there is no prior knowledge or skill is required for you to practice the visual art of painting under canvas. The first workshop you will sojourn is painting with a local artist who will tell you about Tinga Tinga visual painting tradition. Then after the visual art and painting experience you will go back to the camp or hotel. Overnight in mto wa mbu.
Day 10 –> Ngoma dance, banana beer and water waterfall
This is the last day of your trip in Tanzania. After morning breakfast, we go trekking to Wiwaleni waterfalls in Mto Wa Mbu village then after experience of swimming you will eat a picnic lunch at the waterfalls then after that you will visit a Chagga- village where you will see how Chagga people make traditional banana beer and you will have a chance to taste banana beer. You will also get an inside look into Chagga culture and traditions as another perspective of your adventure. After the water fall and chagga beer experience you will join an African dance workshop where you will have fun by learning rhythms and dancing with Ngoma (the drums). After the ngoma dance the driver later will drive you to Arusha and to the airport to catch up with your flight.