3 Days Hadzabe Tribes Experience

Morning (6:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.): Travel to Lake Eyasi.

• • Start with an early morning pick-up from your accommodation in Arusha.
  • Drive approximately five hours to the Lake Eyasi region, passing through the town of Karatu and then descending rough dirt tracks toward the lake.
  • The journey offers scenic Rift Valley views, which can be part of the filming.
• Afternoon (11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Arrival and welcome.
  • Arrive at the lodge near Lake Eyasi and have lunch.
  • Meet your local Hadzabe guide, who will be your liaison with the community and can help secure filming permissions.
  • Walk to a nearby Hadzabe caves to be formally welcomed by the community. You can begin documenting initial greetings and the setting of their temporary shelters.
• Late afternoon (3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): Learn about daily life.
  • Engage in introductory conversations with community members (with your guide acting as a translator) about their culture, daily routines, and traditional clothing and ornaments.
  • Meet some Hadzabe women to respectfully ask about their daily lives and foraging activities. 

Early morning (5:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.): The hunt.

• • Depart before sunrise to join a hunting party of Hadzabe men armed with bows and poison-tipped arrows.
  • This is the priority activity for Shota’s film. Your guide will ensure you maintain a respectful distance while observing and documenting their tracking and hunting techniques.
  • The Hadza hunt a variety of animals, including baboons, so this is a prime opportunity to capture Shota’s key footage.
  • Following a successful hunt, film the hunters performing a traditional tobacco smoking ritual to celebrate.
• Late morning (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.): Bushcraft and gathering.
  • Join the men as they skin and prepare the hunted game over an open fire. You can politely accept or decline their offer of meat.
  • Gather wild berries, tubers, and other edible plants with the hunters and women.
  • Receive a lesson from the hunters on how they craft their traditional bows, arrows, and other tools. This will allow Shota to film an introduction to the weapons.
• Afternoon (1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Bow and arrow training.
  • Learn how to make a primitive fire using sticks and other natural materials.
  • Receive instruction on how to use the hunting tools, such as a bow and arrow. This is a chance for Shota to participate directly and capture personal content.
• Evening (5:00 p.m. – onward): Cultural sharing.
  • Cook and share the hunted game with the tribe. This fosters a deeper connection and captures the communal aspect of their culture for the video.
  • After dark, relax by the campfire, filming story-telling sessions and documenting the tribe’s traditional houses and shelters. 

Early morning (7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.): Traditional honey gathering.

• • Join a traditional honey-gathering expedition. This is an incredible opportunity to film a unique Hadzabe activity, especially if honey guide birds are present.
  • Also, film how the Hadzabe collect and drink water from natural sources.
• Late morning (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.): Final interactions.
  • Share a final communal meal with the Hadzabe people.
  • Film the traditional dance and singing, which often happens when the tribe is happy or has plenty of food.
  • Have a final opportunity to interview your guide or community members about the Hadzabe’s way of life for the video.
• Afternoon (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Drive back to Arusha.
  • Bid farewell to the Hadzabe community and begin the long drive back to Arusha.
  • Arrive back in Arusha in the late afternoon or early evening, concluding the trip.