5-Day Ol Doinyo Lengai & Lake Natron Trek

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, a member of the Gip Adventure Tours & Safaris team meets you and drives you to your hotel in Arusha, 45–50 minutes away.

Spend the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for the adventure ahead. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

After a hearty breakfast your driver guide and chef collect you for the drive of about five hours to Ol Doinyo Lengai, with plenty to see along the way, including a stop at Mto wa Mbu.

Beyond, the road crosses open Maasai country where game grazes and herders roam with their cattle. You arrive around midday or early afternoon at your camp on the banks of the Engaresero River. Cool off with a shower or a dip in the river, or walk to the waterfalls hidden in the western wall of the Great Rift Valley. Dinner and overnight at camp.

After tea and biscuits in the middle of the night, you drive to the base of the mountain, where the climb begins. Ol Doinyo Lengai rises to 3,188 m, east of the great Ngorongoro highlands and south of Lake Natron. It is not especially tall, but the ascent is steep and challenging – with your guide's support you will make it to the summit in around 5–6 hours.

At the top, take 20–45 minutes to soak up the breathtaking views over the Rift Valley and Lake Natron and take some magnificent photographs, before making your way back down to the base in 3–4 hours.

You then return to camp for a hot lunch, an afternoon of well-earned rest and the night by the river.

After a hearty breakfast you visit Lake Natron, the famous breeding hub where lesser flamingos gather in their millions, and take in the eye-catching sights of this beautiful, harsh and caustic lake.

Back at camp by midday, you enjoy a hot lunch, collect your gear and drive about 4–5 hours back to Arusha. On the way you may choose to stop at a Maasai boma for a cultural visit, or at Meserani Snake Park to see snake species that are shy and hard to find in the wild. Overnight at your hotel in Arusha on a bed-and-breakfast basis.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at your hotel in Arusha – a well-earned, unhurried start after the mountain.

Depending on your flight schedule, your driver guide collects you and transfers you comfortably by road to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward international flight home. This marks the end of our services – kwaheri, and safe travels.