(Note: Many of the wildlife photos were taken by Gina Chang and Megan Shen)
I have been to Ngorongoro Crater over two dozen times, and it has never gotten old as each visit has been unique, whether it be the animals or the guests who I accompany. Ngorongoro Crater is a World Heritage Site and one of the jewels of the Tanzanian park system (the Serengeti and Kilimanjaro being the other two). It sits within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a dual use land that is occupied by the Maasai, who graze their cattle there, and the wild animals who share it with the Maasai and their cattle. There is currently a major political/environmental conflict in Tanzania that involves the NCA and the Maasai due to overcrowding and was very likely an inevitability. When the Serengeti became a national park in the early 1950s, it was necessary to relocate all the Maasai living there and by the end of the 1950s, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area was created with the intention that the Maasai and their cattle could exist there in harmony with the wildlife.
When the NCA was created, there were 8000 Maasai living there. Currently, there are more than 110,000 Maasai living in the NCA with well over one million cattle and the government has proposed moving the majority of them to a new location in NE Tanzania in the Tanga district. This has come with much opposition from the Maasai and others, and the entire plan is currently in limbo so it is unclear what the next steps will be.
For now, the NCA remains one of the most beautiful regions on earth and the crater is at the heart of the NCA. Together, they comprise some of the most ruggedly natural land I have ever seen and having explored a good portion of it, there is still much more to be seen. Ngorongoro Crater is actually a caldera, having been formed from a collapsed giant volcano several million years ago, leaving a 10 mile in diameter and 2000-foot-deep hole in the ground that is home to thousands of animals with no need to migrate as they have everything they need inside. Everything is there other than giraffes and Nile crocodiles and it is home to one of the densest concentrations of lions in all of Africa. What more could one hope for? Better yet, it is perfectly easy to navigate for a novice game driver such as myself as it is impossible to get lost in a giant hole in the ground.
Normally, I take our entire group on safari to the crater on the first Sunday (Safari Sunday), but given the number of people we have currently, it was necessary to have another guide travel from Arusha to drive the stretch Land Rover (Turtle), while Jill and I would take the short Land Rover (Myrtle) and tag along behind them. Though I have done this dozens of times, I thought it would be best, since we were hiring a guide, to have them with those who had not been on safari much so that they could hear things from a professional. Besides, I love driving Myrtle and it would give Jill and I some alone time among the animals.
The Crater and the Conservation Area have their own administration and their own rangers to protect the wildlife and to prevent any indiscretions from occurring that might damage the environment. Travel in and out of the NCA and the Crater is heavily restricted and the only way to the Serengeti by vehicle is through the NCA, so you can imagine the amount of travel through the Loduare Gate that leads to the NCA, the Crater, and on to the Serengeti.
Driving up to the rim of the crater, over 2000 feet up, is a wonderful excursion as you feel as though you are traveling back to some primordial time, fully expecting a T-rex to come out from behind a tree at any moment. You travel up and up as the trees grow taller and taller trying to reach the sky from the bottom of the deep ravines rising to the rim. Finally reaching the rim, it’s a gorgeous day and, from the lookout overlooking the crater, everything sits before you like an illustrated map – Lake Magadi, the lunch area, the hippo pool, Lerai Forest – it feels as though you could reach out and touch them. It’s another 20 minutes or so driving around the rim road before you begin your descent to the bottom of the crater along a newly paved one-way descent road. From above, we could see a group of safari vehicles located just as the road reaches the bottom. The universal sign for a big cat, or a rhino, but there are no rhinos typically in this region of the crater, so it much be lions.
Sure enough, reaching the bottom, a male and female lion, a mating pair, come walking along the road in our direction so there’s no need to maneuver our vehicles as they came to us. A mating pair of lions will usually leave the pride for 48-72 hours, mating every 30 minutes continuously during that time to best ensure that the female becomes pregnant. Minutes later, as we began to drive away, we ran across the male’s brother heading in their direction, but he stopped short and settled in the shade of some large dump trucks that had been left at the junction. He won’t interfere with his brother’s mating and will leave them alone for the time being.
