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Lake Eyasi

Lake Eyasi, Tanzania

Lake Eyasi is a soda lake located at the southwest corner of Ngorongoro Crater in the conservation area highlands.

The Hadzabe bushmen live in this region, as do the Datoga and Mbulu tribes. A visit with the bushmen is worthwhile and they will graciously show you where and how they live and hunt. They subsist entirely off the bush and by bow hunting. Everything they use is made from local materials, including their bows which are strung with giraffe tendon and their arrows which are coated in lethal poison. Their language resembles that of Kalahari bushmen tribe (who were featured in the 1980 film ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’) with clicking noises used.
The Datoga and Mbulu people are pastoralists, like the Maasai people.

The scenery of Lake Eyasi differs dramatically to that of the surrounding areas. Compared to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Highlands this area seems downright tropical. Palm trees border the lake and make homes for birds such as Fischer’s lovebird. Bird lovers will be in paradise here, as the lake attracts vast numbers of birds of all sizes and colors. Some birds to be found here include Africa spoonbills, flamingos, gray headed gulls, great white pelicans, pied avocets, and yellow-billed storks. The main fish found in the lake are catfish and lungfish. Other trees in this area include the umbrella thorn acacia and sand paper bush. The weather is nearly always very hot and intense, as the lake is located in floor of the Rift Valley, the oldest rift in the world.

This region is particularly suited for exploring on foot, and day or half day hikes are highly recommended. It is also possible to go on a hunting trip with the Hadzabe or to visit the other tribes.

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