PEOPLE OF THE PAST


Sitting with our Hadza hosts around the fire, under a blanket of stars, deep in Hadza land, One could quickly feel like our ancestors must have, thousands of years ago. Haunting voices retelling in song an ancient hunting tale about tracking and hunting a giraffe.

Some days we spend with the men hunting for game with bows strung with kudu tendons or collecting the Ba’alako wild honey of the Awawa bee from hives located high up majestic baobab trees. On other days we hike with the women as they forage for the Tafabe and the Undushibi berries or dig for Shumuko tubers in the arid soil of their homeland. Finally, in the afternoon, we might venture out by car to visit other communities of traditional herders such as the Datoga, or the Masaai.

Deep into the Kideru mountains and Alipi escarpment wilderness, far away from the main tourist route, our Wilderness Camp is kept simple, albeit comfortable, to fit our hosts’ harmonious and egalitarian lifestyle. Matemebzi is one of only a few companies visiting the Hadza hinterlands. Our visits, designed to be respectful and mindful of any potential negative impacts, create substantial income that assists the Hadzabe communities in gaining control of their future in the fast-changing Tanzanian reality.