AVT 1.5 EMPAKAI AND EYASI WALKING SAFARI – 10 DAYS
Ngorongoro Highland and Lake Eyasi 10 Days Walking Safari.
Photo from 2011 150On this walking safari, besides having the opportunity to experience the beauty of many diverse landscapes in and around several extraordinary Tanzanian national parks, you will be able to see the huge range of wild and birdlife they offer, have interaction with the Wajadzabe (bushmen) and Datoga tribes, learning about their cultures, first hand.
Day 1 - Arrival/Arusha
Upon your arrival at the Kilimanjaro Airport you will be met by your driver/guide and transferred to the Kibo Palace Hotel in nearby Arusha for the night.
DAY 2 - Arusha National Park
After breakfast you are driven to Arusha National Park where you enjoy an easy walk to Tululusia Waterfall. The walk will take between an hour and two hours, according to your interest. During the walk you will be accompanied by an armed ranger, and have your first opportunity to see wildlife. Around noon we drive back to the hotel for lunch and a leisurely afternoon. Enjoy dinner and overnight at the Kibo Palace Hotel.
DAY 3 - Arusha National Park to Lake Manyara
Drive to Lake Manyara for lunch (approximately 2 1/2 hrs), and then enjoy an afternoon game drive around Lake Manyara National Park. This park is famous for the bird life around the soda lake – flamingos in particular, and is also home to primates as well as the unusual tree climbing lions. In addition, it has a large elephant population. Enjoy dinner and overnight at a lodge.
DAY 4 - Lake Manyara/Ngorongoro Crater
We descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full-day tour, including a picnic lunch. Ngorongoro is an ancient, collapsed volcano which has created an incredible natural amphitheater teeming with all of the African big game. That evening we enjoy our dinner and overnight at a lodge.
DAY 5 - Olmoti Crater
After breakfast, take a drive that follows the Ngorongoro eastern rim to Nainokanoka village, and on the way pass Maasai villages. In the afternoon, hike up Olmoti Crater and visit the waterfall which is the source of the stream of running water that flows into the famous Ngorongoro Caldera, providing water for the animals there. Olmoti Crater is considered to be one of the oldest volcanic craters on the Ngorongoro highland. Return to camp for dinner and overnight at the campground near the ranger station.
DAY 6 - Empakai Crater - Day 1
Today’s hike takes us across Bulbul Depression toward Empakai Crater rim, and there we may have a chance to see animals such as zebra, wildebeest and gazelles grazing on the plain. Our hike takes between 7 and 8 hours, but is fairly easy, and we will plan to have our picnic lunch on the way. Arrive back at camp in the late afternoon, and have dinner and overnight in the campground.
Day 7 - Empakai Crater - Day 2
This is a big day, and after breakfast we will descend into Empakai Crater with our lunch boxes. Empakai Crater is also one of the very old volcanic craters on the Ngorongoro Highland. This crater contains a big lake which attracts flamingos to its salt water. To walk around the whole lake takes about 6 to 7 hours, a distance of 32 kilometers (20miles). We will return to our camp for dinner and overnight in the campground.
Day 8 - Lake Eyasi - Day 1
After breakfast leave the camp, drive to Lake Eyasi via Karatu town, and arrive in late morning on the Wahadzabe (bushmen) and Datoga tribes area. Join Wahadzabe for a short hike and learn about their culture. You will visit the exceptional Hadzabe (bushmen) located in northern Tanzania beside Lake Eyasi. The remaining few hundred bushmen that form this tribe practice neither agriculture nor own cattle. Their society is based simply on hunting and gathering food.
On the way to Kisimangeda, stop and visit a Datoga tribesman who works on metals using his hands to produce jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets. Overnight at a luxury tented lodge.
Day 9 - Lake Eyasi - Day 2
Have a light breakfast and leave the lodge by 6 a.m. to join Wahadzabe for hunting. Usually, animals are more active early in the morning before the sun gets too hot, and late afternoon after the sun cools down. We will spend a few hours with bushmen, hiking and hunting while noting plants that are used to provide local medicines for treating common diseases. Return to the lodge late morning for brunch and afternoon leisure by the swimming pool. Also, there is an option in the late afternoon of going back to join bushmen for more hunting. Dinner and overnight at a luxury tented lodge.
Day 10 - Lake Eyasi to Arusha/Departure
Drive to Arusha (approx. 5 hrs), and at the Kibo Palace Hotel you will find lunch and a dayroom for you to relax and pack. After enjoying an early dinner that is prepared for you, transfer to the airport for your flight, or extend your African experience with one of the available options.
Optional extensions include: photo safari in Tarangire and Serengeti National Parks; mountain trekking; chimpanzee tracking; Zanzibar adventure
Please note
We do not post our pricing on our website so that we can customize your trip to fit your exact needs. We are very affordable and competitive in our pricing, and flexible in scheduling and arranging every detail of your trip. The best way to communicate with us is by email. Please send your contact information, general trip plan, and questions to info@africaviptravel.com to start planning your next adventure. See below for what is included and what is excluded in the pricing of this trip.
Price quote includes
• All ground transportation – 4WD safari vehicles; guaranteed window-seating
• Accommodations in comfortable and roomy lodges/hotels, luxury tented lodge, or tents, when camping
• Camping equipment, and large luxury sleeping tents, mattresses, blankets and off-ground wooden beds
• Services of local guides
• All national park entrance and camp site fees
• All food – breakfasts, (packed) lunches and dinners
• Flying doctor evacuation service
Price quote excludes
• International flights
• Travel and personal accident insurance
• Visa, passport, vaccinations, medicines
• Tips/gratuities
• Expenditure on alcoholic drinks and soda at lodges/hotels, luxury tented lodges, as well as souvenirs and personal items
• Optional excursions/activities not detailed in itinerary
• Any additional services requested