Ol Doinyo Lengai

Ol Doinyo Lengai rises to about two thousand nine hundred and sixty metres above sea level, close to two thousand above the Rift floor, and is the only volcano anywhere currently erupting natrocarbonatite, a lava so unlike ordinary basalt that it comes out at around five hundred degrees rather than eleven hundred, flows like thin oil, looks black in daylight and weathers to white powder within days. The Maasai name means mountain of God. The volcano stands about sixteen kilometres south of Lake Natron, and its summit was first explored between 1904 and 1915. Climbs start around midnight so the summit is reached before the heat.

What's there

• The natrocarbonatite lava - the world's only active volcano producing this lava type.
• The white weathering - black flows turning to white powder within days of erupting.
• The night climb - an ascent started around midnight to reach the crater at dawn.
• The Rift view - Natron, the escarpment and the plains from the summit.

When to go

June to October is the dry season and the usual climbing window. Climbs start at night and reach the top at sunrise. Activity varies and the crater changes between eruptions.

Things to know

The climb is very steep on loose ash and scree and is genuinely hard; many turn back. It is done at night with head torches and the descent in daylight heat is punishing. Activity can close the summit without notice.

Nearby

Lake Natron is north, and Engaruka is south.

Key facts