Though not really a game destination, Lake Eyasi, just south of the Serengeti, is a wild, scenically stunning area where you can get a real insight into the way of life of some of Tanzania’s fascinating tribes, most notably the Wahadzabe and Datoga peoples. Lake Eyasi is about ninety miles to the south west of Arusha and a drive of around five hours on some fairly rough sections of road.  This is the same road you take to get to the Ngorongoro Crater and Highlands, but divides in Karatu, just below the Crater rim after which it can often be horrific, from the pounding at the hands of the ‘onion lorries’ that service the increasing number of farms in the area .

The north-eastern tip of the lake lies in the shadow of Oldeani Mountain on the edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Lake Eyasi lies in one of the oldest parts of the Eastern Rift Valley, it runs northeast – southwest for a distance of about fifty miles below the impressive three thousand foot escarpment, which forms the south-eastern boundary of the Serengeti National Park and Maswa game reserve. To the southeast of the lake is the Yaida valley, home to the Wahadzabe tribe of hunter-gatherers.  Eyasi isnt somewhere to come in search of game, but it is an interesting part of Tanzania to see if you’re prepared for a bit of slow time.  Flamingos, pelicans and plenty of other waders frequent the shallow soda lake and there is some good walking to be had in the form of expeditions from the Ngorongoro Highlands down to the lake shore.

Lake Eyasi Packages