FAQs

Topic classification:

>General questions about the concept

>Dangers, vaccinations, medical etc.

>General questions about the concept

Who is Stone Age Experience for?

Anyone can book Rebirth Stone Age Experience. If for your next holiday you are looking for a maximum change to your current everyday life and do something exciting and adventurous, Rebirth is THE thing for you. You can learn many interesting things, meet like-minded persons and have lots of fun.

Further, Rebirth can be of particular interest to anyone interested in archaeology, prehistory, ethnology and cultural anthropology, including university study groups, clubs and associations.

A third target group are companies doing team building initiatives. As the REBIRTH participants will learn many new things that they will have to apply in order to solve tasks as a group, REBIRTH is the perfect set-up for such initiatives in an exciting new environment.

Why is it called REBIRTH? Who will be reborn? Is this esoteric bumbojumbo?

On the last day at the camp there will be a big ceremony on which you and the other participants will be symbolically "reborn" into a more authentic, original life. Stone Age life was probably full of symbolical ceremonies.

Nowadays, many people feel alienated from themselves. Trapped in a never-ending spiral of timetables, deadlines, appointments, work pressure and obligations, with their “hunting ground” being reduced to offices, motorways, crowded subways and supermarkets, some people are seeking for nativeness, meaning, and existential authenticity.

If life in the savanna can help you find some meaning, this is fine, if not, you can just consider the activity at Lake Eyasi and the "rebirth ceremony" a fun thing to do.

You definitely don't have to believe in rebirth, be an esoteric, hippie or otherwise spiritual soul to participate. It's totally up to you what you make out of it. The focus will not be on esotericism.

Is the Stone Age Camp scientific?

Everything that will be explained to you by the Stone Age expert is based on scientific evidence. Our expert whose fictitious Stone Age name is "Blumammu", has studied life of the Stone Age period extensively. For many years and he has been doing "Living History" presentations and Stone Age reenactments for museums, events and schools. Within the "scene" of Stone Age historians he has the reputation of being one of the best Stone Age reenactors, combining science with fun.

Rebirth is not just a fancy “Flintstones” costume play, you will definitely learn something, even if you already know about the Stone Age. The combination of practical "Stone Age" science with getting to know practices of local African tribes makes REBIRTH so unique.

In how far are the activities at REBIRTH "real" or staged?

All activities that you will do with indigenous tribes are absolutely "real" and part of their daily life. Everything related to "Stone Age", e.g. the materials, is of course prepared by our expert instructor as the Stone Age ended around 4000 years ago. The huts and water source are set up by us based on prehistoric evidence, however we are trying to minimize potential risks, e.g. by adding mosquito wire to the huts and supplying safe water from gallons.

One aspect concerning your life at the camp is completely staged by us: the obtainment of food. It is unrealistic that you as a group can hunt or gather enough hygienically safe and well-balanced food for 12-20 people. Therefore we will cater food for you. Food will however not be served as in a restaurant, but either local people will show up and bring you the ingredients as a "gift" or you must "swap" them for something else with them. In either cases we will of course give the food ingredients to them to "deliver" it to you. You will then have to prepare the food using Stone Age or local tribal techniques.

Do you say that the members of local tribes are Stone Age people? Is it bad to interact with them, shouldn't they be left in peace?

In no way are we saying that the Hadzabe Bushmen, the Tatoga or any other ethnic group living today are Stone Age people, nor are we presenting them as relicts from prehistoric time. We also don't want to paint a romanticised picture of the past or say that the life of tribal people today is better or more noble than our western life in the sense of 18th century primitivism. Indeed, many indigenous tribes are living a hard life. However, we believe that there are certain aspects in their life from which Western people can learn, such as their relation to nature and ability to improvise.

The members of the local tribes that cooperate with us on REBIRTH are already familiar with tourism. Every day there are tourist groups visiting them and such short encounters are often limited to some pictures being taken on which the Bushmen pose like on display. With REBIRTH this is different: You will spend 9 days with them and get to know them much better. They really enjoy being part of it and are happy that there are people who are intensely interested in their habits and eager to learn from them.

Will we make and use narcotics? Will we get wild and rampant?

As we want to avoid problems with local authorities (and the risk of having to shut down our camp), the use of any illegal narcotics is strictly prohibited. Even if it is a normal thing for the Hadzabe Bushmen to smoke certain herbs, other laws are applied to foreigners and you could get into serious trouble with local authorities if they catch you doing similar activity.

REBIRTH is neither a hippie freak-out nor an outdoor adult club. All Tanzanian and international laws as well as rules of modesty and respect must be taken into account.

What if I get fed up and want to leave the camp?

