TanzaQuest: Great Rift Salt Lakes Expedition
Program Code: TQ-SALT23
Duration: 6 Days
Destinations: Lake Natron • Lake Eyasi • Lake Manyara
Theme: “Extremophiles, Flamingos & Ancient Trade Routes”
Program Schema
🏨 Accommodations:
🚐 Transfers:
🔬 Research Focus:
Arusha (Google Map)
3 Hours Before Flight Time
🌡️ Conditions:
🧪 Fieldwork:
🦺 Safety:
Suitability
✅ Perfect For:
❌ Not For:
Why This Program?
Key Logistics
Why This Itinerary Stands Out:
06:00 – Depart Arusha (4×4 convoy)
09:00 – Geology Briefing: Rift Valley formation (with basalt samples)
11:00 – Fieldwork: pH mapping along lethal lake edges (full hazmat gear)
14:00 – Lab Session: Culture flamingo-foot bacteria in mobile lab
19:00 – Night Lecture: “Why NASA Studies This Lake”
Accommodation: Natron Research Camp (acid-proof dome tents)
03:30 – Pre-dawn start
04:00 – Flamingo Count: Thermal drone census of breeding grounds
08:00 – Eggshell Analysis: Calcium adaptation under pH stress
13:00 – Survival Skills: Distill drinkable water from hot springs
17:00 – Data Jam: Compare findings with Botswana flamingo datasets
05:00 – Trek start with Datoga salt traders
10:00 – Anthropology: Document barter systems (livestock ↔ salt)
15:00 – Archaeology: Map ruined 19th-century trade posts
20:00 – Oral History: Elder storytelling under stars
Accommodation: Nomadic camp (goat-hair tents)
06:00 – Paleolake Core Sampling: 12m sediment extraction
11:00 – Hadzabe Workshop: Flintknapping salt-extraction tools
16:00 – Bat Migration: Ultrasonic recording at twilight
21:00 – Microscope Marathon: Identify fossil diatoms
Full Day:
Alkaline Microbe Hunt (pH 10 lagoons)
Elephant Behavior Study (salt-lick cameras)
Night Drive: Aardvark thermal tracking
Lodge: Treetop platforms (infrared scopes provided)
Morning:
Design Solutions for flamingo habitat loss
Afternoon:
Present to Tanzania National Parks & Natron NGOs
Evening:
Certification: Harsh-Environment Field Researcher badge
Transfer: Return to Arusha
Cut above the rest
