Ngorongoro

The day started off very positively as we were given a good morning by a tower of giraffes and a herd of Topi that greeted us as we emerged from our tents. We took some photos and then continued to rush around to ensure we made our 6:30 am departure time. This was about to be my last game drive for my East African tour as tomorrow I head back to Nairobi and fly off to Madagascar. In the end, it was probably only the Maasai Mara that could beat this National Park. This is because, firstly, it was still a National Park, so you could not leave the roads like you could in Kenya. Secondly, there were no giraffes. The area was far too small for them to be able to protect their young effectively. Though it is worth mentioning that it is massive, it took us 2 hours to get through it, and you could easily spend more. Finally, there were also no leopards, and I can only guess this is the result of the insanely large population of lions that occupy the landscape. So many, in fact, it took about 5 minutes until we saw a pride with a couple of cubs that had just had a successful hunt. The presence of other herbivores is stunning given the sheer number of lions we saw straight out the gate. Just after this, we turned the corner, and there was another pride of about 6 lionesses, in which we were maybe 15 minutes from missing them successfully nab a buffalo. We were watching them rip the skin off the poor animal that would indicate it was very, very fresh. We quickly uturned to go back to the original pride of lions and watched one of the larger males cross right in front of the truck. Unfortunately, it was very busy and took away from the experience somewhat, but still cool as we got insanely close. For whatever reason, the animals let us get so close, lions included, but mostly Zebras, Buffalo, and even Gazelle that are notoriously skittish. So after some experiences getting up close and perosnalnwith all these we began to make our way to the salt lake that occupies the very middle of the crater. The origins of this lake and how it came to be salty is beyond me. On our way, however, we passed two very young lions, not even a year old. They were very chilled and were happy just looking at us and relaxing. We got some great photos before continuing to the aquatic life. There were lesser and greater flamingos that occupied the lake, as well as hippos and many other bird species. We stopped here for some photos before continuing to the small patch of vegetation that occupies the caldera. We passed some elephants on the way, right in the distance, but mostly, we were hopeful for leopards. This is where our guide informed us that they do not occupy the area. Tragic, but we had seen quite a lot in a short amount of time. The density of wildlife was unmatched, even by the parks in Kenya. The one thing that this national park may have beaten the Maasai Mara or Nakuru in was the landscape. It is one of the world's largest unbroken calderas in the world, meaning you could theoretically walk completely around the perimeter, though you would be walking for a very long time, as it is massive.even if this isn't viable, the landscape as a result is surreal. Being in the middle of a massive crater, with wildlife thriving and multiple lakes, is a very interesting experience. The drive in and the drive out were highlights as you traverse dense rainforest landscapes before it opens up to a grassland in the centre. The views from the top are incredible, and you can see all through the caldera as well as the unbroken rim. As we headed back to camp, we rejoined the big yellow magic school bus. From here, we had a relatively short drive to a camp site just outside of Arusha. By the time we arrived, all the accommodations were booked out, and so I had to attempt to organise all of my belongings and pack my bag in a small undercover area. It took quite a while as throughout the last month, I had spread my things throughout different locations, so it was kind of a brain training game remembering where I left it all. Eventually, it was all packed, and I could sit back and enjoy my final meal with Absolute Africa. This was one of their main bases, and so there were quite a few different tour groups around. As such, they cooked for everyone, and we didn't have any chores to do for the day. We went to the bar and enjoyed some fairwell drinks for both myself, Martin, and Shannon, who were all due to depart tomorrow. We drank until quite late, but the three of us were given a 6:45am departure time, and so we had to ensure we didn't have too late of a night. Not to mention, we had to be relatively switched on so as to not forget anything.Read more