If you just temporarily miss modern food, a hot shower or a chat with your friends and family abroad, you can leave the Stone Age Camp for a while and visit our "Time Out tent" which is located very near, out of sight of the Stone Age environment. It has a hot shower, chemical toilet, some comfortable chairs, laptop computer with internet access & mobile phone (use at extra cost). Chocolate bars and cold beers are for sale. However, we want to ask you not to make use of this possibility in excess, as it will be in contradiction to the nature of the Stone Age Camp concept.

If you seriously want to leave the camp at an earlier stage, we can transfer you to Highview Hotel Karatu and/or JRO airport. However, there will not be any refunds in that case and extra transfers and changes of hotel bookings may result in additional costs.

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Dangers, vaccinations, medical etc.

Are there any dangerous animals?

As you will live in a African wilderness area, there will be potentially dangerous animals. However, there will be experienced armed watchmen around the area at night and day. They are Maasai warriors who have lived out there all their life and have worked as watchmen for safari camps and lodges before, so the danger from predators and other large animals such as elephants is virtually nonexistent.

Insects - on the first night at the introduction session at the Highview Hotel you will be taught about potential risks including insects and how to deal with them. Even though Lake Eyasi is at a height of 1000 m above sea level, there is still the risk of Malaria. We recommend that you take Malaria prophylaxis, preferably Malarone. We can store your tablets at our medical tent and you can swallow one each day with bottled drinking water.

Please stay away from any shallow fresh waters in the area as there is the risk they are contaminated with Bilharzias. To take a shower or refresh, only use our spring. Lake Eyasi itself is Bilharzias-free because it is a saltwater lake.

Please also read the following FAQ about recommended vaccinations.

Which vaccinations are recommended?

Besides Malaria prophylaxis, we recommend the following vaccinations:
• Dukoral is a vaccine which not only protects from cholera, but also from a range of other bacteria such as E. Coli that you can get from water and food causing traveler's diarrhea.
• Yellow fever
• Diphtheria, Tetanus, Poliomyelitis
• Hepatitis A+B
• Rabies
• Typhus

What if I get sick/hurt?

Out of sight of our participants, but within immediate reach, there will be a 24h first aid paramedic who can treat anything from small injuries to indigestion to insect bites. There will be a first aid tent with standard first aid equipment, where also Malaria tests can me made. If necessary, a car can bring you to the Lutheran Hospital or the Marie Stopes Health Centre in Karatu, or to any Arusha Hospital if needed.

For cases of serious medical emergencies, please note that during your participation with REBIRTH, you will automatically have an AMREF Flying Doctors membership which includes one free air ambulance evacuation service to Nairobi hospital. AMREF also offers a free 24 hours Flying Doctor’s Emergency Response telephone for medical advice.

AMREF, the African Medical and Research Foundation has been in existence for over 35 years as a non-profit foundation. Headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, and there are Tanzania offices in Arusha and Dar-es-Salaam. Unutilized membership subscription fees go towards funding the work of AMREF Outreach and charity evacuations. In Tanzania, AMREF funds The AMREF Muhimbili Outreach program which flies out specialist doctors to rural areas to treat the less fortunate and train medical staff in those areas.

It is strongly recommended that you have a travel healthcare insurance which will cover medical treatments if needed in Tanzania and which will also pay for your return flight to your country of origin if a local doctor confirms the necessity to do so.

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Accommodation, cloth, accessories

Where will I sleep?

You will sleep in simple traditional huts that are reconstructed according to prehistoric Stone Age evidence. The huts consist of a wooden frame, thatched with grass. You will also sleep on straw. The huts will be erected shortly before you arrive at the camp especially for you. One hut is shared by up to 4 persons. At extra cost you can have your own hut without sharing with others.

As the only tribute to modern times and to reduce risks, there will be insect wire around the frame and plastic floor on the ground, so that at night you don’t have to be afraid of mosquitoes, spiders etc.

Who will decide with whom I will share the hut?

You can decide this. You will get to know the other participants on the first day where you will have the introductory briefing and dinner at Highview Hotel Karatu.

Are there any showers and toilets?

Modern showers and toilets did not exist in Stone Age time. Therefore it would not fit into the concept to offer them. The Stone Age Expert will explain you in the beginning how personal hygiene was carried out in Stone Age time. However, for your convenience, we have built a pipeline to bring fresh water to our plot and we set up "spring" where you can take a "Stone Age Shower" and wash yourself. We control the water quality of this spring and if necessary will treat it chemically.

And why not see the large ground at Lake Eyasi where the camp will take place as the largest and most beautiful outdoor toilet on earth?:-). The Bushmen will show you where to find certain leaves that can perfectly serve as "toilet paper".

For emergencies only (if you can't stand anything related to Stone Age any more) you can use the sanitary installations at our “Time-Out”-tent, where we will have a hot shower and a chemical toilet. However, this should be used sparingly as it does not fit into the Stone Age concept.