The crater floor was very, very green and there was plenty of water everywhere such that the grasses were very tall, and it was hard to see many of the smaller animals. Over the next several hours, we proceeded to see just about everything including one of the thirty black rhinos in the crater, though from afar. Black rhinos were, at one time, nearly extinct, but have been heavily protected from poaching and have a made a very successful comeback over the last years. They are spread throughout the Serengeti and Ngorongoro including a sanctuary just for them in the Serengeti. They are a spectacular animal and equally strange animal with a shy personality and terrible eyesight, relying almost exclusively on their hearing for protection, causing them to remain hidden when the wind is high. I’ve seen them close on several occasions, and they are a joy to watch.
There were plenty of lions for us, though none seemed to be hunting, something that is seen more commonly at dawn, but that didn’t stop us from hoping. No cheetahs or leopards were seen and only a few hyenas, but there were plenty of Thompson and Grants gazelle, wildebeest, zebra, Cape buffalo, and eland. More than enough to make everyone happy. We did have one incident that involved cutting a tire on the Turtle, our stretch Land Rover, that Jarom changed quickly, and we were back on the road again. Though flat tires are not uncommon here, this one was unfortunate as it was a reasonably new tire and did not suffer a puncture, but rather the sidewall was sliced by a sharp rock meaning that it cannot be repaired and used again safely but will require a whole new tire. This would not be Africa if it were not for these challenges that seem to occur on every trip.
It is not uncommon in the crater to have very localized heavy rain and we managed to find that later after lunch. We were on top of Table Mountain, a flat rise that has a wonderful panoramic view of the crater, watching the rain begin to fall and slowly move in our direction. We actually ended up driving into it on our way out of the crater and it was pretty intense, enough so that I discovered a very brisk leak where the roof met the body just at the front of the driver’s door. The water pretty poured in and despite holding a towel up to it, it became more than a nuisance until the rain finally stopped and we were back into the sunshine. Our plan, as it has been for the last 5+ years, was to stop at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge to visit with my friend, Ladislaus, who is one of the camp managers there. For each group, he has graciously offered to host us for coffee or drinks at is one of the top lodges in all of Africa and is a real treat for the residents.
The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge began as a hunting lodge years ago before there was any projection in the Crater. It was later developed into a five-star lodge with cottages that are beyond description, all with views into the crater. There are three camps – two with twelve cottages each (North and South Camp) and one with six cottages (Tree camp further down the slope into the crater). Each camp has its own lodge where meals are served, and one can lounge. For as long as I’ve known him, Ladislaus has been offering for me to stay at the lodge, but I hadn’t taken him up on the offer until a year ago, when Jill and I were lucky enough to spend two nights there in total luxury. They operate on the British system of lodges, and each has its own butler who takes care of all the needs of their guests. When Jill and I had gone out walking one day, we returned to a drawn bubble bath and rose petals in the shape of a heart on the floor. That was only one of the unique things we experienced while staying there. The chef was amazing, and the food was unbelievable. Ladislaus is also their sommelier, so having his input on the wines we were drinking was extra special.
Our group enjoyed a visit with Ladislaus as he told the story of his journey with the Crater Lodge and now to become their sommelier. We had coffee, tea, and cookies before they eventually took the group to see one of the cottages. It was a wonderful ending to our day in the Crater and we all loaded into the Land Rovers for the journey home. Normally, we’re rushing to make it through the gate by 6 pm when it closes, but today we were actually well ahead of schedule. We drove Joe and Sandy Berger up to Gibb’s Farm as they will be bunking there for the next week, and the rest of enjoyed a dinner at Lilac, which, as can be imagined, took the prerequisite hour after it was ordered. Thank goodness we’re in paradise, where time doesn’t exist.
