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Oldoinyo Lengai (pronounced ol doyn-yo len-guy) is an active volcano in the Eastern Rift Valley, and it is home to the Masai God Eng’ai, who signals her wrath with eruptions and drought. The name means ‘Mountain of God’ in the language of the Masai people who inhabit this area. Oldoinyo Lengai is of particular interest to geologists because it is the world’s only active volcano that erupts natrocarbonatite lava. It is also the only active volcano in this part of the East African Rift Valley, though there are many older extinct volcanoes in this region. Oldoinyo Lengai rises a startling 2,330 m/7,650 ft above the parched Rift Valley floor to a height of 2,886 m/9,469 ft.
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Referred to as the strangest volcano on Earth, Oldoinyo Lengai earns
its reputation when it erupts. Unusually cool, highly fluid lava
produces a whimsical world of geologic fantasies that include
extrusions frozen in flight. These natrocarbonatite flows have a
chemical composition akin to laundry soap, and exposed to the
atmosphere, the lava quickly hardens and decays. Unlike common basalt
lavas, which are sticky with silica, Lengai’s lavas are mostly slick
sodium carbonate with the viscosty of olive oil. Volcanic froth rich in
carbon dioxide can spew into the air as liquid lava and harden in
midair. Some of the big drops can form little parachutes, and look like
silver flying through the air before hitting the ground with the sound
of breaking glass. Lengai’s Dr. Seussian formations can crumble a day
after they are born, and you can judge their age by their color. Even
raindrops accelerate the decomposition.
The climb up Oldoinyo Lengai is extremely strenuous, requiring a
gain of 1,676 m/5,500 ft. You start the steep 6-hour climb around
midnight with the goal of reaching the crater rim for sunrise. After
enjoying a rest and the sunrise, you can explore the crater where you
may smell sulfur, and see smoke escaping from cracks in the earth. The
highpoint inside the crater is a steep eroded pinnacle left over from
the violent erruption in 1966. You can scramble about halfway up this
pinnacle on a ridge, but the final climb up the crumbling summit tower
is not suitable for trekkers. This is the Mountain of God, and in this
case, it is best to leave the active summit inviolate.
After exploring the crater, you complete your adventure by doing a
4 hour hike down the mountain’s loose dirt and slippery stones.
Oldoinyo lengai is part of our 8 days individual hiking/camping safari and our 10 days group safari with weekly departure every sunday.
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