Empakaai Crater Hike

Enjoy the view from the crater rim before hiking through the forest down to the crater lake The relatively unknown Empakaai Crater lies some 40 kilometers northeast of its famous neighbour, the Ngorongoro Crater. Other than its big brother, the Empakaai Crater has a crater lake that fills most of the crater floor, and that draws flamingos and other water birds. The lake is surrounded by steep-sided, forested cliffs that are at least 300 meters high. The view from the crater rim is one of the most appealing in northern Tanzania, and hiking down into the crater through its thick, mountainous forest is a wonderful experience as well. You can make the walk accompanied by a ranger. It’s a magical experience that allows you to be close to nature at its best, with sweeping views of the highlands as a beautiful extra. It’s a 30-minute walk to descent into the crater and it takes about an hour to climb back up. Duration of this activity depends a lot on how much you will like this activity. If you take a lot of time to take pictures / videos from the wildlife high in the trees, the duration will be longer and opposite.