Kenya: Visiting Menengai – A very old and very big volcano

Reposting some of my Kenya blog posts from my old blog, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find the memory card with the original photos, so you’ll have to do with these poorly edited low-res photos from the old blog:)

Sunday morning we went out to see the Menengai volcano, which is more than 200,000 years old. First we thought we had arrived at the wrong site, because the crater was so huge, it was difficult to see its borders, and it therefore looked like just another part of Rift Valley.

It is not recommended that you try to climb down to the bottom of the crater on your own without a guide, since it’s a very steep walk with no safety features.

I was wearing sandals, which weren’t really suited for mountain climbing (or descending a crater), so we just took a walk along the edge.  Though, 4 brave (or stupid?) Spanish señoritas who were in our safari jeep the day before, insisted to make the climb on their own to the great worry of the guides and the other staff present at the site.

They told Kristin and I that the night before, they had to rescue a man, who was climbing alone and got stuck on a terrace with nowhere to go, and they really didn’t want another rescue action because of those girls.

Sometimes I don’t understand how people prioritize. I mean, if you come all the way to Kenya and want to climb a volcano, it seems both stupid and irresponsible to risk your life just to save the few dollars going with a guide, who knows the area, costs.