Ol Donyo Sampu is a beautiful mountain located right on the Kenyan-Tanzanian border, towering close to
1000 Meter above Lake Natron. The peak promises spectacular views of Lake Magadi, Lake Natron, the
Loita Hills as well as Gelai, Ol Donyo Lengai, the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands and the Northern
Serengeti.
Access to Ol Donyo Sampu from the Kenyan side is via Magadi and involves a border crossing
into Tanzania, however, very much through No Man’s Land.
Saturday 11th September
Departing Nairobi at 8am driving to Magadi and onwards to Pakasi Village at the edge of Lake Natron
(around 4 hours) where we will meet with the guide and porters around noon. Here, we will also meet Alex
and a group of bikers who will ride down from Nairobi on Friday and join the hike at this point.
From here, we will drive to the base of the Nguruman escarpment (around 20 Min drive) where we will
leave the cars.
Starting here, we will hike up to the top of the plateau (around 3 hours) and camp overnight.
There is no water directly at the campsite and therefore we will either have to take our own water or arrange
for a donkey to go up with water ahead of us.
The campsite with the top of Ol Donyo Sampu in the background
Sunday 12th September
We will start hiking at sunrise, all the way to the peak of Ol Donyo Sampu. It is very difficult to predict how
long this will take as this will depend on how dense the vegetation is (we chose September for this hike as it
is the middle of the dry season and therefore, the bush should be a lot less dense then when we reccied the
area in May). My estimate for the hiking distance from the campsite to the peak is 4-6 hours.
We will return to the base of the and either drive back to Nairobi or camp at the local community camp
ground.
What to bring:
• Hiking boots/clothing and rain gear
• Camping gear including tent, sleeping bag, etc.
• Self catering food – for the two days including trail food
• Water for the days on the mountain (about 4lts per person per day) – We will pass a river on the way
up to the plateau but I don’t know if there is any water on the mountain
• Day pack – to carry water, snacks for the hike to the peak, etc
• Sun screen, binoculars & Hat
• Camera
Cost of the trip:
• Fees for the guide: 1500 KSH per day (to be shared between us)
• Fees for a porter: 500 KSH per day (for those who want to take a porter)
• Conservation fees for residents: 800 KSH per day
• Camping fees for residents: 500 KSH
• Travel costs: Car pooling – fuel cost of owner of vehicle divided by number of passengers.
Contact:
Florian, florian@enchanting-africa.com, 0727 587829
