How to Visit Hadzabe Tribe
Question
I am going to be in Tanzania at the start of Feb, and I want to take a tour group to visit the Hadza for a day. We will be staying at a lodge near Karatu for a few nights. I want to drive my group to Lake Eyasi and spend part of the day with the Hadza (walking / hunting / learning). Can you please tell me if this needs to be arranged beforehand.. and if so.. how? I don’t expect that I can just show up with 15 people and expect to have everything run like clockwork. I also don’t want to fully rely on my local operator to arrange this for me.
Any advice. Any ideas. Have you been there? How long was your visit and what did you see/do.
thanks for any help!
Answer ( 1 )
The Hadzabe Tribe live in the dry terrain near Lake Eyasi, south of Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania. They have existed in this region for over 3000 years.
The Hadzabe people are nomads and thus don’t live in the same place for long. They only set up camp for several days or even months and then when they have harvested the resources of their current location, they move to another area.
Their moves are normally influenced by climate changes and the availability of wild fruits and vegetation for their animals. They build homes by weaving small huts out of sticks from the euphorbia bush.
Its good for you to pre arrangement as the bushmen are moving daily so there are some local guide who should communicate with them in advance so that they dont move away for their hunting.
This is the type of experience that is easier to arrange with your local operator. it is important to know beforehand where they are going to be in order not to waste time looking for them. It is important to visit with a driver/guide.
The guide will know where they were and and its good to be accompanied with the person who supposedly knows where to find them, it will still be a couple of hours of bush driving before finding the area, and 30 – 40 minutes of hiking to get to their village. Plan ahead.