by PhotoMann
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania was the first stop on
my two week safari to Africa. The crater is one of the natural wonders
of the world. On the thriving 102 square-mile crater floor, thousands
of wild animals live in a fishbowl environment. Everything is enclosed
within the velvety green walls of a perfect volcanic bowl. It's as close
to paradise as you could ever hope to get. If you have only one day
in your life to visit an African game park, that day should be spent
in Ngorongoro. I would compare it's magnificence to that of Yosemite
Valley in California. When you see the crater for the first time you
just start in amazement. After seeing Ngorongoro on the first day, all
the other game parks we visited just didn't measure up. They each had
their own special beauty but nothing close to the splendor of Ngorongoro.
We stayed at the Ngorongoro Crater Wildlife Lodge
which sits on the rim of the huge volcanic crater. The view from 2000
feet above the crater floor is spectacular. A safari in the crater is
an all day affair in a 4-wheel drive with a picnic lunch. The rim of
the crater was foggy and rainy but once we arrived down on the floor
it was beautiful. The clouds still ringed the crater but it was clear
in the middle. It was as if the clouds avoided blocking the sunshine
from the crater floor.
The variety of animals was incredible. We saw lion,
elephant, black rhino, gazelle, zebra, cape buffalo, hippo, wildcats,
pink flamingos, marabou storks, hyena, jackals, eagle, ostrich, warthog
plus many more. Unfortunately most of the pink flamingos had migrated
to Lake Nakuri in Kenya for the mating season so the flocks were relatively
small.
Game viewing in the crater is extraordinary because
of the unobstructed treeless landscape. The animals are accustomed to
the presence of the vehicles, so you can get very close without interrupting
their activities. At one point we spotted a male and a female lion laying
in the grass soaking up the sun. After watching them for a couple of
minutes the "bell rang" and they started mating. It almost appeared
as though they were performing on queue.
Most of the animals appear in large numbers except
for the black rhino. Poaching has almost led to their extinction. Fortunately,
the high walls (2000 ft) of the crater make it more difficult for poachers.
The desire to see the few remaining rhino can lead to a circus-like
atmosphere. When the black rhinos were finally spotted late in the day
laying in the grass 12 vehicles full of tourists converged to 'observe'.
At one point our vehicle was within 30 feet of them.
Serengeti
From Ngorongoro crater we traveled to the Serengeti,
stopping at the Olduvai Gorge on the way. Olduvai Gorge is a world renowned
site for research into the origin of humans. The crumbling walls have
revealed a continuous record of human life that goes back almost two
million years. The Serengeti is Africa's premier game preserve. The
sheer volume of wildlife is staggering. More than a million and a half
wildebeest, a quarter million zebra, half a million gazelles and thousand
of predators live in the Serengeti plains. The plains seem never ending.
It's over 5,500 square miles of vast plains with periodic mounds of
rock called kopjes. These are very similar to the rocky environment
that lions are kept in at many zoos. The kopjes and the occasional trees
are the only places that lions and other predators can find shade to
escape the sun.
The huge herds had already migrated from the Tanzania
portion of the Serengeti to the Masai Mara in Kenya when we visited.
Even though we were in the Serengeti in the off season, there was still
an abundance of wildlife. We saw lions, cheetah, leopard, gazelle, wildebeest,
zebra, hyena, etc. We even saw two cheetahs devouring their fresh kill
just 20 feet off the road. We also found a couple of leopards sleeping
in the trees.
We stayed in the Seronera Wildlife Lodge which was
built into a kopje. Most of the walls of the restaurant and lounge are
natural rock formations and there were trees around the lodge that supported
a large number of baboons. Notices are posted in the rooms to not leave
the windows open or you might get an unwelcome baboon visit. They have
been known to trash rooms and take anything that can be carried. While
I was writing postcards one evening I was startled by a baboon at my
window. He sat there staring at me for a few minutes before moving on.
My room afforded me with an incredible view of the sunrise over the
Serengeti.
The most memorable vegetation was the 'sausage tree'.
It's an incredible looking thing. It looks like someone has decorated
each of the trees by hanging sausages on strings from it limbs. The
first thought when I saw it was "that can't be real".
The Serengeti is also where I had my first experience
with medical care in Africa. The extreme dust generated in the dry plains
contributed to my getting the worst sinus infection I've ever had. I
spent a long time convincing a quack nurse that I really needed an antibiotic.
The severe pain caused me to miss one of the afternoon game drives.
I was pissed when I found out the group had seen a pride of 18 lions
while I laid in my room in pain. A group of 5 adult female lions and
13 cubs walked around the van (within 5 feet) for about 30 minutes.
Lake Manyara
The last stop in Tanzania was Lake Manyara National
Park. Lake Manyara is an extremely beautiful game park that's sandwiched
between the 1000 foot wall of the rift valley and the shores of a soda
lake. We stayed at the Lake Manyara Hotel which overlooks the park from
the top of the Rift Valley wall.
There is a remarkable diversity of vegetation in a
very small area that includes dense forest, palm filled glades, and
grassy flat lands along the shores of the lake. There's a series of
small rivers that provide permanent water for the animals and the lush
vegetation. The park's most famous attraction is its tree climbing lion.
Unfortunately the only lions we saw were laying on the ground. The large
flocks of pink flamingos were also missing. They had migrated northward
for the mating season. The animals we did see included zebra, elephant,
baboon, buffalo, impala and giraffe. The most spectacular sight was
the large hippo pool that was surrounded by tens of thousands of birds.
Or the way back to Kenya we stopped in a small town
called Mto Wa Mbu so that the driver could buy food for his family.
The prices are better and the food is fresher than in the city where
he lived. While he was shopping we wandered around the small town. We
walked through the lively town market where people were buying and selling
everything imaginable. The colorful fruits were stacked in various arrangements
to make them stand out more. We watched as a woman purchased her goods
with rice. They were scooping out a measured amount of rice from her
sack as payment. We were constantly followed by a crowd of small children
who were looking for handouts, mostly pens for school.
Suggested Safari Travel Guides
(Order directly from Amazon Books - Click on the title)
Lonely
Planet Kenya
Lonely
Planet Tanzania, Zanzibar & Pemba
As with most Lonely Planet guides, these Kenya and Tanzania
editions are invaluable resources for planning your journey. They
offer you the most up-to-date information about where to go and where
to aviod, how to get there and get around, where to stay at a reasonable
rate. The guides provide everything you'll need to know for a rewarding
visit.
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