Hear the voice of silence – an active mindfulness retreat
The wonderful world of Ngorongoro Crater Highlands and the Serengeti
A mindfulness nature safari through the pristine landscapes of Tanzania
The breathtaking landscapes of Ngorongoro Crater Highlands, the loving glance of a giraffe, walking for hours through infinite space and silence, meditating between impalas and zebras, a delicious dish prepared by our magician cook, the smell of burning wood, a lovely African sunset or the sound of a roaring lion in the middle of the night in the Serengeti… Welcome at our Ngorongoro Retreat.
All these ingredients of our Ngorongoro Retreat and unique safari are super seducers. They surprise your eyes, comfort your ears, tingle your skin and they juggle with smells and tastes.
Life seduces you tireless for no other reason then to open you. It invites you to see that all the locks on your doors are unnecessary. It calls you with all its shapes and colors to soften your walls. And life shines unmistakably, every day again.
Fully experiencing wild nature
Our unique active retreat in Ngorongoro Serengeti plays Casanova and our meditations give you space to enjoy even more for all those radiant splendor around you.
When you get in the middle of it, you can fully experience the wild nature that Ngorongoro has to offer. That means you are camping in light weight tents but you will sleep on comfortable camping mattresses. It’s also really sensational to wake up in the middle of Serengeti with zebras around your tent and hear the sounds of grazing buffalo or the roar of a lion.
Ngorongoro Crater Highland-Lake Natron-Loliondo-Serengeti Wildpark- Mto Wa Mbu- Arusha
The Ngorongoro trekking during the mindfulness retreat
The heart of the Serengeti Ngorongoro safari is formed by a four-day trekking through Ngorongoro to famous Lake Natron. During your walk you will cross a different landscape every day. You will: walk through an imploded crater with a mountain chain to your right side and endless space in front of you; visit small Maasai villages, hike in a rainforest with ancient trees, look out over lovely Sun-drenched hills, see crater lakes, great rift valley with breathtaking views and forests of acacia trees and desert. All you have to do is to receive this exceptional gift of life and to enjoy it as much as you can.
After this active retreat through Ngorongoro you will stay for two nights in Lake Natron. You will visit a playful, romantic waterfall and the biggest group of flamingos in the world. Don’t be surprised if you encounter giraffes, zebras or camels on your way to the lake. After Lake Natron we cross the area to start a three day gamedrive in the Serengeti, spotting wild animals and birds.
During this safari in the pristine nature of Tanzania, we weave a profound program with meditations, heart-, motion- and nature exercises and offer you a clear insight in the dynamics of your mind, so you will be able to find your way “home” whenever you want.
Travel Schedule
Day 1
You will arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania where you will be met by us and taken to L’Oasis Meserani just outside Arusha to spend the night. L’Oasis Meserani is a spiritual place. It has been built up during the past 17 years by a Tanzanian lady called Margaret.
You can see she did this in a loving and caring way. What makes it extra special is that she also has her own vegetable garden and takes care of her animals in a eco-friendly way. They provide electricity by solar.
We will start the Ngorongoro Retreat and first get acquainted and make time to have our first mindful program to set up the basic information for the coming two weeks.
Day 2
You will be picked up for a gamedrive in Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is well-known for its many Elephants and Baobabs. You will see many wild animals and have lunch at a place with a nice view on the river. In the evening you can relax at Flamingo Campsite in Karatu. Karatu is the last town before the gate of Ngorongoro Crater Highland. You will enjoy your first meal of our own cook.
Day 3
After morning exercises we will enter Ngorongoro and visit our Masaï friends in Endonyowas. You will be heartily welcomed into their greeting ceremony and have a chance to get in touch and exchange with them. Masaï have a simple and hard life. The circumstances have drastically changed and they need to adjust to save some of their culture and lifestyle. That is why they very much like to meet you, to exchange and learn from each other.
We will also invite them to join in a ritual or ceremony of us. This is an unique experience and the villagers have showed much openess to participate. We are very happy with the natural and pure way of meeting each other, every time is different and new because we let it happen and see what manifests itself. In the afternoon we will start our first walk to Bulati. During our walks we connect but also reserve time for meditation and other exercises alone or in pairs.
