A lot of people skip Lake Natron and I'm really glad I included it. Natron is hard to get to. It took us 4 hours of driving to get between Tarangire and Natron. Only about 45 minutes of that is on pavement, then it's a dirt road the rest of the way. The first two hours on the dirt road was decent for us. The last hour and a half was ROUGH, even by backroads Montana standards. It's also very hot most of the year. I was there in December and the daily high temperatures were well over 95.
The payoff is in the stark beauty, the remoteness, the lack of tourists. I was the only person at Lake Natron Camp the first night I was there. The second night there was one other traveler, a French photographer who was shooting the night sky and the tens of thousands of flamingos. Most people come here for the massive number of flamingoes, up to 200,000 by some counts. They are a short 10 minute walk from camp.
Flamingos at Lake Natron (Kassandra Magruder)
Lake Natron Camp has a natural spring that flows into the lake. They have built a swimming hole and an awning provides shade. It's a fantastic place to relax, read a book and have a beverage. Zebra graze along the banks of the spring and provide a picturesque backdrop.
Lake Natron Camp (Kassandra Magruder)
The guides at Lake Natron Camp are Masaai and I was matched with Lemburis. Just out of college and from the local community, he was a great companion for my 2 days at Natron. He took me hiking to a splendid waterfall, where we escaped the scorching mid-day heat.
\Ngare Sero Waterfall - Lake Natron (Kassandra Magruder) Lemburis guiding a hike in Lake Natron (Kassandra Magruder)
He taught me about the local culture and community. I was shocked that someone from such a remote village had gone to university and come back to his community to work as a guide. As a female traveling solo, I sometimes find myself in situations that could go bad. I never worried when I was with Lemburis and my main guide, Charles. These gentlemen not only were fantastic guides, but made me feel 100% safe 100% of the time.
Lake Natron Camp (Kassandra Magruder)
The road from Natron heads northwest and into the Serengeti. There are plans to pave it, which will make it a faster drive. I'm hoping more people will visit Natron in the future. There is also an airstrip here, so it's possible to fly in and out. For serious hikers, this is where you climb Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano. You leave at midnight, to be on top at sunrise. I was tempted, but not with temperatures in the high 90's. Maybe during dry season :)
View of Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano from Lake Natron (Kassandra Magruder)
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.