The History of Lake Eyasi
Far from a recent feature, the elongated Lake Eyasi is estimated to be over 65 million years old and is said to have occurred just after the dinosaur extinction. In keeping with the event big enough to wipe out these enormous creatures, the lake was said to have formed from the opening of a rift on the valley floor. Fascinating rock art can be seen during the dryer months around the lake, said to have been created by ancestral tribes hundreds of years ago. The lake comprises a collection of underground springs with an extension of around 1km making up the Chem Chem River and acting as a natural irrigation system for the basin. Eyasi is the biggest body of water in Arusha, surpassing Lake Manyara in size covering approximately 400 square miles of land and filling the bottom of a concave depression in the region of volcanic activity. Its walls are made up of purple lava surrounding a broad stretch of white alkaline freshwater shallows giving way to a variety of biodiversity both in and out of water.
Lake Eyasi’s Biodiversity
The landscape of Lake Eyasi is quite different from the surrounding savannah, visitors will encounter a more “tropical” feel to the environment with palm trees, umbrella thorn acacias and sandpaper bushes framing the water’s edge. Some have described Eyasi’s atmosphere as “secluded” and “otherworldly” as it’s rather far removed from the landscapes one visits on a Serengeti safari. Whilst Lake Eyasi isn’t home to the big-game animals its neighbouring conservation areas benefit from, it’s a birdwatcher’s dream. As mentioned before, the lake plays house to a diverse range of birdlife, its shallow waters perpetuate breeding during the months of June – November giving way to over 150 different species from starlings and weavers to kites and kingfishers; some of the most common are that of flamingos and pelicans. Larger animals can be seen from time to time during the wet periods when the lake swells, however during the dry season visitors won’t see anything much larger than an impala.
Aside from the wildlife habitat at Lake Eyasi, the surrounds have long been home to two of Tanzania’s indigenous tribes.
The Hadzabe and Datoga Tribes That Call Lake Eyasi Home
The Hadzabe bushmen occupy the space around the waterfront, with the Datoga and Mbula tribes co-existing in this region too. Whilst a collection of smaller tribes also live in and around the Eyasi area, the most established two are the Hadzabe and Datoga people.
The Hadzabe Tribe
The Hadzabe tribe is East Africa’s oldest tribe with around 1,300 living in Tanzania, although only 400 are said to live by the traditional foraging way of life. The Hadzabe people are a humble hunter-gather tribe and have lived sustainably for over 50,000 years, living off the land and hunting entirely through bush and bow techniques. Their bows are made from giraffe tendons and arrowheads coated in a lethal poison; men spend their time hunting game and sourcing honey, while the women gather water, fruits, and berries to complete their natural diets. The Hadzabe language is an entirely oral one with similarities to the Khoisan dialect due to its click style – it is however totally unique but due to which is in danger of extinction. As of the 18th century, the Hadzabe tribe encountered various contact with groups trying to settle in Hadza, some more welcomed than others through the introduction of farming and Christianity. Despite this, however, most Hadzabe people still follow the original teachings and way of life as their ancestors, with beliefs in mythological figures and the idea of Epeme, otherwise known as manhood.
There are a variety of experiences available to tourists whereby visitors can interact with the Hadzabe people and learn about the history of their tribe, the lake, and their way of life. These experience days are hugely enjoyable largely because of the Hadzabe’s welcoming manner making it a truly eye-opening experience. Those attending such can expect to learn how to create weapons from natural resources, process poison from the poison tree, forage, collect water from wells, make fire the traditional way, and prepare/maintain the living huts. Additionally, visitors will experience traditional dancing, how the tribe lives in caves during the rainy season, and what monogamy means to the tribe.
The Datoga Tribe
The Datoga people are pastoralist Nilotic meaning they are indigenous to the Nile Valley and speak one of the many Nilotic languages. The Datoga are much larger than the Hadzabe tribe, in fact, there are around 87 thousand Datoga people living in Tanzania. This tribe is divided into a variety of smaller groups and the dialect between inter-tribe groupings is almost unrecognisable, making conversions difficult. Cattle are at the heart of Datoga tribe life, providing milk, meat, blood, skin and even the horns are fashioned into drinking vessels and dung is used as the cement in the construction of living quarters.
Datoga people are warriors, they prove themselves by killing wild animals and have markings on their face and body to identify as part of their tribe – women sometimes have quiet deep lacerations turning to visible scarring as a sign of beauty. Datoga people are known to be skilled craftsmen and metalsmiths, creating knives and iron tips which are often traded with neighbouring tribes in exchange for food.
In terms of experiences possible with the Datoga tribe, visitors can expect to learn the tribe’s general way of life, how men and women dress, how to prepare a cattle fence (boma), the art of beading, blacksmith work, cow milking and preparation of butter, flour grinding and how the tribe people make their local beer called gissuda.
The Land of Onion Growers
Over the last few years, onion farming in the region has scaled up considerably due to new irrigation technology harnessing water from natural spring-fed wells. Once family-owned plots have now grown to large-scale farms never before possible due to Eyasi’s harsh (and salty) ever-changing environment. Harvesting is done by hand and it’s a relaxed affair, many workers take a seat whilst farming for onions in order to last out the day under the hot sun. Lake Eyasi is now Tanzania’s largest onion-growing region and exports its produce to neighbouring countries like Kenya. However, due to its abundance of product, Tanzania is now saturating the market and depreciating the value of the onion in Eastern Africa. Although, this is a small price to pay for greater development, and for the time being onion farming is bringing mostly positive economic changes to Tanzania and the people of Lake Eyasi.
Planning The Trip to Lake Eyasi
A visit to Lake Eyasi can be added to bespoke itineraries and would best fit between Lake Manyara National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
We recommend two nights in the area so travellers have a full day to explore as well as an opportunity to join in activities and visit the onion farms. Accommodation is available at Kisima Ngeda Camp, Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge, Ziwani Lodge, and Tindiga Tented Camp.
Additionally, a day visit to Lake Eyasi can be arranged for guests staying in Karatu. However, those guests may not be able to join the morning hunt. Please contact your ARP Africa Travel consultant for details.