Day 4
From Bulati we will make a sturdier walk to the Empakai Crater. Following a beautiful, special path, you can even enter the Crater to enjoy silence, atmosphere, smells and if you’re lucky even a group of Flamingos. At the Crater Lake we will do our first Breath Work on music. In a beautiful scenery you are guided on a special journey inside to open your heart. At the rim we will spend the night listening to the sounds of the bush around the fire.
Day 5
From Empakai we will walk to Akesha Campsite. A part of this walk we will walk in silence and slow motion. We will visit the village of Nayobi to have lunch and get extra water for our trip. Then we will camp in the wild at the edge of Great Rift Valley under the beautiful Akesha trees and an extraordinary starry sky.
Day 6 and 7
From Akesha campsite we will do a breathtaking trip alongside Great Rift Valley to Lake Natron. There we will spend two nights at a Campsite with swimmingpool to relax. We will enjoy the walking trip to an amazing, crazy waterfall where we can go for a lovely swim. We will also visit the famous lake where the biggest colony of flamingos in the world resides. At Natron we have plenty of time to do also Yoga, Sufi Meditation and an Inquiry into your patterns.
Day 8, 9 and 10
After morning meditation we will depart for a three day gamedrive in Serengeti and chase for Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Hippos and other wild animals who can be found in the Park. If the season is right, we can try to follow migration and get impressed by thousands of animals pounding the ground with their hooves. At nights we will sleep at camp sites amongst the wild, listening to the wonders of the night.
In the afternoon and during the rides we will offer you exercises to deepen your experience.
Day 11
This morning we will slowly leave to an area close to Loliondo. We will enter another Masaï village called Malambo where we are connected with a local womengroup. If you want you can follow a workshop in making jewelry. The quality of their work is very good. Or you can go with a guide to discover the nice landscape and colony of vultures and other animals living closeby. There will be a mindful program and we will sleep close to the village.
Day 12
This morning we will leave early for Mto Wa Mbu, which means we have come to the end of the Ngorongoro Retreat and return to the civilized world. It will be a day of integration. We will have time for our program and you have free time to choose what you want to do. You can stay at the campsite to relax, be part of a Cultural Tour to visit Banana plantations, rice fields and a Masaï market. All this will be shown to you by Emanuel, who will also give you the bike. Or you can make a beautiful walk from the campsite to Lake Manyara.
The excursions are not in the program to allow you to make your own choice. In the evening we will clean up and visit a surprisingly good place to eat pizza. The owner learned the handcraft from real Italians. The pizzas are originally baked in a brick kiln.
Day 13 and 14
After a mindfullness program at Fanaka and breakfast in Mto Wa Mbu, we will leave for Arusha where we will drop you at the luxurious Ilboru Safari Lodge. Safari Lodge is run by the Dutch Annelies. It has nice rooms with warm showers, a great menu, two nice shops for souvenirs and a great swimmingpool. You can enjoy your stay here and relax.
In the morning we will finish our program with a beautiful meditation and sharing. Afterwards it is possible to do a Citytour with us if your flight leaves in the evening. You can walk through Arusha and be part of the Streetlife, look for shops, see a very nice African Modern Museum or visit the local markets. Of course you can also decide to stay at your hotel and relax more.
In the evening we will make sure you get your plane in time.
Safari njema, Karibu tena (a good safari and welcome again)
Optional: extension Usambara Mountains
There’s an option to extend your safari with four days to the Usambara Mountains
In Usambara Mountains you will do a two day walk to Mambo Viewpoint. This is a fantastic walk where you will spend the first night in a convent in the mountains. The next day this walk will be continued enjoying the spectacular view with amazing sunsets at Mambo where we will also spend the night.
Extra costs: Only 645 dollars or 560 euro per person with minimal participation of three persons. All inclusive.
This offer is covered by the STO Garant guarantee. You can find the conditions for this guarantee scheme on STO Garant’s website
