Engaresero Cultural Tourism

Engaresero Cultural Tourism: Africa Natural Tours

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 Engaresero Cultural Tourism

Engaresero village is located on the southern side of the famous Lake Natron. Lake Natron is a salt lake located in northern Tanzania, close to the Kenyan border, in the eastern branch of the East African Rift Valley Escarpment.

The lake falls within the Lake Natron Basin Wetlands of International Importance Ramsar Site. It forms a major breeding ground for lesser flamingos worldwide. Its beauty with thousands of flamingo flocks is astonishing.

On the southern side it borders the majestic and beautiful scenery of the Ngorongoro highlands. It is in this village where Oldonyo Lengai (the Maasai name meaning ‘the Mountain of God’) is located. This cone-shaped mountain is the only active volcano in the world that produces natrocarbonatite lava, a unique occurrence of volcanic carbonatite. The temperature of its lava as it emerges is only around 510 °C (950 °F). A few older extinct carbonatite volcanoes are located nearby waiting for you to explore.

Engaresero is also rich in Maasai cultural heritage. The Maasai community in Engaresero continues to practice its age old pastoral ways of keeping livestock, moving their herds in harmony with nature’s patterns. The time-tested ways of the Maasai are environmentally sustainable and beneficial to wildlife. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has therefore designated Engaresero as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) site.

The following tours are organized for you by the Engaresero Community Based Organization:

* Village tour

* Hot spring visit

* Visit to the waterfalls

* Biking tour to Orpul caves

* Visit to the footprints

* Visit Rift Valley escarpment, Embalulu crater and Leparakash plains

* Oldonyo Lengai trekking

* Maasai Ethno-Botanic/herbal tour

* Herding tour

Hot Spring Tour (3 Hours)

The tour starts from the village tourism office at Engaresero then proceeds to the baboon caves. From baboon caves one drives to the second stop point at the lake shore for bird watching. Drive further down through acacia woodland and on the side of Rift Valley escarpment to the last point on a major hot spring through other numerous small hot springs.

Waterfalls Tour (2 Hours)

The tour starts from the CBO office at Engaresero then makes its way to the Rift Valley escarpment where vehicles stop. Tourists get off the vehicle after travelling 3kms, then start walking along the Engaresero river gorges towards the waterfalls. The walking tour to and from the waterfalls takes two hours (but it does depend on the time spent enjoying the falls and water at the destination).

Biking tour to the baboon caves, orpur camps, lake shore and to the foot prints (3 hours)

The tour takes three hours. One starts at the CBO office then proceeds to the baboon caves. Enjoy the ride within the gorges of a small river for a couple of minutes. After exploring the Orpur, take a short bike ride down to the lake shore for a bird watching experience. Enjoy the lake scenery and proceed with a ride to the petrified historic footprints of our ancestors (120.000 years old) where the tour ends for the picnic lunch at the lake shore/hot lunch at your lodge/camp.

Rift valley escarpment tour-Embalulu Crater-Leparakash Plains (From the floor to the roof then back) (3-4 hours).

The tour starts from the office then walk up the rift valley escarpment. The slope of the escarpment is challenging but people do manage. At the Embalulu crater visitor will have opportunity to enjoy a panoramic breathtaking view of the Lake Natron, Engaresero Maasai village, Oldonyo Lengai and other escapment features found in this active volcanic area. The astonishing view of Embalulu crater will forever be imprinted in your memory. Proceed to Leparakash plains where you will get to know the Maasais' livestock keeping activities undertaken by the these pastoralists.

Leparakash Plains to Engaresero village tour (from the roof to the floor) (2 hours)

The tour starts at the top of Rift Valley escarpment where one leaves back the 4X4 safari vehicle and enjoys the plains of the wet season pastures for Maasai livestock and wildlife. Get a breathtaking view of the Lake Natron and other volcanic features found down in the rift valley. Walk down to the valley through a walking trail developed during colonial times. Explore various medicinal plants found on the Rift Valley wall as you descend to Engaresero village.

Extended biking tour (3-5 hours)

Bikers coming from Serengeti Klein’s gate/Ngorongoro conservation area have an opportunity to leave back their 4X4 safari vehicle and start biking from Masusu where our professional biking guides will meet them and ride down the beautiful valleys and gorges of the rift valley to Engaresero village/Lake Natron. It’s your time to exercise after seating on safari vehicle for a couple of days/ hours

Oldonyo Lengai trekking (10-12 hours ascending and descending)

Trekking this volcanic active mountain takes place at night. Ascending starts at 00:00 then conquer the summit around 6 a.m, start descending before it gets hot and so reflective on the volcanic ash. Enjoy a nice breath taking and hair raising view of the gorges and surrounding volcanic features of the mountain. Get to know the ritual sites along the mountain trekking route used by Maasai as they believe this is the Mountain of God. Local tour guides will assist you in this challenging climb.

Ethno-botanic tour (2 hours)

The tour starts at the CBO office then takes a round walk in the bush where various herbs will be identified and its medicinal content explained by the Maasai warriors. Get to know various herbs that treat various diseases such as fever, malaria, pneumonia, chest complications, sterility and their use. Learn how to prepare various herbal plants ready to consume.

Herding tour (2 hours)

The tour is conducted in different areas at different seasons of the year due to livestock pasture rotation. One will get to visit the Maasai herding cattle and goats where an opportunity to learn about livestock keeping and ways to look for nice pastures around is guaranteed. Visitors will get to see and appreciate division of labor amongst family members in taking care of the livestock, which is the main Maasai economic activity and the centre of their culture. The tour is done in the evening as the livestock are about to get back into a boma where milking activities and heading cattle and goats in their respective kraals takes place.

Where to stay

A number of lodges and campsites are available within and around Engaresero village. Camping grounds are available where you could bring own equipment. Mountain bikes are available at the CBO office. The Coordination office and CBO’s local tour guides can make arrangements for overnights in the village land.

Tour Guides: The guides of the Engaresero CBO are from the Engaresero community who are well trained and speak English. They offer good service and share nice stories that will print a memory in your life.

Bookings for various excursions and tours can be made at Tanzania Tourist Board-Tourist Information Office in Arusha or tour operator/travel agent/ lodge or hotel operators.

Getting there

Engaresero lies about 220 kms northwest of Arusha town on the lower slopes of Oldonyo Lengai on the southern edge of Lake

Natron.

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