• Distance: Approx. eight miles (12.9 km)
• Duration: Eight to 12 hours
• Start and end point: Engaresero village
• Difficulty: Strenuous

Most trekkers coming to Tanzania think Kilimanjaro is the big challenge – after all, it’s Africa’s highest mountain and it’s a minimum six day round trip. So they’re surprised when I tell them Kili is nothing compared to climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai, a free-standing active volcano that dominates Lake Natron and the Rift Valley in the country’s far north.

On paper this is a simple day hike – up and back down in one go. But failure rates here are higher than on Kilimanjaro, thanks to its fiercely steep slopes, largely on loose scree and volcanic ash.

You depart around 11pm in order to climb during the cooler nighttime hours and reach the summit in time for sunrise, then turn around and head back down the same way. It’s a grueling climb but the reward upon reaching the summit is a panoramic view of the Great Rift Valley, the nearby Lake Natron, and even Mt. Kilimanjaro on clear days.

Need to know

You can climb Ol Doinyo Lengai year-round, but the best hiking conditions are during the dry months of January to February and again in June to October.

I’ve done this climb four times and my main piece of advice is to prepare yourself well. You must be fit and ready for a challenge. Good quality hiking boots are essential and a sturdy walking pole would help. Bring a change of clothes because you’ll be drenched in sweat at the top and will feel freezing cold. And of course you need several litres of water and plenty of food. This should be arranged for you if you go with a trekking operator.