7-Day Tanzania Cultural Safari: Maasai, Hadzabe, Serengeti & Ngorongoro

Summary

• Destination
  Arusha, Tarangire, Karatu, Lake Eyasi, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Mto wa Mbu, Arusha
• Duration
  7 days / 6 nights

A safari that balances wildlife with time among Tanzania’s communities. Begin at a Maasai-run lodge near Arusha, meet the Hadzabe and Datoga at Lake Eyasi and finish with a village tour in Mto wa Mbu, with Tarangire, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro in between.

Travel: By road in a 4×4 safari vehicle

Highlights

• Maasai-led activities at a community-run lodge
• Time with the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers and Datoga at Lake Eyasi
• Serengeti game drives
• Ngorongoro Crater
• Mto wa Mbu village tour with crafts, music and local food

Day by day

Day 1: Arrival and Maasai activities

On arrival at the airport you are met and driven to Osiligilai Maasai Lodge on the edge of Arusha, a lodge run by the local Maasai community that pairs modern comforts with traditional design. Spend the afternoon on Maasai-led activities such as a nature walk on traditional medicines, spear throwing, a donkey ride, craft sessions and storytelling, finishing with a sundowner. The lodge also has a pool, sauna, meditation room and a children’s playroom.

Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire

Meet your driver-guide in Arusha and head to Tarangire National Park for a full day of game viewing. Baobabs and acacias line the Tarangire River, which draws large herds in the dry season, and the park is one of the best places to see greater kudu and fringe-eared oryx. Lunch is a picnic overlooking the river, though the resident monkeys will happily help themselves. Continue to Karatu for the night.

Day 3: Lake Eyasi cultural visit

Drive to the shores of Lake Eyasi, a scenic and little-visited soda lake beneath the Eyasi escarpment on the southern edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In the afternoon, meet the Hadzabe, one of Africa’s last hunter-gatherer peoples, and the neighbouring Datoga, visiting their homesteads and learning about tracking, medicinal plants and daily life. Walks by the lake for birdlife can also be arranged.

Day 4: Lake Eyasi to the Serengeti

Rise early to join Hadzabe hunters as they go about a real hunt, using bows and home-made poisons; it is not a show, so quiet and patience are needed. After breakfast, cross the Ngorongoro highlands, with optional stops at a Maasai boma or Olduvai Gorge, and continue into the Serengeti for an afternoon game drive among the great herds and their predators.

Day 5: Full day in the Serengeti

Set out at first light, when lions and leopards are often hunting, or swap the early drive for an optional sunrise hot-air balloon flight with champagne breakfast. After breakfast you take a packed lunch and spend the whole day on the plains, with your guide planning the route to give you the best chance of the Big Five and the migrating herds.

Day 6: Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

Enjoy a last game drive in the Serengeti, then continue to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Descend from the crater rim into Ngorongoro Crater, a vast green caldera that is home to more than 120 mammal species, including all of the Big Five. It is one of Tanzania’s best places to see the endangered black rhino, with hippo pools, buffalo, big herds of wildebeest and zebra, and predators such as lion, cheetah, jackal and hyena. Overnight in the highlands.

Day 7: Mto wa Mbu cultural tour to Arusha

After breakfast, drive to the lively village of Mto wa Mbu near the gate of Lake Manyara National Park for a guided cultural tour. Visit homes, farms, a school and the market, meet local artisans working in beadwork, carving and weaving, and enjoy traditional music and dance and local dishes. Later, return to Arusha for your onward journey.

Where you stay

Mid-range:

• Osiligilai Maasai Lodge
• Marera Valley Lodge
• Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge
• Tamba Tented Camp
• Ngorongoro Tortilis

Luxury option:

• Osiligilai Maasai Lodge
• Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge
• Kisimangeda Camp
• Serengeti Acacia Bliss
• Ngorongoro Serena

Included

• Safari and accommodation as set out in the itinerary
• 4×4 safari vehicle (6/7-seat extended vehicle)
• Professional English-speaking driver-guide
• Full-board meals as per the itinerary
• Drinking water during the safari
• All activities mentioned in the programme
• All national park and conservation entry fees
• Flying Doctors emergency evacuation cover during the safari

Not included

• Domestic and international flights
• Optional activities
• Alcoholic and soft drinks
• Visa fees
• Tips for your driver-guide
• Personal spending (souvenirs and similar)
• Travel insurance
• Serengeti hot-air balloon safari

Senior-friendly and wheelchair accessible

Accessible Travel Kenya caters to everyone. As specialists in inclusive tourism, the company can adapt this trip as a senior-friendly holiday or a wheelchair accessible safari. Tell Accessible Travel Kenya your access needs before you book. The company confirms lodge rooms and bathrooms, arrange a suitable safari vehicle and set a comfortable daily pace, and suggest alternatives where a stop would be difficult.

Prices on request: contact Accessible Travel Kenya for a quote for your dates and group.