Which cloth will I wear?

You will dress like in Stone Age time. On your first night at the Highview Hotel in Karatu you can choose from a range of cloth that you can wear during your time at the Stone Age Camp. This is cloth which is made according to prehistoric evidence or traditional cloth which is still worn by certain Tanzanian tribes today.

After participating at the Stone Age Camp, you can take the cloth with you as a fantastic personal souvenir. These are valuable hand-made cloths from natural materials. They sell locally for around 500 USD!

Will other people see me naked?

No, you will wear Stone Age cloths. There will be enough hidden places to wash yourself or dress at your discretion.

What can I bring into the camp?

As a free and adult person you can basically bring into the camp anything that is legal in Tanzania, however we want to discourage you to bring any items which are unrelated to life in Stone Age time such as mobile phones, your modern cloths, modern outdoor gears etc. You can savely lock all these things at Highview Hotel on the first day. You can bring your photocamera into the camp, but please be aware that there will be no electricity to charge batteries and no waterproof storage space.

Medicine that you need etc. can be stored at our emergeny tent.

In the morning of Day 2, at Highview Hotel, you will be given the chance to choose three objects to take into the camp. These objects include replicas of Stone Age tools, further clothing accessories and durable food items.

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Food

What will I eat?

You will eat Stone Age food. Most of the food will be cooked by your group, the ingredients will be collected, harvested, hunted or swapped from people of local tribes. However, we will make sure that all participants will get enough food. If you, as a group, cannot hunt, collect or swap enough food, ingredients will be made accessible for you. Also in fact, the exchange of food items with other tribes is completely staged by us.

Do I have to drink blood, eat meat, kill animals etc.?

No, you will not have to do anything that you don’t want to do. As such practices were everyday part of prehistoric life; it will however sometimes not be possible to that you will see other people (both participants and members of local tribes) from doing so.

Will there be alcoholic drinks?

Living in the savanna an original life which is totally different from your everyday routine can create deep emotional reactions. Participants might think about their life, past experiences etc. Drinking alcohol in such situations can have a negative impact. For this reason we want to discourage the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the camp. There will not be any alcohol provided as standard beverages.

However, if you think you can control yourself well enough and you think that a cold beer or two will definitely make you feel good , you can come to our ‘Time-out tent’ and purchase chilled local beers (Kilimanjaro/Safari/Tusker) which are very popular amongst tourists.

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>Getting there, booking etc.

How do I get there?

International flights to Tanzania are not included in the program. You will have to book them yourself. It is best if you fly to Kilimanjaro International airport (JRO) which is served by several international airlines.

If you arrive on the date of the program start, you should be at JRO airport before 2pm. If that is not possible, please arrive at least one day prior to the program start at JRO or Arusha. We will arrange pick-ups for you and you can stay an extra night in Moshi/Kilimanjaro at our Springlands Hotel or Highview Hotel Karatu.

Will the camp take place even if there are less than 12 participants?

If we cannot get at least 12 bookings one month before the start date of the camp, there will be no Stone Age Camp. As soon as we have 12 bookings we will confirm you that the camp will take place. If there is no camp, you can either choose to get back all money paid, or you can instead do a very interesting tribal tourism safari.

This alternative program will be as follows: For 7 days (6 nights) you will ride with a group of Maasai on a camel from Mkuru through the plains between Gelai and the Kitumbaine Mountains which are full of wildlife, always using Oldoinyo Lengai, the Mountain of God, as an orientation point. In the evenings, you will relax by the campfire and listen to the sounds of the savanna. You will sleep in a tent and enjoy the food that the Massai will cook for you. On the 7th day, you will reach Lake Natron, the red salt lake which is home to millions of flamingoes. You will be picked up by car and drive to Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important archaeological sites in the world and visit the archaeological museum. From there we will drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation area to Karatu where you will overnight at the Highview Hotel. The next morning you will drive to Lake Eyasi where you will stay at a tented lodge (2 nights), doing activities with the Hadzabe Bushmen for 2 days. On day 10, transfer to Kilimanjaro airport to take a flight to Zanzibar where you can relax at the beach hotel (half board) for 2 nights.

Can minors take part in the camp?

Yes, participants under 18 years can take part, however they must be accompanied by their custody. We recommend a minimum age of 8 years.

Can groups take part?

Smaller groups can book just through the website and take part in our scheduled Stone Age Experiences. Discounts apply to group bookings of 5 or more people.

Additionally, we can arrange Rebirth - Stone Age Experiences at dates that you specify for group bookings with a minimum group size of 12 participants. This could be a very special activity for your company's team building initiatives & incentives, or living history experiences for archaeological societies, clubs, universities etc. Please contact us if you are interested.

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