5 days/4 Nights Ngorongoro Highland Trekking Adventure

Overview

This 5-day trekking adventure takes you to the diverse landscapes of the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands, Olmoti and Empakai crater. The track will give you , above all, the greatest sceneries on earth you will never imagine they exist. It is such a breathtaking hiking through the wide grass and mountainous countryside as well as thick mountain forest and the volcanic stamped savannah landscape of the Rift Valley. You will experience the unique landscapes, beautiful wildlife and an insight in the life of the famous Maasai people living in the area. This trek gets you closer to nature than ever before.

5days/4 Nights Ngorongoro Highland Trekking Adventure from Moshi &Arusha

Day 1: Moshi/Arusha – Olmoti Crater – Nainokanoka

You will be picked up from your hotel in Moshi/ Arusha after breakfast and travel on a good tar road to the village of Mto wa Mbu with the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley towering up ahead. From a viewpoint above the town you will see the Masai plains stretch to the horizon with the alkaline Lake Manyara down below. A short drive further and you will reach the gate of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The journey continues along the scenic crater road, to the Masai village of Nainokanoka. While the camp is being set up, you will hike to the rim of the Olmoti Crater during the afternoon. Besides the Maasai and their livestock you can sometimes see eland, buffalo and reedbuck. There is also a possibility to visit Munge waterfalls along the way originated from the waters of the Crater walls, crossing the caldera and plummets down over cliffs, falling some hundreds of metres into the steep-sided ravine below. Dinner will be served at the camp at an altitude of 2650masl.

Day 2: Nainokanoka – Bulati

After breakfast your Masai guide will arrive with his donkeys. After loading camping gears on the donkeys, the journey begins and you will pass many traditional Masai bomas and cattle herds. Soon, you might also see wild animals such as Thompson and Grant’s gazelles, zebras and wildebeests with hungry jackals not far behind and majestic eagles observing the situation. After approximately 16 km of hiking you will reach a campsite not far from the Masai village Bulati.

Day 3: Bulati – Empakai

After breakfast, the journey goes up a hill from where you have a last panoramic view of the grass plains below. The trek continues up and down through the bushy landscape which finally opens up to the active volcano, Oldonyo Lengai. The trek gives you great views of the majestic volcano as well as into the impressive Empakai Crater before reaching the campsite for the night. You can explore the crater and on a well-maintained path you descend to Lake Empakai inside the crater. This alkaline soda lake is an important food source for flamingos, which can be seen throughout the year. Returning to camp supper will be waiting for you. During the night you might hear the flamingos call as they fly back to their breeding nests at Lake Manyara and Lake Natron.

Day 4: Empakai Crater – Acacia Camp

Today you will hike to the Masai village Naiyobi and following a good path, the village as well as Oldonyo Lengai, an active volcano, can be seen from a distance. After lunch in Naiyobi, the trek leaves the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the landscape becomes drier and warmer. Tonight’s camp will be set up at amongst an acacia forest.

Day 5: Acacia Camp – Engare Sero – Arusha

The last stage of the journey is not too long and it goes mainly downhill. The highlights of the trek are the great views of Oldonyo Lengai, Lake Natron and the Rift Valley. The rugged countryside looks almost surreal covered by grey ash of the last eruption in 2007. The trek descends down into the dry and hot Rift Valley, where the ash can be seen up close. Around lunchtime you will reach the waiting vehicle and your driver will take you back to your hotel in Arusha.