Other Treks

Mount Meru, Ngorongoro Highlands, Mount Longido

Mount Meru

Though often ignored in favour of its’ big sister Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru is a worthy trekker’s paradise. This massive volcano towers over 3,000 meters above Arusha town, which lies at the foothills on its south side. The mountain endured a violent explosion in the distant past, and in its wake the explosion left towering cliffs in a gaping U shaped ridge facing east towards Kilimanjaro. The crater stands today in a protected amphitheatre of sorts, thousands of feet below the summit rocks. The craggy top lies at the westernmost point of the summit ridge and juts boldly into the sky at 4566 mt. (14,979 feet). From the top, one can look out at Kilimanjaro from the highest perch possible…. Perhaps there is no better vantage point to gaze at Africa’s tallest mountain, approximately 80 km to the northeast.

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One of the best views of Kilimanjaro; from above the clouds on Mount Meru.

What makes Mt. Meru truly special is the chance to see animals on foot, and explore the Meru Crater. This area is home to elephant, cape buffalo, giraffe, elephant, waterbuck, bushbuck, dik dik, warthog, olive baboon, Abyssinian (black & white) Colobus monkey, sykes monkey, and you may find traces of leopard, civet cat, red duiker and mountain duiker, plus a huge diversity of birds. An armed ranger joins all Mt. Meru treks, for safety. Trekking here can be done in the Meru Crater on a popular day-trip that we offer. A climb to the summit is usually done in a three-night / four-day itinerary, though it can be done more quickly. The minimum age to climb to the summit is 12 years.

Ngorongoro Highlands Trek (Empakai Crater to Lake Natron)

The highlands of Ngorongoro are home to some of the East Africa’s most spectacular sights; misty forests and rolling hills, ancient craters and the noble Maasai who inhabit the area. The trek begins at the rim of the remote Empakai Crater, a forested crater with an emerald green lake at its bottom. The first day’s hike is around the lake at the Empakai crater floor, then the next day the trek begins in earnest, from Empakai Crater downwards into the highland meadows to a small Maasai village called Nayobi. We spend the night camping in a private Acacia grove atop the Rift Valley escarpment, with magnificent views of Ol Doinyo Lengai, the ‘Maasai Mountain of God’, and the world’s ‘coolest’ volcano. On the third day we continue down the Rift Valley escarpment wall to the base of Ol Doinyo Lengai and the great expanse of Lake Natron and the salt flats that surround it. We set a camp near a clear, cool river which flows from a nearby waterfall emanating from a fissure in the escarpment wall. Year-round, this clear river flows into the barren, parched plain close to Lake Natron, and disappears into the sand! From here there are many trekking options, including a trek up Ol Doinyo Lengai. Of course, this itinerary can be included as part of any safari, including Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire & Manyara before or afterwards.

This trek is suitable for people of many ages and abilities, but the minimum age recommended is 10 years. The daily trekking time ranges from 4 to 6 hours, and trekkers are only required to carry a daypack.

nd2On the Ngorongoro highlands trek, with Ol Doinyo Lengai looming behind & below on the Rift Valley floor

Mount Longido

Mount Longido dominates the skyline above Longido, where we operate a private seasonal camp and our signature trekking program. Longido rises approximately 1,000m from the acacia woodlands which surround it., to 2,625m at the summit. The mountain is remote, and there are no ‘hiking’ trails…we follow animal trails and our Maasai guides keep a careful lookout for Cape Buffalo. The trek is an adventure, and usually a full day expedition, challenging yet extremely rewarding, and well off the tourist tracks!

nd3Making the final effort to reach Mount Longido’s bald-rock summit.

 

Best Responsible Guide Company

Our safari with Nature Discovery has been the experience which changed our lives! We spent 10 days in the north to see the migration, each day a new adventure in the parks, being part of nature. The camping in public camps has been unforgettable: totally immersed, no price! Emilie, Henry our guide, and Jacks our cook made the trip perfect.

Augusta & Andrea, France

We had the most exciting moments of our lives! Our main guide Polite and his well-organized team were amazing. We could feel their overall experience, care, knowledge, and safety in every step. Even the hardest moments they didn’t give us a single doubt that we will not make it to the peak! Keeping us in positive thinking and perfect organization helped us reach the Peak of Kilimanjaro!

