Lake Eyasi
On the shores of a Rift Valley soda lake, Lake Eyasi is home to the Hadzabe, among the last hunter-gatherers left in Africa, and the Datoga, Tanzania's traditional blacksmiths.
On the shores of a Rift Valley soda lake, Lake Eyasi is home to the Hadzabe, among the last hunter-gatherers left in Africa, and the Datoga, Tanzania's traditional blacksmiths.
Lake Eyasi is a shallow soda lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, near the southern edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Eyasi Escarpment in Tanzania's Arusha Region. Its main draw is the chance to meet the Hadzabe and Datoga communities. The seasonal lake sits at roughly 1,036 m elevation and can swell across its approximately 1,050 km² basin during the rains or shrink to a dry, cracked pan after a long dry season.
Lake Eyasi sits in an arid stretch of the Rift Valley floor, walled in by the rising Eyasi Escarpment to the north and ringed by dry acacia scrub and open bush. Doum palms fringe parts of the shoreline - an unexpected strip of green against the dust-colored plains, and home to nesting Fisher's lovebirds - while the lake bed itself transforms with the seasons, from a wide, silvery sheet of shallow water after the rains to a cracked, salt-crusted expanse by the end of the dry season. The Hadzabe still hunt and forage through the surrounding bushland much as they have for millennia, giving the escarpment and lakeshore together a raw, little-visited feel that's increasingly rare this close to Tanzania's main safari circuit.
Lake Eyasi sits roughly 500 m lower than the nearby highland towns, so it is warmer than many Northern Circuit stops. Nearby Karatu sees dry-season days around 21–25°C (68–77°F), dropping to 11–14°C (52–57°F) at night; the lake basin is often a few degrees warmer. Wetter months bring days around 21–26°C (70–79°F) and nights around 14–15°C (57–60°F).
A morning with a Hadzabe hunting party and an afternoon at a Datoga blacksmith's forge - that's the range of things to do around Lake Eyasi, where culture outweighs scenery as the main draw.
Lake Eyasi is a year-round destination since the Hadzabe and Datoga visits don't depend on the weather, but the dry season makes for easier travel and a better chance the lake itself still holds some water without yet drying out completely.
Come to Lake Eyasi for the Hadzabe and Datoga, not for a game drive - though the shoreline and surrounding bush do turn up worthwhile sightings, especially once the rains bring the lake's water back.
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Places to stay around Lake Eyasi:
Set among fever trees at the base of the Eyasi Escarpment, Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp offers eight palm-roofed tented chalets overlooking Lake Eyasi, blending rustic camping with genuine comfort. It's one of the best-reviewed properties in the area, prized for its warm hospitality and proximity to the Hadzabe and Datoga communities.
Overlooking Lake Eyasi from amid a forest of candelabra cacti, Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge is a comfortable property with spacious rooms, a private pool, and a restaurant serving sunset views over the soda lake. It's a well-placed, off-the-beaten-path base for visiting the Hadzabe and Datoga communities nearby.
Perched above Lake Eyasi with a distinctive Arabic-inspired, castle-like design, Ziwani Lodge offers just seven generously sized, two-story units, each with its own balcony and upstairs viewing area over the lake. Guests consistently rave about the breathtaking lake views and the property's unique architecture — a memorable, boutique stay in one of Tanzania's least-visited corners.
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