Lake Natron & Ol Doinyo Lengai

Lake Natron sits on the floor of the Great Rift Valley in far northern Tanzania, just short of the Kenyan border. It is a shallow, strongly alkaline soda lake, fed by rivers and hot springs and left to evaporate in the heat, so its edges crust over with salt that turns red and pink from the algae living in it. Those algae feed the lesser flamingos, and the lake is their most important breeding site in East Africa.

Above the lake rises Ol Doinyo Lengai, at about 2,960 metres. Its name means Mountain of God in the Maasai language, and it is the only active volcano known to erupt natrocarbonatite lava, which runs black and dries almost white. The climb is steep and loose underfoot, so it starts around midnight, reaching the rim near sunrise and avoiding the heat of the day.

Maasai families graze their herds on the dry plains around the lake. From the village of Ngare Sero a walk leads up a narrow river gorge to a series of waterfalls, and the southern shore is the place to watch flamingos in the evening light. Several of our walking safaris cross the Maasai bushland from Longido and Gelai to reach the lake on foot.

Natron is a long, rough drive from Arusha or Mto wa Mbu. Our Natron and Lengai trips run from three to five days, and the lake also features in longer safaris that continue to the Serengeti or the Crater Highlands.