Climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai

The Weird, the Fun, the Annoying

The active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai offers a challenge for the adventurous traveler seeking to enjoy remote areas of Tanzania.

Lake Natron is located near the Kenyan border, but not close to an official immigration border crossing. In order to reach this beautiful destination, travelers should either take a bumping road between Mtu wa Mbu (near Manyara National Park), or a bit of a longer, but somewhat less pot-holed road from Longido (west of Arusha town).

Lake Natron is home to a beautiful alkaline lake and hosts a huge population of pink flamingos that make the waters appear sunset-pink from afar. The small town, Engare Saro, offers a lovely waterfall hike and the opportunity to learn first-hand about the Maasai culture. Also, just outside of the town limits are ancient footprints that have drawn the attention of the likes of National Geographic and historical researchers. It is also the site of Tanzania’s active volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai, or the “Mountain of God” for the local Maasai tribe.

Reaching Lake Natron is an adventure in itself, driving over lava-carved ravines and passing an enormous crater called ‘The Hole of God” are just a few of the cool sites. Travelers are sure to spot wildebeests, gazelles, zebra, ostriches and giraffes along the way. There is a grove of acacia trees near to Engare Saro town where guests are almost guaranteed to spy a few giraffe enjoying their lunch.
The town also has a constant source of water, making it a beautiful patch of lush green in an otherwise rocky location. Camping at a site in Lake Natron is sure to be cool under the shade of trees and have an abundance of water.

But our group didn’t enjoy any of these awesome things our first night. We departed from Arusha at around 6 pm and drove straight to Lake Natron, most of the drive in the dark. We slept as best we could during the bumpy ride and set up tents in the dark, by the light of flashlights, as soon as we arrived. Then, each went to his/her tent and tried to get an hour’s nap before starting the night climb.

At midnight, we woke up and had a light dinner with lots of potent coffee to help keep us awake. Then, we drove to the foot of Ol Doinyo Lengai and started our trek in the dark.

While I’ve hiked unintentionally in the dark, it was always because a day hike went longer than expected and I descended briefly after the sun set. This was my first time ever starting a hike in the middle of the night, under complete darkness.

It was moonless and the stars, though glorious in the black sky, gave no real light for us. We marched only by the light of our headlamps, brightening just a few feet in front of us. As we trekked, we saw only a narrow patch in front of our feet, the real view of the landscape around us remained a mystery. We knew we were hiking up, but had no real idea of how steep it was, or what lay on either side of us.

And then, there was our friend, Pete*. Pete, who didn’t think he needed a jacket (though the peak of the Mountain of God is 3,000 meters above sea level), and it’s night-time. Pete, who didn’t bring a pack of any kind and thought he would just carry his water-bottle in his hand the entire climb. Pete, who didn’t bring a snack and was sure he wouldn’t be hungry, though the guide repeatedly reminded us the trek is anywhere from 9 -12 hours long. Pete, who thought his regular every-day sneakers would be sufficient on the climb. Pete, who didn’t bring a headlamp and thought he would just ‘walk with a buddy’ the entire time.

Oh, Pete!

Fortunately, I had a bike-light (the ones to put on bike handlebars while riding) and offered it to him. He tied it around his neck with a borrowed shoelace and thus hiked the entire night with this ‘necklace’ as his only source of light. Another friend shared space in their pack for Pete’s water bottle, but after four times of Pete asking him to stop so that he could get a drink, he got annoyed and told Pete he could either carry his own dang water or wait until proper rest-times to get a drink.

About half-way up the volcano, Pete realized he was actually freezing and asked if please, anyone had an extra jacket or sweater he could wear. I shared a traditional Maasai shuka with him (a type of wearable blanket), but the complaints didn’t stop. His legs were tired. He was tired.
He was annoying.

We walked on, not even really encouraging Pete, just demanding that he move, because we couldn’t leave him alone in the dark and we weren’t about to abandon our climb because he was in jeans, regular shoes and a T-shirt.

He grumbled, but he continued hiking.

Then, dawn approached: the sky lightened and we could see the incredible mountain before us, the steep incline under our feet and the breathtaking panoramic views all around; Lake Natron, shining in the distance; the green hills of Ngorongoro in the east; the lay-out of the land below, scarred by the volcano’s regular eruptions with black ravines and deep cuts in the sides of the mountain.

Soon, we were encased in a cloud, but could still make out the top of the mountain, which was very near and I reached within the hour. At this point, Pete could grumble all he wanted, I had no qualms about an adult man waiting in the early morning light on the side of the volcano if he couldn’t trek with the group.
However, fueled by much whining, Pete reached the top. And as we all sat around, resting our legs and munching the little snacks we brought, Pete realized he was actually famished and begged a hand-out of anyone willing to share.

All of his boasting was gone and he realized all of his bragging had been ridiculous.

Atop the volcano, we walked to the crater and I threw a few rocks in, happily announcing that when they hit the magma they would melt. Imagine: melting a rock!

We put our hands in the warm steam of active vents and wrinkled our noses at the sulfur smell all around. We learned about recent eruptions, and how the new crater had filled in over the old and was dangerous.

Our guide, a local Maasai, shared about sacred traditions connected to the mountain.

We had to depart before the sun grew too strong and we risked hiking under its sweltering rays. There are no trees and therefore no shade on this volcano. That is why it is exclusively a night hike; trekking during the day poses a real risk of heat stroke.

We started down, carefully. The descent is more dangerous than the climb up because it is so steep. Also, at the top, climbers walk on ashes, not dirt and rocks. Ashes are very slippery and within the moisture of a cloud even more dangerous.
Some parts, I sat down and scooted on my tushy to ensure maximum control. Our guide warned because the mountain is so steep, once you start sliding it is very hard to stop.
He showed us by flicking a small rock off his hand; it rolled and bounced, spiraling without ceasing until it was out of view. We all understood, if we slipped, we might just continue spiraling until we reached the bottom.

A few brave hikers in our team headed down at a regular walking pace. I, on the other hand, went very carefully and walked a great deal ‘sideways’ for better control. It took me almost the same amount of time to climb down as it did to climb up. I wasn’t the last of our group to reach the bottom, but I reached an hour after the first climbers had arrived at the trailhead.

I arrived famished and very wet from walking down in a cloud. A few times the clouds opened and I caught an amazing view of the land below. All in all, I was grateful to walk in the cool, damp of the clouds with a few epic glimpses at the landscape, instead of hiking under the blistering sun.

Pete arrived safely, too. Smiling, and proud of himself. We forgot about all his whining and congratulated him on his successful climb.
I don’t know if he is going to pursue other treks in the future, but I am absolutely sure he will wear different shoes, bring a pack, and be prepared with a jacket for warmth if he does.

Climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai was a great experience and a lot of fun. It was a different sort of challenge (because of trekking at night and climbing down such a steep incline), however, Pete’s experience tells me that you do not need to be an experienced climber – or even necessarily well-prepared – in order to successfully reach the top. You just need to have determination and a good guide.

For more about climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai, check out my photos and tips and advice.

*Not his real name.