The most beautiful natural sites to discover Northern Parks And Kilimanjaro

The Rongai route is the only one that starts on the north side and remains there throughout the climb. It is protected from the rains that come from the east in more or less humid periods, and by taking it you have a better chance of coming across the local fauna (black and white Colobus monkeys). It is not very busy and technically fairly easy, and offers different scenery from the other routes to the south and west, including views over the Kenyan plains. It passes through the Hans Meyer cave and reaches the crater via Gillman's point before continuing to the summit.

The Umbwe route is the most difficult on Kilimanjaro, as it is the shortest. It takes 6 days to complete, and the risk of acclimatization problems is correspondingly higher. It is aimed at experienced climbers who already know their resistance to altitude sickness. We stop at Umbwe Camp (3,000 m) after 1,600 m of climbing on the first day, before waiting for Barranco Camp (3,850 m). The route is then identical to that of Machame and Lemosho, so it's very busy in high season. After the summit, last night at Millenum Camp.

The "Northern Circuit" is the most recent route. On the northern flank of the Kili, it is better protected from the rains and can be completed in 8 to 10 days. It's quieter because it's less well-known. From the Londorossi gate to Big Tree (night 1) and then Shira 1 (night 2) in the forest, you climb 700 to 800 m per day, before climbing 1,000 m to Lava Tower (4,550 m). A peak that allows you to acclimatize as you descend to Buffalo Camp at 4,000 m and Third Cave Camp (3,870 m), before climbing back to School Huts camp at 4,870 m before the summit.

Caught, on the one hand, between Tsavo West National Park in Kenya and, on the other, the Southern Mountains and the Usambara Mountains, this reserve of 2 000 km ² is very well known for its exceptional botanical richness (90% of the country's varieties, including a strictly indigenous third party). The savannah is quite dry, which once hosted many black rhino, but still houses elephants, buffles, lions, leopards, small koudous, guérénouks, oryx, etc.

In 1998, 4 black rhino transported from South Africa to Antonov 12 were reintroduced on a special reserve of 50 km ², heavily mounted by rangers and fences used to protect them as much from a dangerous leak as a possible ill-intentioned human intrusion.

It is a 2 to 3 hour walk to the refreshing Engaresero waterfall, ideal for swimming not far from the village between basalt rock and palm trees. After going up the river with good shoes (but you will wet them), the waterfall forms an incredible natural rain curtain thanks to a beautiful rocky height and natural bubbling water pools.

Allow 6 hours of hiking to cross the rivers, reach the foot of the Great Rift Fault that you will take following a path traced by the Germans during the colonial period. Today, it is used only by Maasai who travel extensively throughout their territory from Kenya to visit their families, and by local villagers who move their livestock for shepherds, or who sell jewellery and handicrafts for women. We do a bit of driving with the people we meet on the way, young shepherds playing in the rocks, then we gradually climb to reach the beginning of the Serengeti highlands at 1,300 m, a steep rocky ledge that offers a spectacular view of Lake Natron. We then continue across the great windblown plain where Maasai villages (the famous bomas) built of cow dung and dried earth scatter in the vastness of the landscape. A traditional way of life still intact here. We then stop to get to know the women and children, creating a certain animation, until the time comes to buy jewellery. An exchange here privileged because outside the tourist circuits, one comes only after having discussed, exchanged, it is very pleasant because one takes one's time. The return passes by Engaresero where a stopover is recommended to soak up the more "modern" atmosphere of the village, contrasting with the village life that we have just discovered.

Ol Doinyo Lengai dominates Lake Natron from its 2,878 m and stands out in the savannah landscape, often escorted by white clouds appearing as thick scattered smoke (but they are clouds today). It is a roughly circular mountain with a conical appearance on the horizon like any volcano, but in reality with concave slopes (so steeper and steeper). On the lower slopes, you may see hyenas or oréotragues (small African antelopes). On the ridge, from which a superb view of this 500 m diameter crater emerges, greenish or yellow cracks appear, releasing sulphur-laden fumes. Lengaï lava has the particularity of being composed, in particular, of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), which in the 48 hours following its release into the open air solidifies by taking on a white colour, even brighter under the sun, which, from a distance, on the road from Serengeti to Olduvai for example, gives the impression that the volcano is snow-covered.

Religion. "The Mountain of God", in Maasai, is of paramount importance to this Nilotic tribe. Although converted to Christianity by missionaries who provide them with small material help, the Maasai are deeply animist and believe in the spirits of nature, regardless of whether their totally pagan traditions stick to Christian precepts, and that is good. Precisely the sky is considered as God and the blue has a sacred character symbolizing the Almighty but also fertility (and dresses women in tradition). The Maasai, however far from the sacred mountain, regularly come here to make pilgrimages, sacrifice animals to invoke the gods and ask for mild rains, fertile soils for their animals, large offspring or peace between villages. There are many complaints. But the fervour was very impressive during the last big eruption in 2008. Virgin women were asked to go and collect the hot ashes of the volcano threatening the villages, considered as God's offerings, by singing and praying to the volcano day and night. No one wanted to be evacuated despite the government's insistence on protecting local populations from a possible eruption. The Maasai, who consider the mountain to be protective, invoked the most beautiful gods to ask for their protection, sacrificing even more animals to obtain its mercy and indeed no one was killed and the volcano calmed down after violent outbursts of lava.

