Ngorongoro Highlands

Ngorongoro Highlands offer some of Tanzania’s most unusual scenery with a unique trekking environment that mingles with the traditional culture of the Maasai people. It is a landscape of molded volcanic peaks and tropical highlands punctuated by lakes, streams and rivers. The best way to explore the highlands is on foot although some parts can be visited on a vehicle safari.

Hikes start around Ngorongoro Crater and pass through the smaller craters and summits on the way, finishing at Lake Natron with a climb to the crater of the active volcano Ol Donyo Lengai.

The treks are arranged in cooperation with local Maasai communities. Our team will be accompanied by a Maasai guide giving us a rich flavor of local knowledge and history, while our supplies & baggage will be carried by donkeys.

Here is a small description of some of the places we are going to meet along our trek:

Olmoti Crater is a shallow crater with a grassy surface. It is also the source of the Munge river which pours through a notch in the rim while creating a spectacular waterfall.

Empakai crater measures about 6km in diameter and half of its surface is a lake. We descend to the crater rim through a green forest to watch the flocks of flamingos and other animals that live in the area. The view from the rim towards every direction is magnificent.In clear weather, from the northern side we admire the view of the great Rift valley all the way till Oldoinyo Lengai and Lake Natron. On the eastern side we can even see the snow peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Naiyobi and Nouwongoni are traditional Maasai villages where you can enjoy talking with the local Massai people, visit their school or just relax and watch a different way of living.

Mount Oldoinyo Lengai is one of the most spectacular features of the crater highlands. In the Maasai languange Oldoinyo Lengai means mountain of god. It is an active volcano whose last recorded major eruption was in 1966 and lesser eruptions took place in 2007 and 2008. Adventurous visitors climb up its steep slopes to visit the steaming crater though some prefer to view its cone from a distance.

Lake natron is a soda lake with large resident populations of flamingos. The purple and brown colours in the surface of the lake are caused by algae and bacteria. It’s a great place for walking and photo-shooting. Along the nearby escarpment there are beautiful waterfalls where we can enjoy a dip in the blue waters.

This trek is an off the beaten track way to indulge into Tanzania’s life. We are certain that you will always remember this unique adventure as it is pure Africa.

Have a look at our Ngorongoro Highlands Trek itinerary. The trek can be completed in ten days, or can be broken up in smaller excursions of 1 to 3 days combined with a safari on the crater and Serengeti.