Once it gets in contact with moisture, the lava turns white. Looking at Ol Doinyo Lengai with unsuspecting eyes, you might think its peak is covered in snow, while in fact it is black lava turned white.
While you can climb the mountain, you need to be prepared for a tough hike: once in contact with rain, the decomposed lava rocks turn brittle and crumble easily, making the steep ascent all the more demanding.
Only a few kilometres from the mountain, scientists discovered several hundreds of ancient footprints, preserved in a mudflat near the village of Engare Sero for the past 19,000 years. One area shows so many footprints that the scientists nicknamed it the “dance room”.