Day 13: Ngorongoro Crater

Our jeep didn't survive the night. After an early breakfast we arrived in the carpark to see our jeep up on a jack, one flat tyre in the air. Edwin had obtained a spare tyre, but didn't want to do the remaining day's trip back across the Serengeti, around Ngorongoro Crater and onward to Highview Hotel in Kerala with no spare tyres. Understandable!

Since Jim and Amanda had the same itinerary as us and no vehicle dramas, we all piled into their car, leaving our luggage and some hopeful thoughts with Edwin. So in the cramped back of the other vehicle we sat for the long journey back across the Serengeti.

Lots of other vehicles around but we had a better destination - Ngorongoro Crater. The only real excitement while crossing the Serengeti came from a hippo completely out of the water, and a couple of jackals feasting on a carcass. Onward we drove as the plains gave way to highlands, scorching sun became rain, and animals became Maasai herdsmen. After a long few hours the crater descent road suddenly appeared.

The crater itself is magnificent - one of the most amazing natural wonders I've ever seen. Formed by a collapsing volcano, the crater is 325 square kilometres in area and the central area is 600 metres below the rim. Slowly down the wall we descended, under a brilliant blue sky, into the lush vegetation below. Herds of zebra and wildebeest dotted the plain below which happily rose up to meet us.

Our first animal encounter was a lone hyena, cooling himself off in a puddle beside the road. We left him to it, approaching the central lake where thousands of pink flamingos sit on the surface. Sadly a little too far away for good pictures. Up ahead a pair of ostrich had planted themselves in the road - a good time for our closest encounter with the birds so far.

A little further on we spotted a cluster of jeeps which could only mean something interesting was there. And we were right - a trio of male lions sunning themselves in the grass. Although the lions seemed completely oblivious to all the attention, the way they posed and placed themselves right next to a road suggested they knew what was up. Got some great photos, including one that might be the highlight picture of the trip so far.

Bidding the lions farewell, we headed to the hippo pool where it was time for lunch. Hippos can be surprisingly dangerous, so we were a little worried at the lack of fencing, but nothing bad happened so no matter!

After lunch the heavens opened, so we took cover from the rain in the jeep and continued to cruise the park in search of its most rare citizens - black rhino. And then an hour later our patience was rewarded! Contact! It was unmistakably a rhino, albeit several hundred metres away. Took a few photos and the search continued. A little later we found two more rhino. This time a mother and her cub, though again they were pretty distant. A short time later we found a third rhino, though once again it was a few hundred metres away and lying down. Despite not being able to get close, we were still pretty happy with seeing four rhinos. Especially since there's only around 20 in the entire crater.

We continued on past herds of wildebeest calves, a couple of sleeping lions and hundreds more zebra before the afternoon began to run out. Right near the crater ascent road we found a large herd of elephants including a pair of babies. Took some more good photos before driving up the crater rim and through the jungle back to the Highview Hotel.

No traditional dancing or drumming tonight, just a sedate dinner in the restaurant before bed. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most amazing places I've ever been, and I was sad to leave.Read more