Casting its shadow over Lake Natron, this active volcano lies in one of the most beautiful and rural areas of Tanzania. This mountain is sacred to the Masaai Tribe; They named it Oldoinyo Langai, meaning “Mountain of God”, as they believe it is the home of God. It is also the only active Sodium Carbonate Volcano in the world! It erupts every 3 years so you might be lucky to see smoke billowing from its peak or even walk across a smoky layer of new ground. A once in a lifetime opportunity, for sure!
The climb to the top is a 4-day journey. The climb is steep but exhilarating. Your efforts will be rewarded on your final day when you watch the day break over Tanzania. From the peak of Oldoinyo Lengai, you will see the sunrise over mount Meru in the distance and perhaps even mount Kilimanjaro at the very edge of this beautiful country.
Fun Facts:
- Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only active volcano on Earth that erupts natrocarbonatite lava. This is a rich rock substance that rarely reaches the Earth’s surface through eruption. All other active volcanoes emit silica-rich basalts. The ash from these eruptions also creates an environment unlike any other volcanic landscape in the world!
- Ol Doinyo Lengai is often referred to as a ‘toy volcano’ due to it’s ever smoking cones. Unlike other active volcanoes, this unique monolith is regarded as benign, with small cones within the volcano emitting harmless puffs of smoke, creating a beautiful and majestic vision for explorers to witness.
Location: Gregory Rift, south of Lake Natron in the Arusha Region of Tanzania.
Size: 3,188m elevation