Volcanology. Haroun Tazieff came to observe Ol Doinyo Lengai, the only volcano in real activity on the Great Rift before those of Ethiopia, one of the youngest volcanoes in East Africa and perhaps the most active. The volcanologist came to study this very fluid lava specially - of a viscosity comparable to water, imagine! - rock, much colder than other types of lava and melts at "only" 500°C. The last major eruptions took place in 1992, 1983 and, above all, in 1967 and then in 2007 and 2008. The eruption was most violent in 1967, scattering hot ashes as far as Seronera, 100 km away. The runoff poisoned entire herds of Maasai cattle. The Maasai were convinced that their god was very angry and had unleashed himself on their beasts, their most precious possession. Thousands of animals died poisoned by the volcano's toxic ashes. In 2007 and 2008, lava flowed dramatically from the crater during 4 eruptions. Since then, it has been in relative calm, but it could burst into flames at any time.

The ascension. It is being prepared in Engaresero, where the office of guides and rangers is located, but Arusha agencies also offer it with 4x4 transfers included (but it is more expensive). The ascent and descent take 4 to 5 hours in each direction at a very average pace. It is absolutely not necessary to bring a rope to climb Ol Doinyo Lengai, you just have to be in good shape and not have any breathing problems. The effort is really worth it. If you want to cook up there, you have to bring fuel and a lot of equipment, it might be easier to settle for sandwiches. It is often customary to leave in the middle of the night at around 1am to watch the sunrise from the top of the mountain on the plain, magical! But also to avoid the overwhelming heat of the day during the ascent. Return to the lodge around noon.

If you prefer to do it during the day, it is advisable to leave very early to avoid the heat of the day, around 5am.

Take a 4x4 to the track that runs south along the escarpment and climbs for about fifteen kilometres. After crossing a few korrongos (erosion beds), you will reach the maximum point of slope that can be crossed by the vehicle.

The walk is done on three successive types of terrain, a path first rises slowly in the tall grass. Then the slope rises, and on a ground of stone and volcanic sand, we go straight along a ridge parallel to korrongos 15 m deep at first, but then less and less marked. Finally, the last third is the steepest part, which is climbed on ashes in which the foot sinks and slides (always straight ahead, following a small lava bar to the right).

North of the Ngonrogoro crater, from the museum where you can pick up a guide for this visit, you can make an interesting expedition to Nassera Rock, a large 100m high rock rising in the middle of the plains, where traces of habitat have shown that people have lived there since prehistoric times. Quite old paintings, probably Maasai, decorate the bottom of the walls. The crossing is interesting, especially between December and March, at the time of the great wildebeest migration. It is also a first choice observatory because it overlooks the plain and the wild animals which graze peacefully there. We first pass Naiborsoit ("white stones"), and after 14 km, we reach the shifting sands, a curved dune of almost 100 m long and 9 m high, formed of sand and ash from the Ol Doinyo Lengaï volcano, and which advances towards the west of about 20 m per year. We continue northwards along Longoijo ("the mountain of the fertile cattle"), Nondekien ("the mountain of the killed bird"), in memory of a plane that crashed here in the 1930s, killing two people, while two injured survivors were rescued by the Maasai. But also Olomirakini Sowaten ("the mountain of donation"), where the surrounding Maasai villages offered goats and cows to the warriors. After 16 km, after passing the Korrongo, you reach Nassera Rock. The rock can be climbed on its eastern side: the view is superb. The area is inhabited by eland and giraffe.

You can continue east into Angata Kiti for 20km and then north into Sanjan ("the treeless plain") for 24km, following the mountain on the right. As you cross the Korrongo River, you can see the Olkarie Gorge cutting into the mountain, over 150 m high. A colony of Rupell's vultures lives on the walls, as well as baboons that fight from time to time (beware of falling rocks), Verreaux's eagles and great horned owls. Maasai sometimes take their animals to drink in holes at the bottom of the gorge, a little before the natural bridge.

You can continue south to pitch your tent in a very basic Tanapa camp (you have to take everything with you) located at the edge of the conservation area which is about 1 km from the gorge, near the village of Malambo, towards Lake Natron. A very wild and remote area where few tourists venture and where it is necessary to leave well equipped, with good guides and 4x4.

This is one of the three most popular camp routes, as the scenery is fabulous and acclimatization easier, and it can be completed in 7 to 8 days. In reality, it begins on the west side of Kilimanjaro in the rainforest (Forest Camp, Shira 1 and 2), then joins the Machame route via the Lava Towers (a peak at 4,630 m) before descending to Barraco Camp, an acclimatization strategy that pays off before climbing back up to the summit. In high season, the route is very busy, especially from the Lava Tower.

Magnificent and unmissable: the Chemka (or Kikuletwa) hot springs. An oasis tucked away in the vegetation and made up of heavenly pools of incredibly clear emerald-green tepid water, frequented by locals at weekends. Take the time to swim against the current and jump into the water with a trapeze - splash! You can also rent a buoy. A few pretty souvenirs on site, and something to eat if you've forgotten your picnic.

Day hike to the Chagga village of Materuni, at 2,500 m altitude, close to a 70-metre-high waterfall that you reach in 8 kilometers (300 m ascent). Formed by the glaciers of Kilimanjaro, the view of the summit is magnificent on a clear day. On the way back, you visit a "shamba", a coffee, banana and avocado plantation. A welcome break for a coffee roasting and tasting demonstration with your local lunch.

Moshi, Tanzania, is a tourist destination offering a wide range of outdoor activities. Rau Eco & Cultural Tourism Enterprise is a local company offering a variety of tours and experiences in the region. Activities include bike tours of the Lower Moshi rice fields, silent walks and meditations in the Rau Forest, Tanzanian cooking classes near the Rau Forest, guided tours of the Rau Forest focusing on medicinal plants, homestays near the Rau Forest, nature walks in the Rau Forest and night tours of the Rau Forest.