Empakai Crater hike

What you'll do

Leave camp just after dawn or in the soft sun of the afternoon, to explore the Ngorongoro's little brother on foot. The Empakai Crater is an ancient volcano caldera ringed by walls of lush forest where birds of every feather flit between the strangler figs and you may spot blue monkeys swinging from branches and bushbucks in the thicket. At the crater's edge, you can see the endless Tanzania plains, the snow-topped Mount Kilimanjaro and Tanzania's most recently active volcano. In the crater's belly, a glimmering alkaline lake is home to a flurry of flamingo and buffalo who stop for a drink. It's quite a trek so reasonable walking fitness is a 'must'.