The crater you walk into rather than drive around
Empakaai, which the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority also spells Empakai, is one of the volcanic calderas in the highlands north-east of the Ngorongoro Crater. The NCAA describes it as probably having the highest rim of any of them. There is no game-viewing circuit here and no vehicle track on the floor. Getting into Empakaai means walking down, and the descent is the easy half.
The published dimensions
The NCAA gives the crater as almost eight kilometres wide, with about half the floor covered by a deep soda lake and four kilometres of that width given over to the water. The rim stands at approximately 3,200 metres on the western side and 2,590 metres on the eastern, and the crater is ringed by steep wooded cliffs of about 300 metres. Because of the altitude it is very often in mist, and the lake reads emerald or deep blue depending on the light.
The lake is the reason to come. The NCAA lists large numbers of flamingo along its shoreline, and names Empakaai alongside Lake Natron and the crater lake at Ngorongoro as a flamingo site. Numbers on any soda lake move with water level, so this is a likelihood rather than a guarantee; the flamingo watching guide explains what governs it.
The walk, and the rule that governs it
The NCAA gives the walk as about one hour down and about two and a half hours back up, depending on fitness. Those are its figures, and the asymmetry is the whole planning problem: the return is a 300-metre climb out of a forested crater at around three thousand metres, and it takes most of what is left of the day.
A walk to Empakaai must be accompanied by an armed ranger, which the NCAA states for this crater specifically and repeats as a general rule for every walking activity in the conservation area. It has to be arranged in advance rather than decided at the rim. There is a special campsite on the crater rim, and booking it ahead is recommended by the authority.
Empakaai can be visited at any time of year and the NCAA puts the emphasis on the drier months from June to December. It is also a stage on the longer walking route the authority describes: a two to four day walking safari running through to Ol Doinyo Lengai and Lake Natron outside the conservation area, taking in Empakaai on the way. See mountain trekking and day hiking.
What you see from the rim
The view is the second reason people come and the one that survives bad weather least well. From the crater rim the NCAA describes Ol Doinyo Lengai, the Rift Valley and Lake Natron laid out below. On a clear morning that is one of the great views in East Africa; in mist, which is common, it is not there at all.
On the floor and in the surrounding forest the authority lists the possibility of leopard, lion, elephant and buffalo along with monkeys and a range of birds. In practice Empakaai is a landscape and birding walk rather than a big-game one, and anyone treating it as a substitute for a game drive will be disappointed.
Common questions
How long does Empakaai take?
The NCAA gives about an hour down and about two and a half hours up. Allowing for the drive from the rim road, the descent, time at the lake and the climb out, it is a full day rather than an excursion.
Do you need a ranger?
Yes. The NCAA requires an armed ranger for the Empakaai walk and for every walking activity in the conservation area, arranged in advance.
Will there be flamingos?
Usually some, often many, and occasionally very few. The NCAA describes large numbers along the shoreline, but flamingo numbers on soda lakes track water level and food supply rather than a calendar.