DAY 1

Upon your arrival to Kilimanjaro international airport you will meet with BLiT representative and transferred by private vehicle to Karatu town for Overnight stay and preparation for the next day drive to the first destination.

DAY 2: KARATU-GIDOSKEDA

After breakfast you will drive for couple hours in bumpy and dusty African roads to Gidoskeda escarpment as your first destination. Arrive at your base camp by afternoon hours met and greet with Datoga warriors whose will accompany you for the next five days of Gidoskeda&Yaedachini escarpments walk. Spent the night at local Datoga boma with small tents built inside or outside the Datoga traditional house, before going to bed you will have chance to sit around big fire with Datoga elders and telling good stories about interesting Datoga traditional life style.

DAY 3: GIDOSKEDA

Start your day in the morning at Datoga fenced bomawith traditional living family and encounter their traditional daily activities.Datoga people traditionally practice division of labor work depends on gender and age; elders, young men and women does different work in the family. Typical day in Datoga family starts around 6:00am, young men always are in-charge for taking care of cattle and women are in-charge of house activity like fetching cooking and drinking water in nearby water holes, collecting fire wood , grinding maize flour etc. You will spend the rest of the day observing traditional Datoga way of life also with the chance to try out anything they are doing.

DAY 4: GIDOSKEDA-MLANGO MOJA

After breakfast loading donkeys and you will have goodbye song from the family and start walking with packed lunch box together with Datoga warriors to your next destination which is MlangoMoja.  The walk will be 2.5 hours long but will take you up to 4 hours due to different activities which will be conducted during walk. On the way to MlangoMoja you will learn about Datoga traditional medication spices of plants and trees and traditional lilicht techniques, a traditional hunt for dangerousanimals. On the way to MlangoMoja you will be able to see some wildlife animals like giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, impalas and small gazelles.  Arriving at your base camp always to the Datoga traditional living family set up your tents and relax for couple of hours before dinner time and bonfire talk and play games with Datoga family.

DAY 5&6: MALANGO MOJA-ESHEAWA (KWA BIBI)

Start your day after breakfast with goodbye song after loading the donkeys and start the walk to your next destination which is Eshewa (Kwa bibi).  The walk will be 2 hours long but might take 2.5 to 3 hours due some more activities on the way. Eshewa is famous known as kwabibi which means “Grandma Place”. Upon arrival to your base camp for late lunch at Gijocheanda (GrandmaPlace) set up the tents and chilling before the evening activities starts. Gijocheanda is a Datoga female traditional healer, is a medium through which suffering individuals can communicatewith the spirits, plead for help, and receiveresponse and advice from the spirits. This communicationtakes place during night-time séances when the spirit“crawl onto the back” of the gijocheanda.

Spend the next day at Gijocheanda place learning more on traditional medication and healing process done by gijocheanda in the Datoga community, you will have chance to talk to your ancestors between those two nights spent here (IF POSSIBLE).

DAY 7&8: ESHEAWA-MARANUASI

After breakfast loading the donkeys having goodbye song and dance again and start the walk to your next destination which is Maranuasi.  Today you meet new warriors from another Bushmen tribe called Hadzabe, those are the true last hunters and gatherers tribe left in Tanzania. Datoga warriors will hand-over the group to Hadzabe after 3 hours walk, meet and greet with another bushmen people is completely a new and different experience. Genetically, the Hadza are not closely related to any other people. While traditionally classified with the Khoisan languages, primarily because it has clicks, the Hadza language appears to be an isolate, unrelated to any other. Dedicating those two days to stay with Hadzabe Bushmen and learning their bush life style, Visitors will have the opportunity to witness a hunting demonstration by these proud people, with early morning hunting excursions a fantastic opportunity to see just how these people have survived in the wilderness while other tribes have given in to pressure from the modernizing world.

DAY 9: MARANUASI-LAKE EYASI

After breakfast you will have chance to practice how to use bow and arrow by shooting a certain target set up by Hadzabe men and if you luckily to hit the target you get the bow and arrow as gift from them. After short practice then start your drive to Lake Eyasi as your base camp andpreparation place for next hike/walk to Ngorongoro high lands. Arriving by afternoon, then set up the tents having lunch, resting little bit then drive to ancient blacksmith village to experience ancient skills of how to make different useful tools like spears, arrow shafts, knifes etc by using traditional local factories, this will take two or less hours then drive straight to Lake Eyasi for evening walk and wonderful African sunset.

