We can’t get enough of this place – it’s at its best when most people don’t even think of travelling to Tanzania, so it’s somewhere you stand a chance of sharing only with the nomadic Maasai to whom this area is home and the migrating wildebeest and other game that floods in once the rains come
We can’t get enough of this place – it’s at its best when most people don’t even think of travelling to Tanzania, so it’s somewhere you stand a chance of sharing only with the nomadic Maasai to whom this area is home and the migrating wildebeest and other game that floods in once the rains come. The Gol Mountains lie in the northern end of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, close to the border with the Serengeti National Park (just to the west) and Loliondo, (just to the North).
The Mountains themselves are a series of whale-backed ridges on the edge of sensational short grass plains, out of the mountains come the Sanjan and Ol Karien river gorges - spectacular places to walk and witness amongst other things the Rupels Griffon Vulture colonies that nest here.
Of all of Northern Tanzania this area, with it's dramatic sense of space and freedom, is one of our favourite places to be during the green season. Late March to May is largely overlooked by the majority of tourists who visit Tanzania because of a generalized fear of rain. But this area, with its volcanic soil turns a lush green and the wildebeest herds flood in.
At times like this, the wide valleys, like Engatakiti at the foot of the Gol Mountains are scattered with wildebeest as far as the eye can see. The rain - itself a rarity and therefore a significant blessing in such an arid area - is the key thing in this part of the world. Without it, Gol and the surrounding areas remain crisp as parchment, with it, it transforms into something akin to the Garden of Eden.
How to get here? There are no permanent camps in this area, so we use a private mobile camp to explore far from the beaten track.
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Vanessa's 16 years in travel has seen her knowledge develop from sub-Saharan Africa into North Africa, Central and Southern America and the Galapagos. Consequently, she’s a veritable encyclopaedia of travel information and exceptionally cool, calm and collected in the face of the greatest planning demands.
At Natural High, we've had long experience putting together trips in Africa that really work. Whether it's intimate bushcamps in out of the way places, or a private lodge in one of Africa's top-billing wildlife areas, light mobile camping or remote island escapes, we know there is a lot to choose from. We're absolutely confident that we can recommend the right places for you.