Mount Oldonyo Lengai
This mountain is the only active volcano in East Africa. Volcanic activity on the mountain has been observed from as far back as 1883, and it is still active today. Ol Doinyo Lengai reaches a height of approximately 9,442ft/2,861m. Climbing the mountain requires 4-5 hours of moderate exertion to reach the summit. The ascent is quite difficult and challenging because the mountain is steep and loose and climbers are exposed to the hot sun as there is hardly any shade. The best time to climb the mountain is early in the morning, before the sun gets too hot. Once at the top you will see the strange and unique landscape of the crater. The landscape here is well worth the effort it takes to ascend. Herds of zebra and wildebeest can sometimes be seen on the trip. A trip to the mountain can also encompass other nearby areas of interest like Lake Natron or Ngorongor Crater. Lake Natron is a breeding ground for flamingoes and other birds. There are several Maasai bomas (homesteads) which can be visited. TBL recommends attempting to climb, there are several places you can walk according to your Itinerary especially long walks & short walks as Lake Natron before you start your Climbing to the Active Volcano ( Oldoinyo Lengai- God Mountain) is better to have some walk arround the Lake Natron eg, Engaresero waterfalls, Lake shore for the view of Greater Flamingo & Lesser Flamingo, & The Foot Print of the Homo Habilis dated to 2.5 millions years ago. Ngorongoro Nature walks are more wonderfull as you can do the walking through the Mountains, Valley, The Great Rift Valley & learning more about the Maasai Culture, also learn about the Hadzabe the true Hunters of the World. ITINERARY Game nature and culture tour. Ngorongor Crater & Ol Doinyo Lengai Trekking 6 Days/5 Nights DAY 01: You will be transported to Nainokanoka village via Ngorongoro Crater with your guide and park ranger. All gear, food and water will be carried by donkeys which are lead by a Maasai warrior. Dinner and overnight at Nainokanoka village Camp site. DAY 02: After breakfast, begin trekking to the Elbulbul Depression where you will have dinner and overnight at Elbulbul Camp site. DAY 03: Depart from Elbulbul to the rim of the Empakai Crater. You can spend several hours exploring the crater, returning to the campsite for dinner and overnight. DAY 04: This day you will trek from Empakai to the base of Ol Dionyo Lengai (Mountain of God to the Maasai) . Here you will have dinner and overnight. Note: If you want to climb the Volcano, you will need another full day as it is a 8 hour, 15 km strenuous climb. DAY 05: Depart for Lake Natron where you may tour the waterfalls at Engare Sero Gorge. Dinner and overnight at Kamakia campsite. DAY 06: You are free to explore the lake Natron area until about noon, when you will be picked up for your return trip hotel. INCLUDES: Transport to and from your hotel, service of guide and cook, all park and accommodation fees, ranger fees, and Maasai warrior and donkeys, water, meals and camping gear. NOT INCLUDED: Tips for your guide and cook. Note: Evacuation from Oldoinyo Lengai is hampered not only by the mountain itself, but also the remoteness of the region. In the interim, the council recommend that each party of climbers is accompanied by a minimum of two guides for reasons of safety; this allows one guide to descend the mountain, cross the valley floor to Ngare Sero Village 18 km away, organize a rescue party and transport, return to the foot of the mountain and ascend to the location of the injured climber; a return trip that could take eight hours. It would be extremely hazardous to leave a casualty alone and unattended on the mountain due to the effects of shock, dehydration, etc. It is also advisable to take advantage of the rescue insurance policy offered by the village so that in the unlikely event of an accident, further costs of hiring extra guides are not incurred. |
Climbing Oldonyo Lengai.
