East Africa Safari: Ngorongoro Crater

| May 12, 2016 |

One of Africa’s natural wonders. Vast plains and forests. Biodiverse grazers, prey, predators, and threatened species. Waterways and dust-kicking paths. Coexistence with nomadic, pastoral Maasai. A wide-open sanctuary. Pure and untouched.

This 14-mile diameter, 600-meter deep, 300 square kilometer, gaping volcanic caldera is home to an expansive array of wildlife and dramatic scenery. As our group piled into safari jeeps with 360-degree views available, we were unsure what would be in store on our Ngorongoro Crater safari. I crossed my fingers for the sighting of ONE lion, and maybe ONE of the other “Big Five” (lion, buffalo, rhino, elephant leopard). Little did I know our full-day game drive would reveal the most impressive array of wildlife…

After completing our volunteer service duties, exploring the city of Arusha, and hiking 12 miles to a waterfall, our group of 22 piled into three jeeps for a grand finale – a two-day safari adventure. Day one – Ngorongoro Crater.

I claimed the passenger seat beside our trusted guide, Issa (our safari vehicle’s motto was “In Issa We Trust”). A mere 3.5-hour drive west transported our group from Outpost Lodge in Arusha to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

I claimed the passenger seat beside our trusted guide, Issa (our safari vehicle’s motto was “In Issa We Trust”). A mere 3.5-hour drive west transported our group from Outpost Lodge in Arusha to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

En route to Ngorongoro Crater, our group passed Maasai people herding cattle, rolling hills, and mountains of the Great Rift Valley.

The mountainous views transformed from cattle-filled fields to zebra-grazing landscapes before we even got to the crater! It was incredible to see zebras freely galloping alongside cattle.

Our group made a 5-minute stop at the Ngorongoro Crater viewpoint (NO LONGER as we were anxious to get to the action!) From afar, the crater appeared void of life – we barely saw dots of elephants in the vast plain. We marveled at the vast landscape, envisioning the Big Five in our future…

Alas! We arrived at the gate of the crater, feeling refreshed from intermittent sleeping on the drive (we had left Outpost Lodge at 6:30am!). The gates open at 6am, and we arrived at approximately 10am (we stopped once due to flat tire troubles in another safari vehicle).

We then descended a steep, winding road toward the base of the crater, which takes about 1 hour to travel the 600-km depth. We knew the Ngorongoro Wilderness Gods were working in our favor when we saw the nocturnal, rarely-spotted honey badger. Issa pointed him out on the side of the road as we traveled through the thick, forested, down sloping path. I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of this narration regarding the fierce, fearless nature of the honey badger.

Before making it to the crater’s base, we stopped for a spectacular view of the crater…

At the crater’s floor, the plains slowly unveiled its wilderness culture and I quickly realized how much I love zebras. With incredibly defined and unique stripes, there are no two zebra alike. Though the stripes are defined by genetic circuits, it appeared to me that each zebra had different artistic expression. Their dizzying pigmentation is truly hypnotizing. Also, the zebras’ adorable gallop and behavioral tendencies kept me intrigued all day, and there were a plethora in the crater.

The zebras had each other’s backs, looking out for predators (or, just getting snuggly?). They also didn’t mind getting a little dirty. We caught one rolling in the mud to get bugs off his back and add a layer of mud to protect himself from the sun. Or, maybe he was laughing at one of our jokes? Yes, definitely the latter. Tee-hee.

We later spotted an adorable baby zebra with its mother. Most species have their offspring in the rainy season (March-May) to ensure they can thrive. In the dry season (late June-October), they must migrate to available water sources. Lucky for the crew in Ngorongoro Crater, there’s always a source of water, so migration is not necessary! This also provides tourists with for superior wildlife viewing in Ngorongoro Conservation Area all year round. Although the rainy season may not be the BEST time of year for a safari, the crater guarantees a plethora of animal sightings.

According to WWF, the black rhino is critically endangered with about 5,000 found worldwide. They are found in Namibia and East Africa, and are considered part of the “Big Five.” With help from Issa’s keen eyes, we spotted a black rhino and its offspring from afar! Despite being hundreds of feet away, the rhino’s horn was quite distinct.

