Ngorongoro Crater – Safari in Africa Day 3
Ngorongoro Crater – Safari in Africa Day 3.
Jan 14
Try and beat that sunrise!
The food on this trip is the best food I have had in Tanzania so far! Going from beans, rice and ugali to food with such rich flavor is amazing. Going back to what I was eating before is going to be rough….Breakfast this morning was fruit, pancakes, eggs, toast, and sausages. Wow!
We were out of the camp by 06:30, and as we pulled out onto the road, there was a group of elephants eating greens and enjoying the fresh sun.
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- Sunrising with elephants.
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- What a fantastic way to start the morning.
It is pretty special to see those animals just naturally doing what they do. Even in Asia, it feels like the elephants are all (probably not though) domesticated. I have never seen an elephant in the wild anywhere in Asia. But here, they are just one with nature. It is beautiful to see.
We drove down inside of the Ngorongoro Crater. It was once a volcano and now is a haven of wildlife about 20 kilometers wide. As we were driving and looking at the animals, I had internet access on my phone so I played the songs, ‘Africa’ – Toto, ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ – The Tokens, and ‘Hakuna Matata’ – Disney. It fit the mood.
Some images of some wonderful animal sites inside the Ngorongoro Crater today….
Elephants
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- Everyone together: elephants, wildebeest, zebras, warthogs and hyenas.
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- I like the size comparison of the elephant to the wildebeest! FYI – Wildebeest are the size of a cow.
There are only 25 Rhinoceroses (fun word to say!) in the Ngorongoro Crater. Their numbers are sadly falling. There is a radar system and game wardens all over the park so the rhinos can be safe from poachers in the Ngorongoro Crater. However, the horn on their nose has really put them in danger due to the tragic Chinese fascination of status with ivory.
This is the only shot I could get of the two rhinos lying in the distance. Two of the twenty-five. I love that there are elephants hanging around them.
Warthog
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- Warthogs on the move.
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- It was hard to get a good shot of them as they are very busy creatures.
Bat Eared Jackal and Golden Jackal
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- Small Bat Eared Jackal pup.
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- Golden Jackal.
Gray Crowned Crane – The mammals are so incredible that the birds are often overlooked. The birds are equally impressive…
Colorful fellas with pretty rad hair!
The Lazy Lions
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- Lionesses.
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- I love the two lions napping together as a couple of zebras pass in the background.
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- Shade!
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- Cats are cats.
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- I love this image. The zebras are aware.
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- Pondering the situation.
At 14:30, everyone was excited because it looked like eight lionesses were going on a hunt!
But they decided to just find shade instead, often using our parked vehicles as such, and sometimes resting a head against a tire. Cats are cats no matter the size. I like to imagine that they consider our cars to be ‘moving rocks.’
Lionesses make me smile with their personalities. Female lions do all of the hunting and the males are actually lousy hunters. The male lions never have to hunt and they are too big and heavy to be as agile as the females. The kings of the land just hang out, eat food killed for them, intimidate other animals, and breed. If you are going to come back as an animal in another life, alpha-male lion seems to be a pretty good choice….
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- The Masai.
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- Masai village in the conservation area and domesticated cattle.
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- A small meeting on the hill.
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- Looking for his cattle.
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- The countryside is beautiful.
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- Wonderful little round houses like the ones from a children’s storybook.
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- Goodbye!
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- A young herdsboy.
The safari ended at about 16:00 when we left the Ngorongoro Crater and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. $550 (+ $30 in tips) for these past three days now seems like a bargain. What an incredible experience to see those animals in their natural states… What a fortunate life to have experienced such a wonderful three days.
* For Day 1 and Day 2:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park – Safari in Africa Day 1
Serengeti Safari Lion Buffalo Feast – Safari in Africa Day 2
