— km²
Size
10-35°C depending on hour and altitude
Temperature
2,962 m
Altitude
Hot, dry Rift Valley floor; cold and windy on the upper cone
Climate
The Maasai call it the Mountain of God. It is an active volcano that erupts a rare, black carbonatite lava, and the climb is a steep, dark scramble that ends on the crater rim at sunrise.
Ol Doinyo Lengai sits beside Lake Natron and is unlike any other volcano in Tanzania. Its lava is carbonatite, rich in sodium and unusually cool, and it turns from black to white within weeks of erupting. The cone is steep, loose and largely shadeless.
Nearly everyone climbs at night. You start around midnight so you are on the rim before dawn and off the cone before the heat arrives. It is short in distance but hard on the legs and knees, and the descent is the harder part. We recommend it for confident, fit walkers and for people who have done a multi-day hike before.
The night before and the morning after are spent at the lake, where flamingos gather when conditions are right, and the Maasai community around Engaresero can be visited with a local guide.
Things to See & Do
Getting There
Road
From Arusha it is a long day by road (about 5-6 hours), part on rough track. We plan an overnight near Engaresero rather...
Best Time to Visit
FAQs
How hard is the climb?
It is a scramble on loose ash and rock, about four to six hours up in the dark. There are no technical sections, but it is physically demanding and dusty.
Is the volcano safe?
It is monitored and climbed regularly. We check current conditions with local rangers and guides before every attempt and will not climb if activity makes it unsafe.
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