Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp is situated on the shores of Lake Eyasi, with sweeping views toward the Rift. Across this seasonal soda lake, the Alipi escarpment wall rises 2,000 feet up into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area providing a stunning backdrop. The camp is beautifully set in a Llala palm and acacia forest and is part of 200-acre family-owned farm with a natural spring nearby which feeds into the lake. It is also home to the Wahadzabe, an ancient, nomadic tribe of bushmen who are one of the last click-speaking hunter-gatherer tribes.

Location

Kisima Ngeda is located on the north-eastern shores of Lake Eyasi at an altitude of 3,400 feet (1,040 m). Lake Eyasi, a seasonal, alkaline lake, drains the Ngorongoro Crater volcano’s southwestern flank and stretches 45 miles (75 km) south and covers an area of almost 400 sq. miles (1,050 sq. km). The terrain around the lake, as with much of the Rift Valley, was formed by violent, volcanic activity, and the high walls of the Rift escarpments rise over 2000 feet above the lake. About 4 1/2 hours driving time from Arusha, the camp is 2 hours away from the Ngorongoro Crater and about a half day’s drive to the Serengeti.

Olduvai Gorge

Close (20kms) to the centre of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is Olduvai Gorge, the ‘Cradle of Mankind’, where the remains of our earliest ancestors, the hominids, were found.

Safari wildlife highlights

The Ngorongoro Crater hosts a large population of ungulates and high numbers of predators, particularly lion. The only absentees from the usual East African large mammals are the giraffe, impala and female and young elephants.

Accommodation

Sitting in a small forest of acacias on the edge of the spring, the camp is designed to blend in with the natural environment. Constructed almost entirely with palms and trees from the family property, each of Kisima Ngeda’s seven tents are built on a permanent wooden platform with a palm thatched roof, a hand-carved bed, and an enclosed bathroom and shower with hot water. The tents are carefully created to be low impact, spacious and totally comfortable. Each has a stunning view of the lake.

What to see and do

A melting pot of culture, Kisima Ngeda offers a different experience from what you’ll find on a traditional safari. Here, you can actually get out of the car - you can explore the trails around the lake, canoe along the shore, mountain bike by baobobs and acacias, walk through nearby tribal villages, or just sit and enjoy the beautiful lake views (especially at sunset on top of the rock). While it’s possible to see wildlife, what makes Kisima Ngeda truly special is the opportunity to visit with the local tribes. The waDatoga are a pastoral group like the Maasai, and it's always interesting to visit the local blacksmith or a Datoga boma. And of course spending a day with the waHadzabe, hunter-gatherers that speak the language of the first human inhabitants of the continent, is like taking a trip back far into our own past . . .

Safari experiences:

Typical safari experiences include: morning or afternoon tours of the Ngorongoro Crater, safari game drives in especially adapted 4WD safari vehicles (with professionally trained Tanzania safari guides) around the crater rim, safari bush breakfasts, lunches and dinners; cocktails around the lodge safari campfire and guided safari walks around the crater rim, visits to view ancient rock art.

Wildlife and cultural venues in the vicinity of the lodge and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area include:

Ol Duvai Gorge – world renowned paleolithic site
The Serengeti National Park
Lake Manyara National Park
The nearby Empaki volcanic crater
Tarangire National Park.