3 Days Ol Doinyo Lengai Hike
Tour highlights
Ol Doinyo Lengai means “The Mountain of God” in the Maasai language of the native people. The volcano is the only active volcano in this part of the Rift Valley and is often mentioned to as strangest volcano on Earth. The Mountain of God for the Maasai tribe, altitude 2886m Ol Doinyo Lengai is a volcano located in Tanzania and is a part of the volcanic system of the rising majestically from the Great Rift Valley. Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only active volcano on a planet that erupts carbonatite lava.
Ol Doinyo Lengai is unique among volcanoes in that it produces nitro-carbonatitic lava, an unusual type of carbonatite. The most recent eruption took place on the 27th of March 2006. This type of lava is unique because temperatures of these lavas are only around 5000c, about half the temperature of normal basalt lavas, and its lava flows with a viscosity and almost as fluid as water. Described by other as a scientifically precious and geochemical shrine. Ol Doinyo Lengai is quite a physically demanding climb. Its steep slope makes it a challenge to climb up as well as to climb back down and daytime heat is unbearable. The best time to climb the mountain is at night when the temperatures are lower. This allows the climber to witness the amazing sunrise at the summit and come back down before the scorching heat kicks in.
Journey to the Top of Africa with Confidence
Itinerary idea in detail
Depart Moshi or Arusha early in the morning and drive to Camp in Lake Natron, the transfer takes around seven hours, here you will be able freshen up then visit Ngare Sero Waterfalls which descend from the Nguruman Escarpment west of Lake Natron. After your tour of the waterfalls, you will head back to the camp for dinner and overnight.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Lake Natron, an alkaline lake that serves as the principal breeding site for three-quarters of the world’s population of Lesser Flamingoes. After your tour of Lake Natron, you will head back to the camp so as to get enough rest before you trek up the mountain at midnight.
Your climb will start at midnight and it will take around five to six hours whereby you will reach the summit in time to witness the amazing sunrise as it illuminates the Great Rift Valley. During your climb, you will be escorted by an experienced Maasai guide. After exploring the peak you will head back down the mountain to the base where your driver will be waiting for you to take you back to the camp to rest and freshen up. You will then be transferred back to Arusha/Moshi through Ngare Sero Maasai village where you will be able to visit the Maasai bomas and experience their ways of life.
INCLUDES
- All Required fees
- Camping fees
- Services in Arusha/Moshi before/after the trek (accommodations, meals, airport transfers)
- Certified, experienced, English-speaking guides
- National Park ranger (required by Arusha National Park)
- Porters’ salaries
- All meals on the mountain
- Cooking equipment and eating utensils
- Oximeters available upon request
EXCLUDES
- Flights (International)
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Tips for Guides, Porters & Chef
- Personal expenses in nature such as money for souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees etc.
- Visa fees (100 USD for American and 50 USD for non-American)
- Immunization documents (yellow fever recommended for visa processing on arrivals)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and /or park fees
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The river boat safari was also a lot of fun and all of our guides were very knowledgeable.I highly recommend this excursion, it was the highlight of our trip to Zanzibar and we felt like VIPs. Thank you, Smile with us Tours.Posted on Joe MVerified Stefan in Mikumi Stefan in Mikumi was phenomenal. In one day we got close ups on all the best animals - lions, baboons, giraffes, antelopes, vervets, southern ground Hornbill and the rest. He really knew his stuff. Would recommend to anyone. A very reliable pick.Posted on Carl-Johan dVerified Safari at Mikumi National Park My friend and I went on a one day safari trip i Mikumi National Park.Our guide Stephano Boniphace was assigned to us and he took on his job very well! Stephano is very well educated and has a very profound attitude towards his job and with great pride he took us on a safari trip we will never forget! Stephano is very kind, caring and speaks with a very calm voice about everything and literally this guy knows EVERYTHING!!! It doesn’t matter if he is talking about small birds and leaves on the threes or elephants and lions, Stephano delivers his knowledge in an easy understandable way and he makes ANYTHING interesting!!!I highly recommend Stephano as a guide to anyone and if he gets a chance to get promoted I would say that that would be right man at the right place!Posted on AndyMBarberVerified Hands down the best tour! Absolutely incredible experience with Stephano from Smile With Us Tours on our 3-day safari, especially our unforgettable day in Mikumi National Park!Stephano is hands-down one of the best guides we’ve ever had—knowledgeable, calm under pressure, and full of passion for wildlife and Tanzanian culture. Despite it being rainy season—which always brings a few surprises—he handled every challenge with total professionalism and an easygoing attitude that kept the day flowing smoothly.We were thrilled to spot 3 of the Big Five (elephants, buffalo, and lions!) amidst