As we meandered through the plains and tall grass, in the back of my mind I was still hoping for some big cats. Leopards and cheetah are hard to see in Ngorongoro because they much prefer hanging in trees, and they tend to live in the forested area beyond the crater’s walls, then descend for feeding. I know I told you the Wilderness Gods were in our favor on this journey… but, no, they did not deliver leopards or cheetahs. However… we were driving along… and on the righthand side of the road were two distinct hairy humps jutting out from the tall grass.

OHMYGOSH – LIONS! THE KINGS OF THE PLAINS! (How crazy is it that we all wrongfully call a lion the “King of the Jungle” when they don’t even live in jungles…?) It’s incredible to see the difference between species on the top versus bottom of the food chain. These predators just lay in the middle of the fields because they could – ain’t anybody going to bother THEM! The male didn’t even budge, but the female took a rolling stretch before assuming the same sidelying position.

Even though the lions were just laying, I could’ve stayed watching them all day, waiting for the action. However, up ahead, we saw another safari vehicle stopped on the lefthand side of the road. Could it be another cat, I wondered? No, there was no way…

I still get chills when I think about this moment. It was so organic and beautiful. As I watched the lioness and her two cubs rolling in the purple flowers, my heart was melting. They were less than 100 feet from us. I could sense the loving bond between the three. When the lioness popped up and gave us a big ol’ yawn, I was completely in awe.

Oh gosh… I mean, look at those teeth!

I guess eventually the mother felt a wee bit smothered by her cubs’ love and decided to take a walk. When she stood up, I felt my heart leap. I couldn’t believe what we were seeing.

When the wee little cubs realized their mommy had wandered off, they got curious. Their little heads and bodies poking out of the grass was perhaps the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I know I already mentioned how much I loved the safari animal babies, but I can’t resist sharing it again! I literally could have watched these little guys all day…

Once they both got back to their mother, I could almost hear them singing: Reunited and it feels SO GOOD!

How can I possibly beat that moment? Not sure I can. But, still there was a plethora of wild animals to see! We saw: five black rhinos (Woah!), two hyenas crossing the road (our safari car was the only group to see one – did I mention our slogan was In Issa We Trust?)…

A kori bustard bird struttin’ his stuff…

Grant’s gazelles…

Thomson gazelles…

Ostriches with their craned, curvy necks (Issa tried doing a bird call to get them to run, with no success. Would’ve been epic)…

We took our lunch break at the hippo pond alongside a heart-shaped tree and more breathtaking scenery…

They didn’t call it hippo pond for nothin’!

As if all this wasn’t enough and we didn’t get our fill of wilderness (I don’t think I ever could, honestly), we witnessed the mating of majestic lions… for all of six seconds! Lions can mate year-round because they don’t have to worry about offspring thriving (they’ll get them food, no problem). During mating, the lions will have intercourse about every 30 minutes for an entire week. Yes, that’s one week of eating… sleeping… and rolling around in the grass. The following photos are rated “X” for sure – viewer discretion is advised!

Last but not least, past the admission gate of Ngorongoro Crater, we saw baboons harassing people (they wouldn’t let a man close his trunk!) and sheltering a two-day old baby baboon.

Wow, what a day!

Thank you, Ngorongoro Crater, and all the beautiful species in its depths.

We ended our day at the Ngorongoro Farm House for a night of luxury accommodations. As we pulled up the driveway, we were greeted with hot towels and cocktails. We dropped our bags off in our large cabin rooms:

Before dinner was served, we munched on complimentary appetizers such as spring rolls, cashew nuts, and banana chips while watching a local tribe perform dances and songs around the bonfire. The tribe even called upon guests to join in the dances! It was a magical evening.

We went to bed with very happy bellies from the fresh, organic fruits and veggies served at dinner. The farm house has its own gardens and coffee plantation, so most of the served food is incredibly fresh! I’m pretty sure I went back five times for the cucumbers and avocado salad. I couldn’t get enough – the crisp, refreshing cucumber was too good to stop! We hadn’t been eating too many fresh produce due to the lack of water filtration in most areas, so overindulgence was unavoidable.

I sipped on peppermint green tea, writing in my journal and reflecting on the day’s beauty. Our next stop was Tarangire National Park and I was ready for more!