Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mikuyo River Campsite
CAMPGROUND $
(camping US$10) The closest camp to town has simple facilities, but a nice shady location.
Ngare Sero Lake Natron Camp
TENTED CAMP $$$
( 0764-305435;
www.ngare-sero-lodge.com/Na
tron_camp.htm; s/d full board US$365/
600; ) Eight rather small, basic tents on the plane behind a hill near the shore. Each tent
has its own 'tent' for shade and some people will love its simple bush ambience while oth-
ers will be expecting more for the price.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
The road from Mto wa Mbu is part sandy, part rocky, all bad: 4WD is necessary. During
the rainy season you may have to wait a few hours at some of the seasonal rivers before
you're able to cross. The road past the lake to Loliondo and into the Serengeti is in better
shape than the road from Mto wa Mbu because it's used far less. Those continuing this way
should carry extra supplies of petrol since the last proper station is in Mto wa Mbu, though
some people sell expensive petrol from their homes.
Chilia Tosha line has a rickety, crowded bus between Arusha and Loliondo that stops in
Engaresero (Tsh20,000, nine hours from Arusha). It departs Arusha 6.30am Sunday and
passes back through Engaresero on Thursday around 10am. Trucks run between Mto wa
Mbu and Engaresero pretty much daily (including sometimes 4WDs operating as public
transport) but it's not unheard of to have to wait two days to find a ride; especially in the
rainy seasons.
The best way to come here, if you have the time, is by camel from Mkuru (
Click here
)
vil-
lage, a remote seven-day trip.
District fees (ie tourist taxes) must be paid at three gates along the way: Engaruka Chini,
US$10; 7km before Engaresero, US$10; and Engaresero, US$15.
ENGARUKA
Halfway to Lake Natron, on the eastern edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation
Area, are 300- to 500 year-old ruins of a farming town that developed a com-
plex irrigation system with terraced stone housing sites. Archaeologists are un-
sure of their origin, though some speculate the town was built by ancestors of
the Iraqw (Mbulu) people, who once populated the area and now live around
Lake Eyasi, while others propose it was the Sonjo, a Bantu-speaking people.
Though important among researchers, casual visitors are likely to be more im-
pressed with the up-close views of the escarpment than the vaguely house-
shaped piles of rocks. Knowledgeable English-speaking guides (no set prices)
