Ol Doinyo Lengai
The only volcano on earth erupting natrocarbonatite lava, which flows black and cool and turns white in days.
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Ol Doinyo Lengai rises to about two thousand nine hundred metres 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. Climbs start around midnight so the summit is reached before the heat.
What you actually see
- 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.
Honest expectations
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.
What to pack for Ol Doinyo Lengai
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.