7-Day Ngorongoro Highlands Trek with Lake Natron and Ol Doinyo Lengai

Kilimanjaro needs no ropes or technical climbing skills, but it is a serious high-altitude trek. You walk for several hours a day on uneven ground, nights are cold, and summit night starts around midnight in thin air. Walking regularly on hills before you come, with a loaded daypack, is the best preparation.

We choose routes and itineraries with enough days on the mountain, and we follow the principle of climbing high and sleeping low. On the Machame route, for example, you take short walks above camp at Shira, Lava Tower, Karanga and Barafu before returning to sleep lower. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water and tell your guide straight away about any headache, nausea or dizziness.

Many climbers use acetazolamide (Diamox) to help with acclimatisation, but it is a prescription medicine and not right for everyone. Talk to your own doctor before the trip, especially about allergies and side effects, and tell your guide if you are taking it.

Kilimanjaro can be climbed all year, but the driest months are mid-January to mid-March and late June to October, which are also the busiest. The long rains from late March to early June bring wet trails and cloud, and we generally advise against climbing then unless you are experienced in those conditions. November brings short rains, often in the afternoon.

On our Kilimanjaro packages with hotel nights, you stay at our partner hotel, Weru Weru River Lodge near Moshi, or a similar hotel, on the night before and the night after the climb. Your guide holds the pre-climb briefing and gear check there.

You need good broken-in hiking boots, warm layers including a down jacket, waterproof jacket and trousers, gloves, a warm hat, a headtorch and a daypack. Tents, mats and all group and cooking equipment are provided. Your specialist will confirm what can be rented locally, including sleeping bags, and send you a full packing list.

It is the hardest part of the trip. The path is steep and loose, with sections where you use your hands on rock, and there is almost no shade once the sun is up, which is why the climb starts in the middle of the night. No mountaineering skills are needed, but you should be fit and comfortable on steep ground. Allow four to five hours up.

Both start with the Ngorongoro Crater and end with Ol Doinyo Lengai. This one walks from Empakai straight to Acacia Camp and then gives you a full rest day at Lake Natron and the waterfalls before the climb. The Naiyobi version spends one more day on foot in the highlands and has less time at the lake.