| are a number of walking safaris across the | | | | Heat stroke is more serious with the signs/symptoms |
| Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Northern Tanzania | | | | being delirium, coma, rapid pulse, rapid breathing; skin |
| they vary in length from eight to twelve days. | | | | hot and dry, body temperature above 40c [104 f]. |
| Generally your safari will begin with a day or two of | | | | Treat as for heat exhaustion but this condition can |
| game drives. The Tarangire is a nice place to have | | | | be fatal so seek medical assistance quickly – |
| your pre-walking safari game drives. These first few | | | | evacuate if possible. |
| days can also include morning walking safari along the | | | | Day five will have you scramble down the |
| border of the park it is essential you take a guide | | | | sheer-sided slopes of Empakai onto the crater floor |
| and an armed ranger with you. Bellow is an eight day | | | | for a foot safari. Empakai Crater is a sunken volcano |
| itinerary | | | | with a soda lake covering most of the crater floor. |
| On day three the walking safari proper begins. | | | | Flamingos nest here during the day to escape the |
| Starting in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and | | | | blazing heat of the Rift Valley. A large forest on the |
| walking to the Olmoti crater takes about four hours | | | | western shore is home to antelope, buffalo, leopard |
| and is a pretty walk as you advance up through the | | | | and lion, with large seasonal zebra and wildebeest |
| rainforest slopes to the crater rim and viewpoint. | | | | populations when they pass through on their |
| As you walk across the Ngorongoro Conservation | | | | migratory circuits. Today makes the hard slog of the |
| area the altitudes will vary considerably. So be | | | | previous day well worth the effort. This is Africa as |
| prepared and have many layers of clothing available | | | | few tourists will ever experience. |
| as the temperature may vary as dramatically as the | | | | Day six and the Maasai Mountain of God, Oldonyo |
| altitude. A water proof jacket is essential. | | | | Lengai looms out of the sunrise as we head out early |
| Altitude related Illness can kill you and every year | | | | to avoid the African heat. We arrive at the |
| tourists die from altitude related illnesses. Higher | | | | escarpment, the sheer wall that looms out of the |
| altitudes are colder even in Africa; there is less | | | | Rift Valley floor, to admire one of the finest views in |
| oxygen and to walk slowly is essential especially if | | | | Africa. Bellow lays the sweeping vistas of the great |
| you climb above 1,500 to 3,000 meters above sea | | | | Rift Valley; a drop of 1500ft. The scattered active |
| level. You should be breathing easily with no panting | | | | volcanoes, primitive rock formations, glimmering soda |
| and no extreme physical excursion. Drink water | | | | lakes and clustered Maasai bomas make for a |
| regularly and eat a light diet with lots of | | | | dramatic and moving experience. The final six |
| carbohydrates. It is essential to keep warm. | | | | kilometers are across the tough uncompromising |
| The fourth day will continue across to the distant | | | | terrain of the valley floor is in extreme heat; it is a |
| Empakai Crater. This walk covers open grassland | | | | long six kilometers. The reward to your walk is a |
| through a dramatic natural amphitheatre created by | | | | shaded camp that is perched above a refreshing |
| encircling volcanoes. As you pass the local villages the | | | | stream, only a half-hours walk from a heavenly |
| Maasai will rush out of their traditional homes to greet | | | | waterfall. |
| you. A few moths ago as we passed a village the | | | | Day seven has a very early morning an optional climb |
| elders of the village asked for help with a woman | | | | of Ol Donyo Lengai (2878m), an active carbonated |
| who had just been bitten by a snake; we still had the | | | | volcano with spiritual significance to the Maasai. It is |
| vehicles with us were able to take this woman to a | | | | best not to book this climb in advance as many |
| hospital. Ordinarily this woman may have died as | | | | people are just too tired to climb this mountain. The |
| there are no clinics or hospitals in the area. | | | | climb starts at midnight so as to see the dawn from |
| Day four: The walk up to Empakai is steep and slow | | | | the top – it is also because the climb is very |
| going but affords awe-inspiring views, especially from | | | | steep and on loose scree and there is no shade from |
| the top where the sheer sided sunken crater can be | | | | the sun. The cost will be about US$50 per group of |
| seen. This is a special day as you will camp on the | | | | six people. |
| Crater Rim, with Empakai on one side and Ol Donyo | | | | The end to this walking safari is a visit to Lake |
| Lengai, the holy Masai volcano, on the other. Be | | | | Natron one of the soda alkaline lakes that jewel the |
| warned this day has about eleven hours of walking | | | | East African Rift, here is a display of water birds |
| and is a very tiring trek. | | | | including a multitude of resident pink flamingos. There |
| Hiking in hot or sunny weather often causes heat | | | | is also the opportunity, body willing after the past |
| exhaustion the signs/symptoms are weakness | | | | few days hiking, to walk up a gorge carved into the |
| fatigue, headache, vertigo, thirst nausea/vomiting | | | | Rift Escarpment to a waterfall to wash off five days |
| faintness high body temperature. The treatment is to | | | | of dust. |
| lay flat in shade, remove clothing to cool the patient, | | | | Day eight is a return to Arusha town where most |
| soak the body with cold water, re-hydrate patient | | | | safaris in Northern Tanzania begin and end. |
| and monitor body temperature. | | | | |