Overnight at the base camp at Lake Eyasi.

DAY 10: LAKE EYASI (RELAXATION STATION)

Today we spend the day at our base camp relaxing and doing washes at least to have some fresh pants for the next big hike to Ngorongoro high lands. In late evening you can drive to nearby mumba painting caves, the place is incredible historical sites with different paints in the huge rocks.

Overnight at the base camp Lake Eyasi.

DAY 11: LAKE EYASI-INTEK YA MAJI

Today you start your day around 900am drive strait to Ngorongoro gate, after clearing some payment we picked armed ranger with gun together with Maasai warriors and start the walk toward Ngorongoro highlands. The walk will take around 4 hours till your next point of camping. Remember from today you walk with Ngorongoro conservation area where you will be able to see wild animals like buffalo, giraffes, elephants, impalas and many more in close distance sometimes.

DAY 12: INTEKI YA MAJI- MTI MMOJA

Today you start your day around 900am after breakfast loading the donkeys and start walking with packed lunch box, walk will take like 5-6 hours till mtimoja. On the way masai warriors will definitely teach you some Masaai local medication and herbs plants. Arrive for late lunch or you might be stopped somewhere under shade of big tree and having lunch before arrive to base camp.

Dinner and overnight at mtimmoja base camp.

DAY 13: MTI MMOJA-MAQHOROMBA-SIMBA CAMP

Today you will start your day as usual around 900am after breakfast loading the donkeys ready to move with packed lunch boxes to next destination which is maqhoromba. The walk will take at least 5 hours, we will meet our driver with vehicle here for drive to samba camp where we will spend the night.

Stay and overnight at simba camp.

DAY 14: SIMBA CAMP.

Today you start your day early around 700am after breakfast with packed lunch boxes descent down to crater for full day game drive. We dedicate this day to spot all big five animals inside magnificent Ngorongoro crater. Stay and overnight at Simba Camp.

DAY 15: SIMBA CAMP-OLMOTI-NAINOKANOKA

Today the day start just after breakfast around 900am drive with safari jeep to the Masai village of Nainokanoka. While the camp is being set up, you will hike to the rim of the Olmoti Crater during the afternoon. There is also a possibility to visit a small waterfall along the way. Dinner will be served at the camp

DAY 16: NAINOKANOKA – BULATI

In the early morning after breakfast and loading the donkeys, the journey begins and you will pass many traditional Masai bomas and cattle herds. Soon, you might also see wild animals such as Thompson and Grant’s gazelles, zebras and wildebeests with hungry jackals not far behind and majestic eagles observing the situation. After approximately 16 km of hiking you will reach a campsite not far from the Masai village Bulati.

DAY 17: BULATI – EMPAKAI

After breakfast, the journey goes up a hill from where you have a last panoramic view of the grass plains below. The trek continues up and down through the bushy landscape which finally opens up to the active volcano, Oldonyo Lengai. The trek gives you great views of the majestic volcano as well as into the impressive Empakai Crater before reaching the campsite for the night. You can explore the crater and on a well-maintained path you descend to Lake Empakai inside the crater. This alkaline soda lake is an important food source for flamingos, which can be seen throughout the year. Returning to camp supper will be waiting for you. During the night you might hear the flamingos call as they fly back to their breeding nests at Lake Manyara and Lake Natron.

DAY 18: EMPAKAI CRATER – ACACIA CAMP

Today you will hike to the Masai village Naiyobi and following a good path, the village as well as Oldonyo Lengai, an active volcano, can be seen from a distance. After lunch in Naiyobi, the trek leaves the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the landscape becomes drier and warmer. Tonight’s camp will be set up at amongst an acacia forest.

DAY 19: ACACIA CAMP – ENGARE SERO – ARUSHA

The last stage of the journey is not too long and it goes mainly downhill. The highlights of the trek are the great views of Oldonyo Lengai, Lake Natron and the Rift Valley. The rugged countryside looks almost surreal covered by grey ash of the last eruption in 2007. The trek descends down into the dry and hot Rift Valley, where the ash can be seen up close. Around lunchtime you will reach the waiting vehicle and your driver will take you back to Arusha.