Detailed Overview
Climbing to the summit [2890 mt / 9481 ft] of the active volcano, which is locally regarded as the sacred Mountain of God in the Maa Language, is possible without specific equipment but the ascent is challenging because the mountain is very steep. The best time to climb the mountain is early in the morning before the sun is getting to hot. The upper part of the volcano is the hardest to climb. The slope is about 45 to 55 degrees. The surface is covered by a thin slippery layer of lava under which the ash is still loose. You will proceed almost crawling, going up and sliding down continuously. The summit tent to be hazy and cloudy except for a few hours early in the morning when you should be able to see the sun rising over Mount Kilimanjaro. There is a cold wind and temperature is about 10 degrees. To descent it will take you approximately 5 hours.
Until 2007 eruption there were two craters, the active northern one about 200 meters deep and the sleeping southern one. After the eruption they melted together.
Mt. Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only known volcano in the world that sometimes erupts natrocarbonatite lava, a highly fluid lava that contains almost no silicon. Natrocarbonatite lava (most fluid lava) is also much cooler than other lavas. During the day most of this lava flows look like fluid black oil. Some feel the lava flows resemble mud like?flows. Natrocarbonatite lava turns white when in contact with moisture. During rainy periods, the lava turns white almost immediately whilst this whitening takes longer during the dry periods.
Herds of zebra and wildebeest can sometimes be seen on the trip. A trip to the mountain can also cover other nearby areas of interest like Lake Natron, which is a breeding ground for all East African flamingos and other birds. There are several Maasai bomas (villages) which can be visited on additional cost, just talk to your driver guide. If you are interested, you can visit the nearby Mount Gelai with geysers and a brilliant waterfall.
