NGORONGORO HIGHLANDS TO LAKE EYASI 9 DAYS WALKING SAFARI

Ngorongoro is spectacular and understandably best destinations among the National Parks. But this trip includes cultural visit walking where you can find out about the way of life of the Maasai, Datoga and Wahadzabe (bushmen) who live on the Ngorongoro highland and Lake Eyasi. We will visit some of the local initiative (Africa VIP Travel) projects enrich your experience of this part of Africa and ensure more of the benefits of tourism reach the locals directly.
Lake Eyasi is a salt lake lying at an altitude of about 1000m between the Eyasi escarpment in the north (an ancient fault line that is part of the Rift Valley system) and the Kidero Mountains in the south. It's a hot, dry area, around which live the Hadzabe people (also known as Watindiga), who are believed to have lived here for nearly 10,000 years. Today there are only a few hundred lefts. The lifestyle of the Hadzabe still centers on hunting and gathering traditions. Also in the area are the Datoga (Mang'ati), and the Iraqw (Mbulu) and various other groups.

Day 1
Upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport. You will be met by a car and driver guide and transferred to a Hotel near by Arusha town for overnight.

DAY 2:
Arusha – Ngorongoro Distance: 190 km (4hr)
After breakfast, drive to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. On the way you will see the small villages of Mto WA mbu, Great Rift Valley and Karatu with unique views of the high altitude rain forest surrounding the Ngorongoro crater rim. After picnic lunch drive to the Maasai Village for a visit and spend couple of hours with this unique tribe, which considered being the native of the Ngorongoro area. In the evening drive to the Hotel enjoy dinner and overnight at the Hotel on the crater rim.

DAY 3:
Ngorongoro
In the morning enjoy breakfast and after we will departure and descend into the crater floor for a full day tour including a picnic lunch. You will find Ngorongoro Crater is a collapsed volcano creating an incredible natural amphitheater teeming with all of the African big game. That evening we enjoy our dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

Day 4:
Oldeani Mountain Camp
On this day we will drive from the Hotel to the starting point. We will be starting the walking safari. Before taking off at the starting point, your guide will show you where you will be passing. It takes us approximately 4 hours to hike to the summit of Oldeani Mountain. Oldeani is an old volcano reaching 10,520 feet above sea level. We will reach the summit in time for lunch. From atop Oldeani we will have an excellent view of all of the Ngorongoro highlands and the Lake Eyasi basin below. From the summit we will follow the old volcanic crater rim around to a point that allows us to descend directly at the camp.

Day 5:
Mti Mkubwa Camp
From our camp on the flank of Oldeani we contour across grassy slopes and through a very rare protea forest. After holding this traverse for 4-5 hours we will descend about 1000 feet to our camp for the night. From this camp we can do an evening hike in search of game and look into the remains of Oldeani’s ancient volcanic crater.

Day 6
Endabaga River Camp
Today’s hike takes us across open grass slopes mixed with Ballanite woodland and a number of riverine forests. About 3 hours of walking is required before reaching the Endabaga River. Once in the Endabaga River forest we will follow the river to the camp.

Day 7:
Endabaga Tank/Chem Chem Camp
This area is home to Wadatoga; tribes that are nomadic like Maasai and Wahadzabe (bushmen). The area is a year round grazing for Elephants, Elands and all sorts of Antelopes. Lions and Leopards are also in the area. You will arrive in the late afternoon with time to have a hot water shower. Early evening we go for a short hike. After dinner we can go to either a Wadatoga or Wahadzabe village/camp for an evening of cultural exchange. If the choice is Wahadzabe you will find the exceptional Hadzabe (Bushmen) located in northern Tanzania beside Lake Eyasi. The remaining few hundreds that form this tribe practices neither agriculture nor own cattle. Their society is based simply on hunting and gathering food.

Day 8:
Endabaga Tank/Chem Chem Camp
Today we travel the short distance to Lake Eyasi. Here we can check the lake edge for signs of the night's activities. We might be able to see large number of flamingos and other water birds. Much of our time can be spent with the local Wahadzabe and families. We can spend as much time with the family and neighbors as we want. This is a good time to observe at close range the uniqueness of this very traditional hunter-gatherer society. We will also try to meet with a Datoga pastoral family in the evening hours.

Day 9
drive out:
Drive to Arusha (approx. 5 hr) where you will find lunch and a day room and dinner prepared for you before your flight back home. (Transport to the airport is provided).
General: Accommodation is camping normally calling fly camp. Tents are comfortable can be shared by two people or single supplement according to request. Vehicles, donkeys or local porters will carry all your gears; you only carry a daypack with personal gear. When camping you will not have to participate in camp chores. We buy fresh produce locally and to ensure good standards of hygiene all food is prepared by our own staffs. We can cater for special dietary requirements and there are no extra food-kitty payments. We can also arrange extra hotel bookings and airport transfers for before and after your trip.

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