Sleeping Under the Stars, The Thrill of Fly-Camping in Tanzania
What You Need To Know About Fly Camping
Staying in an unfenced safari-tented camp, driving through the bush in an open game vehicle and walking through the wilderness among large and small game is pretty exciting stuff. But there really isn’t anything more thrilling than spending the night out in the open around a campfire in a simple fly tent and falling asleep under an infinite ceiling of stars while listening to the sounds of the bush at night. This is Fly Camping – the ultimate immersive safari experience. We offer fly camping as an activity that forms part of our Adventure Package rate at Olmara Camp in Eastern Serengeti; Olkeri Camp in the Randilen WMA as well as at Kisima Ngeda on Lake Eyasi. All fly camping camps are offered on a private & exclusive basis to guests.
What Makes An Entara Fly Camp Special?
An Entara safari ticks all the boxes for a perfect Honeymoon: breathtaking destinations in expansive wilderness landscapes; the chance to relax in a private tented suite while still enjoying attentive service in remote and intimate eco-luxe camps; excellent food and once-in-a-lifetime, expertly-guided wilderness experiences to create matrimonial memories.
It is designed for you to venture into the cultural lands and lives of the nomadic Hadza who live, hunt, and gather as they’ve been doing for millennia, along with their neighbours, the pastoral Datoga, who roam the region with cattle herds.
Exploring the landscape with people who have literally grown up walking with Lions and who live lightly off nature’s generosity is a journey back in time, one that will nudge your own sense of self and perspectives.
Where Is The Ombako Fly Camp?
The adventure begins when you leave Kisima Ngeda camp in an open game vehicle with your Entara Guide and travel through Hadza ancestral lands into the hills around Lake Eyasi.
The lake is set in a remote landscape just south of Tanzania’s renowned Serengeti National Park, tucked between the Kidero Mountains in the south and the Eyasi Escarpment in the north.
It is home to a variety of birdlife, such as Flamingos and Pelicans, and is surrounded by woodlands, forests and ancient Baobabs – as well as all the free-roaming parade of wild animals that go about their timeless, seasonal existence alongside the human custodians of the land.
Our camp is set near a beautiful rocky outcrop on the shores of Lake Eyasi, surrounded by mountains and hills, and expansive Rift Valley views.
What Happens On A Fly Camp?
On arrival at Ombako Camp, you will meet the Hadza men and women who will guide you, share their stories, and take you along with them as they go about their daily lives.
With your Hadza hosts and Entara Guide, you will explore among the rocks, learn about the arrow tip poison produced from Desert Rose plants; view ancient rock paintings, and you can even bathe in spring pools shaded by rocky outcrops.
As the sun sets – and while your hosts busy themselves preparing a hearty supper – you will climb the rocks to enjoy a breathtaking sundowner before settling around the campfire for dinner and story time!
While the Fly Camp may be portable and minimal, your night in a net tent will be on a comfortable mattress, and you will be warmed by thick duvets and hot water bottles.
As darkness descends, you nod off to the sounds of the wild African nightlife and a ceiling of dazzling stars and moonlight.
What Experiences Do We Have With The Hadza?
After a campfire coffee and breakfast, you head into the hills to visit a Hadza encampment, where you can go hunting, gathering, or hiking into the surrounding woodlands dotted with giant Baobabs. The bounty of the season will dictate activities, as well as your own interest.
Foraging with the women equipped with digging sticks, could see you harvesting roots and tubers, collecting berries or trapping rodents, or you can follow the men armed with longbows, poison-tipped arrows and honey axes looking for birds and wildlife to hunt or honey hives to excavate. If successful, you will be invited to share in the spoils of wild honey, small antelope, a Francolin perhaps, berries, or baobab fruit.
After a morning of adventure, you bid farewell to your Hadza hosts and head back to Kisima Ngeda Camp for lunch, a hot shower, and rest – with the images from your experience and sounds of the Hadza’s ancient and rhythmic click-language lingering in your mind like sweet wild honey on the tongue.
Walking a mile in another’s shoes will always change one’s perspective. Fly Camping with the resilient, welcoming and harmonious Hadza while immersed in African wildlife and wilderness will forever change your life…
We do also offer fly camping at Olmara Camp in the Eastern Serengeti as well as Olkeri Camp in the Randilen WMA.