Laura Kaukenaite, Lithuania

Very well organized safari and activities, great choice of accommodations. Upendo helped a lot with organizing the perfect safari, communication was always very fast and clear. The biggest Thank You goes out to Mbise who was a reliable, funny, and heartwarming guide, who made us feel comfortable the whole trip, showed us amazing wildlife and taught us a lot about Tanzanian life and culture.

Anna, Austria

Très bon circuit avec un guide très professionnel où on a pu voir des milliers d’animaux dans leur lieu de vie. Des instants magiques. La journée à Longido était super avec Sambeke. Juste j’aurais aimé partir une fois au lever du soleil en safari. Émilie a été super disponible à l’écoute de nos attentes. Sinon tout était au top. Voyage juste magique.

Lamera, France

If like us you have done a huge amount of reading/research and are unsure which tour operator to use, then look no further than Nature Discovery. The communication from the central office is quick and clear as you email direct to the office in Arusha. We undertook two trips with this company and could not fault them.

Michelle, UK

Working with Upendo to plan this amazing experience was absolutely wonderful. She was thoughtful, knowledgeable, professional, and impressively responsive. When we arrived, she helped us have an amazing experience in Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, Kilimanjaro, and Arusha National Park. Even when we came out of the mountain trek a day early, she made us wonderful last-minute accommodations. Upendo is a dream to work with.

Gretchen Warner, USA

Very good safari, enjoyed a lot. Good communication from start to end. Our guide was experienced and very nice. Recommendations!

Markku Nieminen, Finland

I have just returned from the trip of a lifetime to Tanzania with Nature Discovery. I completed the 8-day Grand Traverse Kilimanjaro Trek, followed by a two-day Safari in Tarangire. The entire trip was extraordinary. Everyone who supported us on the Kilimanjaro trek was kind, caring, generous, professional, happy, and supportive. I strongly recommend Nature Discovery for the trip of a lifetime!

Katrina, Australia

Tout d’abord sachez que nous avons été enchantés de notre voyage en Tanzanie. La partie Nord que vous avez organisée a été parfaite, elle a pleinement répondu à nos attentes. Les lodges étaient tous super bien très différents des uns des autres. Mais surtout la réussite de cette partie du voyage tient à un nom… Joseph ! Il a été exceptionnel à tous niveaux, professionnel, précis, discret, humble.

Pierrette Mercadal, Nouvelle Calédonie, France

Excellent organization with a very good choice of accommodation. Quality welcome and contact on arrival. Pleasant and competent French-speaking guide, thanks to Joseph and Emilie for this wonderful trip.

Brigitte de Coulon, Switzerland

It was fabulous! Excellent organization, super guide. If it was possible, we could come back again just with Nature Discovery. We have a lot of memorable pictures. It was a wonderful trip. Thanks a lot.

Cochemé, France

Very well planned and very nice both the organization and the guide. Very supportive during all the organization and the hotels chosen have been incredible. Very recommendable.

Ana, Spain

Excellent support from Emilie from Nature Discovery, who organized our safari. She listened carefully beforehand to understand our wishes and adjusted our itinerary accordingly. Contacts by email and WhatsApp were very fluid and responsive. We felt very well accompanied throughout our entire trip. The safari itself ran perfectly. Our guide and driver, Joseph, was very friendly and attentive.

Sophie Valais, France

C’est Emilie de Nature Discovery qui nous a organisé ce SAFARI photos. Ce fut parfait : très professionnel, tout à la hauteur de nos esperances aussi bien les parcs que les lodges, et aucun incident à deplorer. Cerise sur le gateau: notre guide Joseph PANDA, parle parfaitement le français, plein de savoir sur la faune, repere les animaux mieux qu’une paire de jumelles et est très attentionné.

Mantovani Mireille, Nouvelle Caledonie

Excellent safari, with a great guide/driver (Nelvin) and a perfect contact officer (Emilie). We saw what was supposed to be expected (Mara River crossings) and much more. We are strongly recommending Nature Discovery for a Northern Tanzania safari (including a Zanzibar extension).

Marc Lebrun, France

It was the second time now that we went on safari with ND and it was the best decision to book it with them again. Everything was so easy, the correspondence was uncomplicated, same as the organization and planning of the trip. If we needed any assistance or help even before the trip, it was no problem at all. We always felt safe throughout the trip.

Janine, Germany
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