Walking and Hiking from Lake Natron

Walking and Hiking from Lake Natron

Kilimanjaro is not the only option for hiking in Tanzania. In fact, both the Ngorongoro Highlands and the area around Lake Natron offers some beautiful and varied walking opportunities. At Lake Natron, these range from a serious night hike up Ol Doinya Lengai to an adventurous, but accessible, hike to a stunning waterfall, with a range of other options in between.

Engaresero Waterfall Hike

This is well worth it if you are reasonably fit and happy to clamber on rocks. You walk and wade up a river gorge to reach a stunning waterfall for a much deserved swim. It takes about 2+ hours including a swim in the waterfall. This is a great spot for a picnic lunch in the cooler months.

Rift Valley Day Walk

A more arduous option is to hike up the escarpment onto the Rift Valley plateau for stunning views all round. This hike leaves at dawn for a transfer to the base of the Rift Valley wall. You then hike up the escarpment ascending close to the Ngare sero gorge to enjoy the dawn. A picnic breakfast is taken with you to enjoy when you reach the top. How long this takes depends on your fitness level! It takes anything from 1½ to 3 hours to hike up. From there you can enjoy one of the most dramatic viewpoints overlooking the whole valley and Lake Natron. Then you descend back down either the same way or by another route if you have more time, arriving back at camp in time for lunch. Allow a good 4-6 hours for the whole walk, depending on your fitness levels and whether you take a circular route down.

Ngare sero Source Adventure Hike

This requires a little bit more technical skill as it is a full day hike deep into the Ngare sero gorge to reach the source of the river. This is a great alternative to climbing Lengai if you feel that you are not quite up to the night hike. You do use ropes at some point so this is an adventurous hike for fit and experienced hikers. It will take 4 to 6 hours depending on your fitness levels.

Ol Doinyo Lengai

This is the BIG one! This volcano rises 2km out of the valley floor (2960m) and is an awe-inspiring sight, with its classic volcanic silhouette, harsh black contours and a layer of white ash at the top which makes you think it is snow-capped.

But it is a more awe-inspiring and serious undertaking to hike up it. Thus, the hike is usually planned and trained for in advance. The moonlight ascent is an unforgettable, almost mystical experience. You’ll need to spend at least 2 nights at Lake Natron.

If you spend 3 nights then the hike is complimentary instead of approx. $80-100 per person.

You depart soon after midnight and drive to the base of the mountain. From then it is an unrelenting climb up the volcanic slopes of Tanzania’s most active crater. The aim is to get to the top to watch the sunrise some 5 hours later. The other reason for the hike at night time is that this part of Tanzania gets seriously hot. You descend in the morning and the 2-3 hour descent is almost as hard as the ascent, especially if your knees are not so young.

Note: Lengai conditions change daily and the guide’s decision to reach the summit will depend on daily conditions and also the hiking group. If you don’t reach the summit, refunds are not possible.

Longer Multi-Day Treks

Lake Natron camp is also the end point for several longer treks undertaken. See Hiking in the Rift Valley Escarpment for more info.