Tanzania Ol Doinyo Lengai Climb

Lake Natron, Arusha Region, Tanzania · Tanzania

Extreme7 daysAfrica~£600 est.

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Overview

Ol Doinyo Lengai — the Maasai's Mountain of God — is the only volcano on Earth erupting natrocarbonatite, a lava so strange it flows black like oil and weathers white within days. The climb is a rite of passage: you start from Engare Sero near Lake Natron around midnight, gaining the best part of 2,000 m up a relentless cone of loose ash and calcined rock, using hands as much as feet on the steepest bands, to reach the 2,962 m crater rim as the sun comes up over the Rift Valley. Below, Natron spreads out pink with flamingos; on the horizon, Kilimanjaro floats above the haze. There is no shade, no water and no rescue on the mountain, and the descent through skittering ash is harder on the legs than the climb. A local guide from Engare Sero is mandatory and worth every shilling; carry three to four litres of water, gaiters, and gloves for the sharp lava. June to September gives the coolest, driest conditions — around £600 for the climb plus a few days at Natron with transfers from Arusha. Check current activity reports first: the crater has been rebuilding since the 2007-08 explosive phase.