Ngorongoro Crater is a large unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera. The crater, which formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself approximately 2 to 3 million years ago, is about 2,000 feet deep. The rim is 12 to 14 miles wide. The floor of the crater is about 100 square miles in area.
We stayed at the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge located on the north rim of the crater. Even with these fine accommodations as we have become accustom, there was no internet access and electricity was only available part-time.
In the morning we headed into the crater with all the other tourists.
There are estimated to be about 25,000 animals living in the crater. Most all animals found in East Africa are also found in the crater, except impalas, topis, giraffes and crocodiles. