Mount Makarot to Lake Eyasi Trek Via Mokilal, Mti Moja and Intake

A good place to begin this trek is from Il Misigiyo campsite (also known as Landana to the Maasai) at the foot of 3130 meter high Mount Makarot (also known as Lemagarut), another of Northern Tanzania's extinct volcanoes in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Il Misigiyo is a scenic campsite in a forested area 17 kms from the main Ngorongoro-Serengeti road. Although designated a "special" or "private" camp (which makes it more expensive than a public camp), it is not exclusively private. Others may also be there, but at least they are camped a suitable distance away. Il Misigiyo is a wonderful place, especially at the end of the day. You are close to Maasai kraals and will see young shepherds bringing home their cattle and goats and hear their distinctive whistles to their animals. You might hear the Maasai shouting to each other after dark. I'm told this is their way of warning potentially dangerous animals that they are out and about as well. The stars are impressive in the night sky at Il Misigiyo. One night our camp was visited by nine hyenas.

Because you are in the NCA, you must have an armed ranger with you, especially if you plan on hiking to the top of Makarot to enjoy the views of Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and even Mt Lengai if you are lucky to catch the summit cloud free. (Best months for clarity are September and October.) The summit hike takes a fit person three to four hours round trip. Full day hikes can be done too, which incorporate a Makarot ascent. Your vehicle will collect you at the end of the day to transfer you back to Il Misigiyo. It is possible to encounter Cape buffalo in the high grasses on Makarot and all the Maasai have leopard stories, so it is vital to stay with your ranger and obey his direction at all times.

Il Misigiyo is also a convenient base from which to visit Endulen, a Maasai town 14 kms to the west. Not far from Endulen is Laetoli where Mary Leakey, wife of Louis Leakey, made the most important scientific discovery of her career, fossilized footprints of three hominids which proved that early man was upright and walking far earlier than was thought. These famous footprints are covered to protect them and the site is closed to the public, but the drive through this little visited area is worth it if you have the time. There are special campsites in Endulen and Laetoli, and along a trekking route which follows the Engitok and Jung'iro Rivers to the Naibartat Hills and beyond to Lake Ndutu . From Naibartat, at an elevation of 1777 meters, you have one of those amazing panoramas for which the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is known. Far below is Olduvai Gorge which runs between Lakes Ndutu and Masek and the area of gorge where the Leakeys spent their career searching for evidence of our ancestors and a regular stop for tourists now on their way through the conservation area. Naibartat's view would be perfect for a tented camp, so I am not surprised to hear the rumor that someone wants to do this. (But not without difficulty I expect.) Until then, if you make it to Naibartat, enjoy this special place which you will most likely have all to yourself. Arrange through your operator to drive to Naibartat to camp overnight after which you can undertake the long day's hike down to Ndutu. I've seen warthog, zebra and ostrich out Naibartat way during the dry season. The best time to be out here however would be December through March, especially if you plan to hike to Ndutu, because this is when the wildebeest are passing through. The only downside might be the black cotton soil on the track between Endulen and Naibartat.

Lake Eyasi Hike July 2007:

Day One: Il Misigiyo to Mokilal campsite: Maasai donkey wranglers and guides arrived early to load our fly camping gear and supplies of food and water for three days. For most of the day we cut across Maasailand in the direction of 3216 meter high Mt Oldeani, keeping its Makoromba Peak in sight. We passed an important watering hole for the Maasai's animals and numerous Maasai kraals. We often distracted little Maasai boys from their duties as shepherds. Ostrich and zebra grazed side by side with the Maasai cattle. There are several routes to Mokilal. Our Maasai guide lead us on a longer one than our donkeys took. We climbed steadily for six hours, often through swirling mists, and covered a distance of 14 kms. Mokilal is a treeless, flat clearing near a Maasai village of the same name. What makes it special is its magnificent view of Lake Eyasi at the bottom of the rift escarpment. A fierce wind was blowing when we arrived which died down during the night only to start up again at dawn. The night skies were superb.

Day Two: Mokilal to Mti Moja campsite : It was a four hour steep descent and an eight km distance to Mti Moja campsite, which means "one tree" in Kiswahili. The heavy rains of 2007 meant that the vegetation was abnormally high for July. The well used route, should it have existed, was overgrown and the Maasai guide often decided that it was better to cut across country and blaze his own trail. The long grass obscured a rocky footing. Walking poles came in handy. The heavily laden donkeys had trouble as well. At one point during the morning we saw some Maasai with freshly cut tree limbs, special wood used for the male circumcision ceremony. Two eland fled at our approach at midday. Other sightings were zebra and secretary birds. Mti Moja describes a single, ancient ficus tree with gargantuan gnarled roots. Bees nested in the tree so we pitched camp on a bluff where we had an unobstructed view of Eyasi, which didn't appear any closer despite the day's progress. There was an abandoned thorn brush enclosure at Mti which we used as a stable for the donkeys. (At Mokilal the Maasai took their donkeys to the village for the night.) The Maasai said it belonged to Eyasi area Datoga, a pastoralist tribe with which the Maasai have had a long and acrimonious history. A powerful gale picked up at sunset. We were careful with our campfire. Unattended slash and burn fires, typical for this time of year, burned over adjacent hillsides and caused us a little alarm. The night skies were superb once again.

Day Three: Mti Moja to Endamaghay : The morning was a hot nine km slog of bush whacking. There was no evidence of a well used trail. The temperature increased as we descended. We spotted some old elephant dung. Cook Shabaan who brought up the rear with the donkeys and their wranglers told us later than we disturbed a spitting cobra sunning in a dry gulley. Although we passed without incident, the snake reared up to confront those who followed behind. Another of our party spotted a resting python. We were relieved to rest at Intake, a shaded campsite by a fast moving stream which is the water source for the ranger post at Endamaghay. Intake is an alternate stop for the night if hikers don't plan in finishing in three days. Sweat bees were a nuisance at the stream. My guests ate their picnic lunch under the cover of clothing. There are beautiful blue butterflies here. In the afternoon, we followed the stream to the ranger post, another 11 kms through a sparse monochrome bush in which it was easy to get lost. Our Maasai guide lost his way temporarily. We came across signs of an overgrown vehicle track between Intake and the ranger post, but it was barred in many places by fallen trees. Our vehicle was waiting for us at the ranger post to transfer us to our campsite near Mang'ola where we would spend the next three days. At the ranger post we said good-bye to our Maasai guide and wranglers who would overnight at the post before departing early the following morning for the three day journey back up the escarpment to Il Misigiyo. They could not be persuaded to stay longer. They wanted to be out of Datoga territory as quickly as possible.

Before we left Lake Eyasi, my guests and I drove to Lake Eyasi's shores to catch sunset. We felt a great sense of achievement when we looked up at the escarpment which we had descended on foot. We could not have experienced remote campsites like Mokilal and Mti Moja with their spectacular views without making the effort this hike required.