Ngorongoro Highland Walk
This hike will take you to the highland of Ngorongoro and to the foot of Lengai Mountain where you will enjoy the volcanic landscape in the East African Rift. The area belongs to the 8,000 m² large Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) where the sustainability of the natural resources and the wildlife was implemented, integrating the Maasai.
Highlights of Ngorongoro Trekking
• easy trekking tour on the East African Valley
• Empakai Crater with flamingos
• Ngorongoro highlands with with zebra, wildebeest and more
• spectacular views over Salt Lake Natron and volcano Lengai
• Overnight in secluded campsites
Itinerary and Highlights of Ngorongoro Highland Walk
Day 1 Arrival Day
You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and our driver will bring you to your Hotel in Moshi.
Day 2 Moshi – Nainokanoka – Walking to Olmoti Crater
After your pick-up at the hotel in Moshi, you will head to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) with your driver and your cook. You will pass the East African Rift and the Lake Manyara National Park. When you reach the Ngorongoro, you will enjoy a stunning view into the crater. After reaching the Maasai mountain village called Nainokanoka, all the preparations for the next few days will be done and the tents will be pitched. If you are up for it, you can take the 1.5 hour walk up to the crater rim of the Olmoti Crater. During the night, it will become quite cool at 2,670 m (8,800 feet) above sea-level.
Day 3 Nainokanoka Camp – Bulati Camp
In the morning, you will meet your Maasai companion and the pack mules. After breakfast, all the equipment will be fixed on the pack mules and you will walk to Bulati. The landscape is hilly and does not have any trees, and you will make your way downwards across a savanna. At noon, you will reach a small Maasai boma, a typical hut, which will be your starting point for the walk down a steep rift and up along a long plain. You will pass huge cattle and goat herds as well as zebras, wildebeest and antelopes. The tent camp is right next to a Maasai school. It is worth having a look inside!
Day 4 Bulati Camp – Empakai Krater Camp
After the usual packing, you will start today’s journey on which will cross hilly bush land where many birds are living. This will soon prove to be sensational when the view opens up to the Ol Donyo Lengai Mountain and the Empakai Crater. You will reach the camp at the Empakai Crater rim after about 13 kilometers. If you still have any energy left, you shouldn’t miss the crater lake, which is situated 300 meters below the rim. It is the breeding ground for several thousands of flamingos. The camp is situated right at the Empakai Crater rim with view of the Lengai Mountain. In the dusk, you can watch and hear the rising flamingos.
Day 5 Empakai Krater Camp – Acacia Camp
The first part of the 16.5 km long stage leads along a curvy forest road. When you arrive in Naiyobi, all formalities will be done, water will be refilled and then you will leave the Conservation Area. The next paradise awaits you behind the Maasai village. It is an idyllic and peaceful landscape without streets or paths. You have a fantastic view down the valley and it gets more and more impressive when you approach Lengai Mountain. As you might guess, the Acacia Camp is situated in a light acacia forest, embedded between two mountain ridges. For me personally it is the most beautiful place on the entire tour!
Day 6 Acacia Camp – Lake Natron – Moshi
As the temperatures at Lake Natron can be unbearable under the midday sun, it is important to leave early in the morning. After a few meters, you will see the highlight of the landscape. What is known as the East African Rift seems so bizarre and gigantic on foot. You can see the traces of the shifted tectonic plates and the volcanic eruptions. You walk down on sand and ash, with the Lengai Mountain on your right, Lake Natron whose surface looks like a mirror in front of you and the Rift on your left. After about 9.5 km you will reach the pick-up point where your driver will await you. After saying goodbye to the Maasai, you will drive back to Moshi.
Day 7 Departure Day
Depending on the time of departure, after breakfast our driver guide will drop you off at the airport or you can start another travel package. Also there are several day tours offered from Moshi (Coffee Tour, Biking Tour in the Sugar Plantations, Lake Challa Tour -please book in advance)
