Walk the volcanic Ngorongoro Highlands from Olmoti and Empakai craters to the Rift Valley and flamingo-filled Lake Natron.
- Duration
- 7 Days
- Style
- Trekking
- Country
- Tanzania
- Format
- Private
7 days · Trekking
At a glance
- 7
- Days
- 6
- Nights
- 5
- Places to stay
- Private
- Group
Where you'll stay
- Camping
- Special campsite
- Private camp on the Empakai crater rim
- Private campsite near the escarpment
- Private campsite near Lake Natron
4 stops across Tanzania
- 1ArushaDays 1–7
- 2Lake ManyaraDay 1
- 3Ngorongoro CraterDays 1–3
- 4Lake NatronDays 3–7
Every day is flexible — we tune the pace, lodges and game drives to you.
Arusha to Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro
Depart Arusha for Lake Manyara National Park for game viewing, with a picnic lunch around 13:00, famous for tree-climbing lions, elephants, hippos, zebras, buffaloes, baboons, huge birdlife, and baobab trees. Around 15:30 drive to Ngorongoro to arrive for sunset.
Where you stay
Camping (Simba Campsite)
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Ngorongoro Crater game drive and Olmoti Crater
Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a morning game drive, then continue to Olmoti Crater, hike to the rim and down to the waterfalls where the Munge River pours through a notch in the rim. Walk from Nainokanoka ranger post through the forest to the top of the waterfall, then continue to Embulbul for the night.
Where you stay
Special campsite
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Olmoti Crater to Empakai Crater
Continue to Empakai Crater and hike down into it with an armed ranger. The 6 km wide caldera contains forest and a deep lake where flocks of flamingos can be spotted. From the rim you look out to the cone of Oldonyo Lengai, the Great Rift Valley and Lake Natron, and on a clear day perhaps snow-capped Kilimanjaro.
Where you stay
Private camp on the Empakai crater rim
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Empakai to the Rift Valley
Using donkeys for camp porterage, walk down from Empakai Crater towards the edge of the Rift Valley Escarpment and camp at an excellent viewpoint of the Rift Valley and the cone of Lengai, 'Mountain of God' to the Maasai.
Where you stay
Private campsite near the escarpment
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Rift Valley to Lake Natron
Trek into the Rift Valley to the base of Ol Doinyo Lengai, with cliffs on one side, Lake Natron ahead and the Lengai stratovolcano on the other. Relax at a comfortable campsite near Lake Natron.
Where you stay
Private campsite near Lake Natron
Meals
Full board
Lake Natron
A full-day tour of Lake Natron: the Engaresero river gorge, breeding flamingos in the soda lake, waterfalls and rift cliffs (water shoes and swimsuit required).
Where you stay
Private campsite near Lake Natron
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lake Natron back to Arusha
After breakfast, drive from Lake Natron back to Arusha.
Meals
Breakfast
Rates are in US dollars, per person sharing, based on the lodges in this itinerary. We'll confirm exact pricing for your dates and party.
Per person sharing
USD
From, per person sharing, USD (group of 2–6+, twin/double); quoted in the source for the 5- and 7-day Ngorongoro trekking options. Prices are guides and may change with season, availability and exchange rates. See our terms for payment and cancellation details.
Included
- Walking guide, park ranger and Maasai warriors accompany every trek
- Donkeys carry luggage and supplies
- Camping throughout (campsites)
- Meals as listed (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Love this itinerary? Let's tailor every detail.
Tell us your dates and who's travelling — a Wildhorn designer will send a personal quote within 24 hours.
