The geography of Lake Eyasi

Lake Eyasi is a seasonal shallow salt lake on the floor of the Eyasi-Wembere branch of the Great Rift Valley, just south of the Serengeti National Park and immediately southwest of the Ngorongoro Crater.

The name seems to be derived from Njarasee, possibly a mix of the Swahili and German words meaning “shimmering sea”.

This is an endorheic lake, which means that it is fed by several rivers, but has no outflow, virtually all water loss is through evaporation. The main inflow is the Sibiti River from the southwest, which usually flows year round. All the other streams, mainly flowing from the Rift Escarpment and Mount Oldeani in the Ngorongoro Highlands are seasonal. To the southeast the Udahaya River drains into the Yaeda Swamp, but the flow has decreased in recent years due to water diversion for farming in the Mbulu Highlands.

The lake varies greatly in size and depth through the seasons. In wetter years the lake rarely exceeds one metre in depth. In drier periods the waters can recede almost completely, leaving a wrinkled pavement of baked earth.

a shimmering sea at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment

The Lake Eyasi area is not rich in wildlife, partly due to the natural paucity of the grazing, but mainly due to the significant human habitation, with farming taking up much of the previous grasslands and Hadzabe hunting activities, which exterminate virtually anything that moves on the northern shores.

The lake hosts large flocks of flamingos and pelicans from time to time, but their presence appears to be quite unpredictable. We estimate that they are more prolific during the wetter months Dec-Jun.

During wetter months local fishermen catch catfish and lungfish on the lake.

only the most elusive animals survive

The Lake Eyasi area has an interesting palaeontological history which stretches from the distant past right up to the present day.

On the shore of the lake lies the Mumba Cave, an archaeological site that has yielded a number of Middle Stone Age and Late Stone Age artefacts.

We understand that there may be some rock-art in this area, but we have not seen it for ourselves.

The main reason that most people visit the Lake Eyasi area is to meet and interact with the Hadzabe people, a small tribe of around hunter-gatherers who live on a thin strip of the land below the escarpment.

These people, who number around 1000 individuals, are the only remnants of the tribes which inhabited the area for up to 50,000 years, before the arrival of Bantu and Nilotic peoples in the last few centuries. They are closely related to other ancient tribes across Africa, such as the San Bushmen of the Kalahari in Botswana, with whom they share superficially similar traditions and lifestyles. They also speak in a click language.

It is possible to visit Hadzabe settlements and spend time with the people. Usually this is done early in the morning, which enables you to join the men on their daily hunting trip, which can last anything from two to four hours, depending on what they find. Their bows are made of giraffe tendons and their arrows treated with a poison extracted from the desert rose

Alternatively you can join the women on their gathering walks, digging for roots, picking berries and gathering fruits. Remarkably these people do not own belongings other than what they need for survival like the bows and arrows and some pots for cooking.

We have always found this to be a surprisingly worthwhile experience, with a nice relaxed feel and with plenty of good photo opportunities.

some of the last hunter-gatherer people in Africa