Lake Eyasi is just over an hour drive south-west of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Lake Eyasi is a mildly alkaline lake about 50km long. To the north-east you can see the Crater Highlands and to the north are the plains of the Serengeti. Around 100 years ago when the warlike Masai tribes invaded Ngorongoro and Serengeti, the Datoga and other indigenous bushmen living there were pushed south. Many of these groups made the Lake Eyasi area their home.
Along the shores of the lake are Acacia forests which are home to a high diversity of wildlife including leopard and lion. There are several good quality , private campsites are located in the forest clearings by the lake. Each provides a grassy pitch, shower and toilet facilities constructed mainly from local materials.
Lake Eyasi is a superb place for bird-watchers. Lake Eyasi is well known for the Hadzabe bushmen and you can accompany them on a tradtitional hunt. The Hadzabe are the last of the true hunter-gatherers. They use an ancient 'click' tongue language and live by collecting berries and roots and hunting the small game that is still present in the area. Accompanying a hunt is an exhilarating insight into our ancient ancestors struggle for survival.
Lake Eyasi's principal source of water is the Sibiti River, which enters the southwestern end. The river may continue to flow all year round in wetter years and all the other inflows disappear in the dry season.
Seasonal variations in the lake are large even though the northwestern shore is constrained by the Serengeti Plateau. During the dry season the lake can almost entirely disappear. the lake is also a seasonal stop for migrating flamingos.
For more information on visiting Lake Eyasi and the Hadza, pleasecontact us.