Your physical condition:First of all, we stress that climbing Lengai volcano is a serious physical challenge and can be dangerous if you are not prepared: you should have experience with mountain hiking and be fit to climb 1700 m on a extremely steep trail on uneven, sometimes loose or rocky ground. Tour character:
2) You risk to have bad luck and arrive while there is fog, or rain; if your schedule is to go back, you will only get wet, cold and have waisted time, energy and money 3) It is possible to climb up and down in one day, but unless you're an athlete, it's usually too much. Most people who come down are seriously exhausted. Because the trail is very steep, it's not only very hard on your knees but can become dangerous as well when you're too tired. For these reasons, we do NOT offer climbing Lengai up and down in one day, unless specifically requested by the client. Tips At the foot of the mountain there is abundant elephant grass, some reaching over 2 metres in height. Ascending diagonally to the base of the first slope, the vegetation reduces dramatically, and soon ceases altogether.On the lower slopes, the scree is extremely deep in places, and walking over it is as slippery as climbing a sand dune. The ash is comprised of very fine particles, and moving up these slopes can be very taxing. The route across the lower slopes is punctuated by crevasses that can reach 6 metres in depth; the edges of the crevasses are extremely weak, and it is advisable to stay well back. The route passes from pavement to pavement; with short descents into shallow crevasses before resuming the upward climb. The inclination of Oldoinyo Lengai is approximately 30° on the lower slopes; as the route ascends, the shifting scree is left behind, and the firm pavement studded with small stones can offer good grip. However, the inclination is steadily increasing to 45°, and the rocks are not always securely embedded, making the footing treacherous. The top of the north-western flank of Oldoinyo Lengai is marked by the presence of the ‘Pearly Gates’; two large white towers of lava that erupted in the Holocene period and have resisted weathering and erosion by more recent eruptions. The thermals that ascend the mountain during the day, and katabatic winds that descend at night, can create ‘dust-devils’ in the mouth of the gates. From the viewpoint of the route up the mountain, the active ash pit is in line with the mouth of the gates; it is important to distinguish between these ‘dust-devils’ and any significant gaseous release from the caldera that may herald a fresh eruption, as the fluidity of the carbonatite lava means that it can flow downhill faster than a river, especially as the ‘Pearly Gates’ represent the path of the most recent lava eruption. Colour can be used to indicate the constituents of the dust devils; steam is white, the dust devils are grey-brown, and the rotten egg-smelling Hydrogen Sulphides are yellow-brown. If you are in any doubt, or if you feel any tremors, or significant steam emission from the caldera, it is advisable to retreat from the mountain as soon as possible. Climbing through the Pearly Gates, the route takes a sharp left turn behind the northern most pillar to reach a slope ascending to the lip of the caldera. This represents the only solid path up to the summit; the rest of the slope is soft scree, with fist-sized rocks that break away under the slightest pressure. The path follows the lip of the caldera, whose internal slope is almost vertical, and offers no hand-holds. The caldera descends approximately 20 metres before a series of terraces and perforated by flues interrupt the view of the floor of the caldera. The path tracks around 1/3rd of the caldera, before angling down towards the flat floor between the caldera and the summit, which represents the floor of the old caldera to the south. The route veers right to follow the lip of the old caldera to the summit, where views of Ngorongoro Highlands, Lake Natron, Mount Gelai, Mount Kitumbeine and the Ngorongoro Escarpment surround you. Witnessing sunrise here is a breath-taking sight, and well worth the scrapes and bruises gained during the ascent. Descending Oldoinyo LengaiDescending this mountain can take as long as the ascent for inexperienced climbers, so it is important to ensure that you have enough water and energy snacks for 12 hours. The descent begins by back-tracking down the lip of the old caldera, across the floor, and back up to the lip of the ash pit, before tracing back to the ridge line that connects with the Gates. Any attempt to traverse the western face of Oldoinyo Lengai from the flat floor of the old caldera to the slope above the Gates is extremely ill-advised due to the shifting scree and the lack of solid rock. The initial part of the slope is quite solid, but halfway across the scree becomes too loose to support your bodyweight, and there is no safe path up to the lip of the ash-pit; the path behind you has been weakened by your passage, and the path down to the pavement between the gates is too risky to contemplate as there is nothing to break a fall to valley floor; a rock released from here takes several minutes to descend the 6km slope. A fall here would likely be fatal. Once the connection to the slope above the gates and the lip of the ash pit has been reached, descent is made by having the maximum amount of contact with the slope, which often means sitting down, and moving one limb at a time until the slope meets the Gates. A ski-pole in one hand and a fist-sized rock in the other are useful, as the pole can be used on the slope below you, and the rock grips well on the slope above, protecting the palms of your hands against the friction from the lava. The same ‘three-point’ technique is used on the pavement that lies between the Gates until the soft scree of the lower slopes has been reached. Here the speed of the descent increases, as the soft scree behaves almost like deep powder snow, but it can place a strain on knees tired from the ascent; it is very important to follow the guide precisely here, as some paths are deep with scree, but others only have a thin layer over hard pavement, where the ash acts like ball-bearings, and the edges of the gulleys often have razor-sharp projections at mid-shin height. Furthermore, some stratified layers of ash are solid enough to bear weight, others are loose and will break away from the mountain, hazardous to those descending below you, and a few crumble to ash when touched; selecting suitable holds is very tiresome, as sometimes the holds only crumble and break away when full body weight is applied. The nature of the geology of this unique mountain means the landscape is constantly changing. The sparse vegetation means the slippery scree slopes extend almost the entire length of the route, interspersed with random patches of hard pavement. Each eruption can completely alter the route taken, and the challenges faced, meaning that no two climbs are the same. |