Empakaai Crater Hike

The hidden crater

Empakaai lies in the northern Ngorongoro highlands, a long drive from the main crater along a rough track past Maasai villages and grazing cattle. From the rim, on a clear day, you can see the cone of Ol Doinyo Lengai and sometimes Kilimanjaro on the horizon. The trail drops steeply through montane forest to the crater floor, roughly 300 metres below, where a soda lake covers much of the bottom. Flamingos gather here in varying numbers, along with other waterbirds, and you may see bushbuck, buffalo and blue monkeys in the forest. The walk down takes about an hour and the climb back up a little longer, so a reasonable level of fitness is needed. An armed ranger accompanies every group, and a picnic lunch on the shore is a highlight.