Mount Ol doinyo Lengai:Karatu to Lake Natron

About Trip

Lake Natron & Ol Doinyo Lengai
Lake Natron and Mt. Ol Doinyo Lengai are part of an untouched land of ancient origin in the northeast of Tanzania in-between the Ngorongoro Highlands and Serengeti plains. This area is home of the Maasai, who have kept all their customs and have hardly been influenced by modern culture. Here, it is the remoteness and the dramatic landscape, rather than the variety of animals that exert a powerful attraction.

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The Active Volcanic Mountain in Tanzania

Climb Mount Oldonyolengai

Climbing Oldonyo Lengai: The climb starts in the night due to the much cooler temperatures and the summit is planned to be at sunrise, this will well depend upon the climber pace. Expected time to be down at the base is 9am.

Hiking: In this area there is a water fall fresh from the Ngorongoro highlands,this is the main source of water for the locals and the various lodges at this remote place. The trail to it takes 1.5hrs, here you can cool down, swim and relax before hiking back.

Visit to the Lake: The most alkaline lake in the world and the largest breeding ground for the flamingoes, your guide will drive you close to the lake and you can experience it up close.

Accommodation: For the high end travelers there are a number of tented camps around the area , and for the budget travelers camping is the solution .

Accessibility: The roads are accessible throughout the year

What to Pack:

If you are planning a climb, here are some things to take with you:

Good comfortable supportive hiking boots, though you do not need mountain boots or rock climbing boots
Long trousers rather than shorts will protect you against rugged rocks and scratchy vegetation. Wear shorts under them and you can take off the long trousers when it gets too hot or you get into the crater.
Lots of water. (We provide)
Sun block; solar radiation can get very intense at nearly 3000amsl.
A head torch, with good batteries. The climb may take up to 6 hrs. (Available for hire)
Layers of clothing; you will sweat and you will shiver. It is almost always windy on top of Oldonyo Lengai and it can be cloudy and really cold; people have been close to hypothermia.

Karatu to Lake Natron

Duration: 6 daysOl donyo Lengai,
Customise: This package can be customised
Persons: min (1) max (4)
Accommodation: Mixed
Activities: Hiking, Mountain Climbing
Lengai volcano expedition — 2 days

Day 1:

Day 1 Arusha/Karatu – Lake Natron
From Arusha or Karatu you will drive to Lake Natron

A soda lake at the base of the active Ol Donyo Lengai volcano, the area around Lake Natron is often described as having a desolate and almost lunar beauty. Lake Natron is found in the northern part of Tanzania. Nearest towns to Lake Natron are Arusha in Tanzania and Magadi in Kenya. It is the most important breeding site for Lesser Flamingos in the world.

East Africa has 1.5-2.5 million Lesser Flamingos, representing three-quarters of the world population and most of them are hatched at Lake Natron. Food is plentiful, nesting sites abound – and above all, the lake is isolated and undisturbed. The lake and its ecosystem provides a source of livelihoods to the local communities.

High levels of evaporation have left behind natron (sodium carbonate decahydrate) and trona (sodium sesquicarbonate dihydrate). The alkalinity of the lake can reach a pH of greater than 12. The surrounding bedrock is composed of alkaline, sodium-dominated trachyte lavas that were laid down during the Pleistocene period. The lavas have significant amounts of carbonate but very low calcium and magnesium levels. This has allowed the lake to concentrate into a caustic alkaline brine

Walks around the lake and to the streams and waterfalls along the nearby escarpment make for a fantastic adventure off the beaten track.

There are a number of campgrounds near the lake, which is also the base for climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai.

Accomodation at moivaro lodge
3 meals included.

Day2:

Day 2. Mountain Oldonyo Lengai – Kili Climb
You will climb Mount Oldonyo Lengai in the midnight. It will take you 5-7hrs up and down.

Oldoinyo Lengai” means “The Mountain of God” in the Maasai language. The summit of this strato-volcano is 2962 metres above sea level, and affords direct views into the caldera of Tanzania’s only officially-certified active volcano, and the world’s only carbonatite volcano; records of eruptions have been maintained since 1883, the largest of which deposited ash 100 kilometres away in Loliondo on the Kenyan border to the north west.

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.

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. Access route from the North West allows an early descent to be made from the summit in the morning shadow.

Our Happy Clients!

Our Tanzania trip was fabulous. Spotting the Tree-climbing lions and Black Rhino was unforgettable. Thanks for fulfilling our dreams. We’ll be back soon!

 4.5/5

Clara Smith

From USA

Thank you, Maasai Land Wonders Team, for your exceptional care during my 3 Months Volunteering program. A thousand thanks for an unforgettable experience.