"I took this picture near the top of Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania's lone active volcano and the Masai people's "Mountain of God." This perfectly conical volcano rises 9,524 feet (2,902 meters) above Lake Natron and the Great Rift Valley escarpment. The hillsides are lush and green during the monsoon season (March through May), precisely when my group of volunteer English teachers chose to visit. Our tents nearly floated away in a river of mud the night before our trek up the volcano. At 1:00 a.m. we began a tough, five-hour slog up Lengai's steep slopes. At the top, we were rewarded with an amazing sunrise over a distant Kilimanjaro and the incredible feeling of the volcano rumbling beneath our feet."
 
Sarah Jackson, 25
Photo Assistant
Birmingham, Alabama
 
DIY: "Nearly all Arusha-based safari companies will take you to Ol Doinyo Lengai, often in conjunction with the Ngorongoro Crater and other nearby regions. Tropical Trail [www.tropicaltrails.com/treks.php] specializes in Lengai and crater highlands treks."