Ol Doinyo Lengai

“Oldoinyo Le Ngai” is a Maasai term meaning “Mountain of God”. This mountain is the only active volcano in East Africa. It is located in northern Tanzania lying just south of Lake Natron in the Rift Valley, in the heart of Maasai country, and locally regarded as a sacred mountain. Looking north from it’s summit crater, the hot barren salt flats of Lake Natron stretch into the distance. To the south stretch the crater Highlands and the Ngorongoro Game Reserve. The eastern horizons dominated by Kilimanjaro and to the west the forested escarpments and hills comprising the western slopes of the Rift Valley. Every seven years Lengai erupts and plumes of smoke billow out of the crater. Volcanic activity on the mountain has been observed from as far back as 1883. The Oldoinyo Le Ngai mountain reaches a height of approximately 2878 metres.

<>It is possible to walk across the crater floor. The ascent of Oldoinyo Lengai is demanding on account of the day time heat, lack of water, steep and unsuitable slopes of ash and crumbly rocks and considerable height gain. Normally you can start ascending to summit early in the morning and reach to summit at sunrise. Short and a warm jacket are suitable for ascent, also long trousers are good as the summit before dawn can be cold. Our access route from the North West allows an early descent to be made from the summit in the morning shadow.

Oldoinyo Lengai Itinerary – 3 days / 2 nights

From Moshi or Arusha it is better to allow 2 days for the trip – 6 hours to drive from Moshi to Lake Natron for dinner and overnight.

Day 1: Drive from Moshi to Lake Manyara, game drive and camp at Twiga campsite

Day 2: Drive to Lake Natron campsite. Walk to Ngare sero source – a magnificent rock amphitheatre with springs gushing out of rock faces.

Day 3: Early morning start. Drive to the base of the climb, ascend to the summit (maximum 4-6 hours) and if it’s possible, descend into the active crater then walk down. Lunch at Ngare sero and drive back to Moshi/Arusha town