Ngorogoro Crater
Trip Start
Jul 13, 2005
1
8
11
Trip End
Aug 06, 2005
Where I stayed
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Today we left early for the Tanzania border and the long drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We had to bid farewell to Richard, our wonderful Kenyan driver, and the Toyota van in which we'd spent so much time. At the border, we were handed over to Martin and Levis, Tanzanian driver/guides and their trusty Toyota Land Cruisers. (We had to have two vehicles because in Nairobi we picked up another older couple from California and the Land Cruisers seat no more than seven.) We drove through Arusha, the starting point for the northern safari routes of Tanzania, and one of the country's "most attractive" towns-not that it was much to see. The high point was lunch at the New Arusha Hotel which was furnished in classic British Colonial style and had a beautiful garden. It was located right across from the clock tower, which marks the halfway point between Cairo, Egypt and Cape Town, South Africa. (The clock face, like many things in Africa, is sponsored by Coca-Cola and sports the red and white Coke logo.)
We expected the drive to be another bumpy, dusty ordeal, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a brand-new paved road all the way to Ngorogoro-a real treat! We drove through the highlands, past Lake Manyara, another Rift Valley lake, renowned for its unique rainforest micro climate. We saw many huge baobab trees; they and the omnipresent acacia are the signature trees of the area. The brochure said, "A rough road takes us up the rift escarpment, through dramatic rolling green fields and tiny traditional villages." They weren't kidding about the road. It snaked through jungle, past elephant and baboon, and into the clouds at the top of the Crater's rim. Unfortunately, because we arrived after dark, we missed the sunset from the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, perched on the rim of the Crater. Our rooms were huge, with two double beds, an entry hall, a sitting room looking out at the Crater, and a modern bathroom complete with bidet.
Monday, 25 July
We spent the whole day in the Crater. It is 13 miles wide and 2300 feet high. We had a box lunch next to a hippo pond. We saw lots and lots of hippo-and not the little ones you see in zoos. These were huge! The Masai are allowed to bring their cattle into the Crater to graze, but may not stay overnight. There is a resident herd of bachelor elephants (ones that do not have their own harem of females) that sleep up on the slopes of the Crater and come down to the floor during the day to eat and drink. We also saw lion, wildebeest, zebra, egrets, heron, crested cranes, the sacred ibis, jackal, and baboons, but the Crater itself was the main attraction. We searched for some of the 20 very rare black rhino, but they were hiding-no one saw them that day. (The drivers keep in contact with each other by radio. They also talk when they pass each other on the road. They all know each other even though they are from different areas and different tribes. Swahili is the common language.)
