Big Holes in the earth - Menengai Crater

This extinct volcano on the northern side of Nakuru is 2490 m high and is the second largest surviving volcanic crater in the world, with a surface area of 90 sq km. However, it is not easy to see it from the town. A sign erected at the highest point by the Rotary Club shows the distances and general directions of several places worldwide. The crater is 8 km from the main road. As you ascend, the views over Lake Nakuru are excellent, although it is not visible from the top.

In the 19th century the Menengai Crater was the site of a bloody battle between different Masai clans, vying for the pastures of the Rift Valley slopes and Naivasha. The Ilaikipiak Moran (warriors) were defeated by their southern neighbors the Ilpurko Masai, who reputedly threw the former over the crater edge. According to legend the fumaroles rising from the crater bed are the souls of the vanquished seeking to find the way to heaven. The Maa word Menenga means 'the dead'. The crater itself is enormous, about 12 km across and 500 m deep. The mountain is surrounded by a nature reserve.

Stories of strange happenings that have convinced many that this is a haunted place.

A number of strange things are said to happen in the crater, such as people disappearing without trace, Others losing directions for hours (or even days) only to be found by their relatives wandering around in a trance.

The local people believe that the crater is haunted by evil spirits that capture people and animals and hide them in the netherworld.It is said that in the late 1950s and early 1960s, ghosts used to farm on a fertile piece of land on the floor of the crater.

According to eye witnesses, the 'demons' used to plough the land with tractors, plant wheat and harvest all within an hour. The locals even claim to have seen the devil riding a motorcycle on a hill called 'Kirima Kia ngoma (Devil's Hill)' situated next to the crater. There is also the widespread allegation of a 'flying umbrella' that normally appears whenever it rains. Despite the stories, some people stay in the cave at the south of the crater praying for months. They say that they feel very close to God when praying in the crater.

Oloi Travels  organizes hikes to Menengai all around the year