Ol Doinyo Lengai (10,600 ft /3,231m) – an active volcano and holy mountain of the Maasai, Lake Natron, and possibly even Kilimanjaro may be seen from the crater rim.

“Oldoinyo Lengai” means “The Mountain of God” in the Maasai language. The summit of this strato-volcano affords direct views into the caldera of Tanzania’s only officially-certified active volcano, and the world’s only carbonatite volcano, records of eruptions have been maintained since 1883, the largest of which deposited ash 100 kilometers away in Loliondo on the Kenyan border to the northwest.

It is located in northern Tanzania lying just south of Lake Natron within the Great Rift Valley, in the heart of Maasai country, and locally regarded as a sacred mountain. Looking north from its summit crater, the hot barren salt flats of Lake Natron stretch into the distance. To the south stretch the crater Highlands and the Ngorongoro conservation area.

It is possible to walk across the crater floor. The ascent of Oldoinyo Lengai is demanding on account of the day time heat, lack of water, steep and unsuitable slopes of ash and crumbly rocks, and considerable height gain, normally you can start ascending the mountain at midnight and reach the summit at sunrise.