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Spiritual journey into Maasai and Hadzabe lands in Tanzania
8 days, 7 nights
About the experience
Join us on a life-changing eight days journey to participate and observe Maasai and Hadzabe ancient wisdom and follow their ancestors' spiritual journey, reconnecting with nature and expanding consciousness for environmental healing. There are certain places in the world with undeniable energy, the power to stir our emotions, inspire reflection, or fill us with a sense of peace, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of these places.
On this expedition, we visit the spiritual places of Maasai and Hadzabe people. Space is limited for this precious opportunity to learn from and interact with Maasai laibon, the traditional Maasai spiritual leader and medicine man inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We climb one of the sacred mountains of the Maasai where we observe the sacred ritual.
The Maasai have adopted a revitalized approach to preserve their culture in modern times. Their way of life is deeply rooted in traditions which have been practiced in the same way for hundreds of years. This stay is a great privilege to learn from the Maasai and from the earth they have a close relationship to. The aim of this ethnographic expedition is to address the need for balance and harmony between people and the environment and to share collective Maasai wisdom.
This amazing journey takes you back to the ancient wisdom and traditions of the Maasai where you will learn about ecological knowledge, plant medicine, ancestral knowledge and much more. You stay and sleep in a tent in the Maasai warriors bush camp and in a Maasai boma.
After staying with the Maasai we continue our journey with the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers. The hadzabe grow no food, raise no livestock, and live without rules or calendars. Their way of life has remained unchanged over the millennia and they live in small wandering groups of about twenty individuals. We join one of these family units in the deep bush. The Hadzabe are the heirs of the very first human beings, the kids of Olduvai Gorge and Koobi Fora who still have a symbiotic relationship with the environment, the purest example of an anarchic society with no rules, and no chief. We set up our bush camp near Hadzabes' huts.
The Hadzabe live from nature and their spirituality is not a religion but rather an integral part of their culture. We have the privilege to visit Hadzabe's sacred sites and learn more about their relationship to the natural world.
We facilitate this expedition with David Metcalf and Anniina Sandberg. David is a professional photographer and film producer based in Bali. He has traveled into indigenous communities on a regular basis for the past seven years and supports a number of cultural and environmental programs. He was the co-founder of the first international indigenous film festival in Bali in 2018. He has dedicated his life to helping preserve and support the wisdom and beauty of indigenous wisdom.
Anniina is the founder of the Visit Natives. She has an MA in African studies from the University of Helsinki. Her expertise is intercultural communication, indigenous cultures, and ethnography. She has conducted research and lived among the Maasai for 9 months. She is also Swahili interpreter and speaks fluent Maa- language. Anniina works with the Maasai and the Hadzabe people in Tanzania.
The itinerary
DAY 1. Arrive at Kilimanjaro airport. We pick you up and transfer to our safari lodge in Arusha. Arusha is a vibrant African city and a safari gateway situated at the foot of Mount Meru, Africa's 5th highest mountain. Dinner together in a local African restaurant. (D).
DAY 2. Mto Wa Mbu is our first destination, which is about 2 hours drive from Arusha. The name Mto Wa Mbu means "River of Mosquitoes". From this village, we drive into the bush where we set up a camp inside a Maasai "boma". Maasai live in bomas which are kind of extended families numbering about 4-10 families normally. From our Maasai boma, we can see the Great Eastern Rift Valley and most probably we can see some zebras, antelopes etc. The Maasai have built their spirituality around pastoralism, and cows are the link between them and their god, Engai. We meet the Maasai warriors at their secret bush camp where we learn more about Maasai spirituality and their unique age-set system. (B, L, D).
DAY 3. Meeting the spiritual leader. Today we transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the world’s largest intact caldera from a long-extinct volcano. It is also UNESCO's World Heritage Site. Ngorongoro is home to about 26 000 wild creatures who live within the safety of the caldera walls. The Maasai are the indigenous peoples whose traditional lands are Ngorongoro including the Crater where they still herd their cattle. We have a great privilege to meet the Maasai's spiritual leader and medicine man, laiboni. We learn how Maasai use bush medication and traditional healing. (B, L, D).
DAY 4. Today we climb one of the sacred mountains of the Maasai in Ngorongoro. In the morning we attend the ritual preparations that are completed at the mountain before our 3-4 hour climbing together with the Maasai. We will have magnificent views from the top. We learn about rich Maasai rituals, rites of passages, and ceremonies. We return to sleep in our bush camp in Ngorongoro. (B, L, D).
DAY 5-6. Bush life with the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers. For thousands of years, the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers have lived in Lake Eyasi. They are some of the last remaining hunter-gatherers on the Earth. We go deep into the bush and set up a bush camp next to the Hadzabe's huts. On these two days, we join the Hadzabe on their hunting trips, learn their hunting techniques, and see how they gather wild honey from huge Baobab trees. We learn their sacred rituals and rites of passages. At the evenings, the Hadzabe sing and tell stories at slow-burning Acasia fire.
DAY 7. Today we head to the Lake Eyasi. Lake Eyasi is a seasonal shallow salt lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley at the base of the Serengeti Plateau. We stay one night in the Lake Eyasi Lodge which is located on a gentle slope with stunning views over the seasonal soda lake and up to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. After many days in the bush, you can have a fresh shower. (B, L, D).
DAY 8. After breakfast, we transfer back to Kilimanjaro airport when your flight departures. (B).
Travel details
Time
February, 3.-10, 2020
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Location
Nearest airport: Kilimanjaro International airport (KIA), Tanzania
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Accommodation
You sleep 5 nights in a single share tent which is set up inside the Maasai boma or in the savanna in Maasai bush camp. We provide all camping supplies. A toilet is very basic and outdoors. There is no shower, but you will have a bucket of hot water every day to take a bath in trekking style.
You sleep 2 nights in a comfortable 4-star safari lodge with hot shower and swimming pool.
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Food
We have a private Maasai chef who prepares all the food. The tasty African food is made of traditional and local ingredients. You have meat, vegetables, and fruits. The Maasai and the Hadzabe people don't eat fish. If you have a special diet, let us know in advance. All the meals are served with bottled water, tea, and coffee.
Price
$ 5,500 USD / per person ( 8 Days, 7 nights).
Single supplement $ 250 USD
The price includes all transportation (four-wheel drive), gate and camping fees in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area & Crater, and Lake Eyasi, 5 nights accommodation in a tent (single share, including camping supplies), 2 nights in a lodge (double share), food and drinks (breakfast, lunch, dinner, bottled water, coffee and tea), bottled water, Maasai staff and all the activities mentioned in the itinerary.
The price excludes:
Flights, visa, travel insurance, drinks at lodges
The minimum group size is 6, and the maximum is 12.
We give back to the Maasai and Hadzabe people that we visit. We pay one-year health insurance for all the Maasai families that you visit during this stay and we contribute to a community project that provides free health care for the Hadzabe.
Read about our cancellation policy here
Wi-Fi
Here you can go offline. We are happy to announce this a totally off-grid experience. In case of emergencies, there is a satellite phone. Here you can focus on being in the moment!
There is no electricity in the Maasai villages, but you can charge your electronics in the car. We send you an information letter including a packing list when you book.