the lush green scenery of Mikumi. The park itself is a hidden gem, especially during the wet season when the landscape bursts into vibrant life. Herds of zebra and wildebeest grazed the plains, giraffes moved elegantly through the trees, and hippos wallowed happily in flooded pools.After our game drive, Stephano took us on a fascinating visit to a Maasai village—a truly eye-opening cultural experience. The warmth and hospitality of the Maasai people, their traditions, and their songs and dances added such depth to our trip. It was humbling and unforgettable.We ended the day at Camp Bastian, a charming eco-lodge tucked into the forest with great food, friendly staff, and a relaxing atmosphere to unwind after an action-packed day.This safari was the perfect mix of adventure, nature, and culture, all made possible by Stephano’s expert guiding. Smile With Us Tours exceeded all expectations—we couldn’t recommend them more highly.Posted on Andreas DVerified Beautiful and exciting safari Excellently organized, exceptionally competent and super friendly guides! Very nice accommodation. The trip was a great experience!Posted on andrea sVerified Highly recommended Fantastic experience! The guys picked us up at our hotel and took us to the airport. From there we landed directly inside Nyerere Park. We visited the park both in the morning and in the evening. They offered us an excellent lunch in total relaxation. Really Super recommendedPosted on Jim JVerified Taking the road less travel to experience Tanzania wildlife reserves as you would have 75 years ago I worked directly with Smile with Us Tours in Africa to book a 9-day safari in southern Tanzania to the lesser visited parks--Nyerere, Mikumi, Udzungwa Mountains, and Ruaha National Parks. I was assigned to the travel program as curator of education at a top US zoo, so I knew wildlife safari operations and possibilities. I purposely chose these lesser visited parks as I wanted to experience African ecosystems and wildlife without the crowds and swarms of vehicles--I wasn't disappointed as three days we only encountered two to four other vehicles! We saw a plethora of wildlife, including birds and the landscape was beautiful and the ecosystem was intact.Smile with Us Tours in Africa worked with me to customize their 8-day fly by safari and even arranged a visit to a site they had never gone to before. They listened and added a variety of activities, 2-night drives, a walking safari with rangers, and two cultural experiences with the Maasai. The daily itinerary was full, but our driver/guide shortened a couple of days so we could relax at our "camps".The three camps where we stayed at were very nice and the staff worked diligently to take care of our needs and desires. Smile with Us Tours offered the option to upgrade our camps if we wished. The food was varied and offered a variety of local and continental dishes. There were always choices and plenty of vegetables and fruits.Our driver/guide went out of his way to listen to us and work to meet our wishes and expectations (as much as possible). He worked 12-14 hours each day and provided us with some extra experiences and tastes that were not part of the itinerary. It was nice to have additional guides join us and help lead the safari drives, boat trip, night drives, hikes and walking safari. Our driver/guide recognized that he needed to improve on his English comprehension, but overall, he very good as a leader and his personality was fun loving, yet serious and concerned that we had a great experience.The land cruiser was adequate, but showed some wear and tear as the roads were rough on a vehicle. There was plenty of room in the vehicle and the roof raised to allow all of us good viewing of the wildlife we encountered. We had a couple of minor maintenance issues, but they were remedied quickly or taken to the "shop" after we were dropped off at camp.All in all, great value for the 9-day safari and I would recommend you book with Smile with Us Tours in Africa.Posted on rabia_hVerified Bumpy rides but all good fun we did 2 day safari day one was Tarangire national park we had 1 night stay at farm of dreams lodge and second day we did norongoro creater it was such a surreal experience. Defo one ticked off the bucket list, our driver was great very informative and great company, food and drink was included but what I can say is the standard of food could be better, and the cars could be more modern but apart from that it was great, I would say bring your own snacks and bring warm clothing for the mornings, they are bitter cold, we had booked the whole package with smile with us so they arranged transport to and from the airportPosted on Lee AVerified The best!! From the absolute start we were treated exceptionally. Our driver Abduhl was very prompt and couldn’t have been nicer The flight over was amazing and once we arrived at the park the same treatment resumed Our guide Kennedy and our driver Dula were an amazing duo! We managed to spot so many animals and Kennedy was on hand to give us information about them. His knowledge of the whole savanna was incredible. I’d give this tour 100 stars if I couldPosted on Rodrix1967Verified Great Safari Experience ! Excellent safari experience with Smile With Us. Everything went well, a very competent, knowledgeable and professional team with a lot of empathy for us. We always feel safe and accompanied. Very happy with this safari. I recommend Smile With Us. Congratulations and continue your work showing Africa and defending the environment and animals.