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5 days · Safari

Cultural & Wildlife Journey

Wildlife in the crater and Tarangire, paired with real time among the Hadzabe, Datoga and Maasai rather than a staged twenty-minute stop.

Is this trip for you?

Trip type

Private departure

Every safari is yours alone: your own Land Cruiser, your own driver-guide, your own dates. We do not sell seats on a shared vehicle, so the day runs at your pace and the itinerary changes when you want it to.

Ages

All ages

Children are welcome and we run family safaris regularly. A few camps set minimum ages, and long transfer days are hard on younger children, so family itineraries get shorter drives and more rest.

Fitness

No fitness requirement

Game drives are done sitting down. The demanding part is the road, not the walking. Tell us about mobility needs and we will plan around them.

Group size: 1 to 7 travellers per vehicle, everyone on a window seat

Day by day.

  1. 1

    Arusha to Tarangire

    Afternoon game drive in Tarangire. Overnight near the park.

    Overnight
    Near Tarangire
    Where
    Tarangire National Park
    Driving
    2 to 2.5 hours from Arusha
    Meals
    Lunch and dinner
  2. 2

    Tarangire to Lake Eyasi

    A morning drive, then south-west to Lake Eyasi. Afternoon visit to a Datoga homestead to watch brass and iron worked by hand. Overnight near the lake.

    Overnight
    Lake Eyasi
    Where
    Tarangire, then Lake Eyasi
    Driving
    4 to 5 hours across the day
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner
  3. 3

    Hadzabe morning, on to Karatu

    Out before first light to join a Hadzabe hunting party — fire-making, bows, and a walk on their terms. We drive to Karatu in the afternoon. Overnight in Karatu.

    Overnight
    Karatu
    Where
    Lake Eyasi
    Driving
    2 to 3 hours after the morning walk
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner
  4. 4

    Ngorongoro Crater

    A dawn descent into the crater for a long morning game drive, then up to the rim and a Maasai homestead visit on the highland grazing. Overnight in Karatu.

    Overnight
    Karatu
    Where
    Ngorongoro Crater
    Driving
    About 1 hour each way, plus the crater floor
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner
  5. 5

    Karatu to Arusha

    A relaxed morning, then the drive back down the escarpment to Arusha.

    Overnight
    You travel home
    Where
    None — return day
    Driving
    3 to 4 hours to Arusha
    Meals
    Breakfast

Where you sleep.

Camping

Einoti's own camping safari: a two-person tent on the public campsites inside or beside the parks, pitched by the crew, with a safari cook travelling with you and cooking on site. Bring a sleeping bag and mat, or hire them from us. It is the cheapest way to travel and the closest to the bush you will get.

Comfort

Small lodges and permanent tented camps just outside the parks. En-suite bathrooms, hot water, solid food and a real bed. The difference from the tier above is the location and the size of the room, not the safety or the cleanliness. Note that there is no accommodation inside Lake Manyara National Park at any tier: the options there are around Karatu or inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Classic

Mid-range lodges and tented camps, usually inside the park or on its boundary, which buys you an earlier start at the gate and a longer evening. Pools at most properties, and a proper restaurant.

Premium

Small luxury camps and lodges in the best positions on each circuit, including mobile camps that follow the migration. Fewer rooms, more staff, and a view you will not want to leave in the morning.

We book against availability for your dates rather than naming a property we may not be able to get you into. Your written quotation names every lodge and camp before you pay anything.

What is included

  • All park entrance and administrative fees
  • All meals while on safari
  • 1.5 litres of drinking water per person per day
  • Transfers from and to your hotel
  • 4x4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof while on safari
  • Professional English-speaking driver-guide
  • Staff fees
  • Accommodation where noted in the itinerary
  • A walking tour in those protected areas that allow one

Not included

  • International airfares and departure taxes
  • Visa fees
  • All items of a personal nature
  • Tips and gratuities for hotel and lodge staff, camp staff, your driver and guides
  • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
  • Laundry services

When to go.

June to October — dry season

The busiest and most expensive months, and the easiest game viewing of the year. Water is scarce, so animals concentrate on the rivers and waterholes and the grass is short enough to see through. The Mara River crossings fall in the northern Serengeti between roughly July and September.

January to March — short dry season

Hot, green and much quieter than the June-to-October rush. The wildebeest are calving on the southern Serengeti plains in February, which is the single best month of the year for predator sightings.

November to December — short rains

Rain falls in the afternoon and rarely stops a day. The parks are green, the migration is moving south, and both lodges and park traffic are lighter.

April and May — long rains

The wettest months. Some camps close and some tracks become difficult, but the parks are empty and the light is extraordinary. We plan these trips around the surfaced roads and the lodges that stay open.

Questions about this trip.

Is the Hadzabe visit staged?

No. We go out at dawn with a hunting party and walk with them while they hunt. Some mornings they take something and most mornings they do not. The arrangement is made directly with families we have worked with for years.

Will we still see plenty of wildlife?

Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater are both on this itinerary, so yes. What you trade away is the Serengeti.

Is it appropriate to take photographs?

Ask first, every time, and your guide will interpret. Nobody on this trip is paid per photograph and nobody should be treated as though they are.

On this route

Where you will be.

Cultural

Lake Eyasi

Hadzabe and Datoga, on their own ground.

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Plan it with us

Make this itinerary yours.

Add days, drop a park, change the pace. This is a starting point, not a fixed departure.

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