LAKE EYASI

This is another Rift Valley Soda lake, lying to the southwest of the Ngorongoro Crater, just outside the border of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Lake Eyasi may not be as well known as Lake Manyara, but offers more in the way of an off-the-beaten-path destination away from the main tourist routes. Here, one can observe in tranquility a wide range of bird and animal species including flamingo, storks and honey badgers (relished by the Hadzabe - see below).

One of the main reasons tourists visit this area is to learn about and learn from the Hadzabe or Tindiga tribes - the last remaining primitive bushmen who are primarily hunter-gatherers and who maintain their age-old tradition of living purely off the land. The clicking language of the Hadzabe is very similar to some tribes in South Africa and it is thought that the Hadzabe and Tindiga may have originated from southern Africa.

The Hadzabe culture is sadly diminishing, as they are unable to continue to live their traditional lifestyle with much of their land taken over by farmland and commercial ranches, and the advent of westernization, which threatens their ancient ways of life. Fewer than a thousand Hadzabe are thought to remain.

To help support this tribe and learn ancient ways of sustainable living, one can visit the Hadzabe, and learn life skills such as tracking animals, building a fire from sticks, learn to make elaborate beaded necklaces, learn to craft bows and arrows, dig for edible roots and forage for other wild fruit and herbs for medicinal use. One can even attempt to learn archery - a sport young Hadzabe boys are taught from a very early age - indeed the Hadzabe are known to be East Africa's most expert archers - their livelihood depends on it!