Mt Oldoinyo Lengai

Oldoinyo Lengai is an active volcano Mountain with the possibility of climbing to the very top of the crater. The name Oldoinyo Lengai is the Maasai language for “Mountain of God”. that reflect sharp sparks when hit by rays.

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The Mountain of God

Oldoinyo Lengai is located along the East African Rift Valley wall escarpment north-east of the NGORONGORO highlands. Lengai is the most unique active volcano in the world mainly because it erupts Natrocarbonatite lava, a much cooler liquid and non sticky black/grayish crude oil like lava with temperatures of over 500°C, unlike the other volcanoes which produces basaltic lava with temperatures rising above 1,100°C.

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Less violent active volcano

Lengai’s less violent active volcano has been witnessed by many volcano enthusiasts ever since the early seventies and has become a great attraction of late. While the lava flow appears like a white water flowing stream and brownish mud they form into solidified lava crystals. This hike generally takes 3-5 hours to ascend and 2-3 hours to descend.

Why Mt Oldoinyo Lengai so special

The mountain was formed through volcanic activity associated with the East African great rift valley system. The rift is a tectonic boundary where the African Plate is splitting into two smaller plates, the Somali Plate and the Nubian Plate. The tension caused by this rifting creates fractures in the Earth’s crust, allowing magma to rise to the surface.