The former are mostly Maasai people, benefiting from local tourism. As a result, there is a close and often symbiotic relationship between human and wildlife communities here. The area is also notable for its location on village land rather than within a game reserve or national park that prohibits human settlement. This is one of the world’s largest collections of human footprints and well worth a visit. Descend to the shoreline however and marvel at ‘the Lake Natron footprints’, fossilized footfalls preserving moments over 120,000 years ago when two groups of Homo sapiens traversed the volcanic-ash terrain. With a magical location ‘guarding’ Lake Natron, Ol Doinyo Lengai is an extremely steep climb – but reach its peak and you are rewarded with breathtaking views over Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro and all the volcanoes of the Rift Valley! On a clear day this view is absolutely outstanding. Surrounded by the Great Rift itself, scenery really is what this destination is all about! Activities around Lake Natron Scenery however is breathtaking and with a population of lesser flamingo (approximately 2.5 million, the largest breeding colony in the world) congregating on the lakeshore to feast on the blue-green algae Spirulina, you are guaranteed a spectacular sight! Other wildlife highlights include spotting the long-necked gerenuk, but neither of these matches the sheer majesty of the landscape of Natron. The area does not claim to rival the neighboring Serengeti and Ngorongoro for wildlife numbers – big game is sparse here. The scenery is phenomenal some of the most spectacular in Africa. Approximately six hours drive from Arusha itself, this is an area well off the beaten track, consisting of a near-pristine forest reserve and extensive grass plains interspersed with mountains, rocky hills, and even a live volcano – Ol Doinyo Lengai, ‘Mountain of God’ in Maasai. The lake sits close to the Tanzania/Kenya border, in the Arusha region.

Lake natron in tanzania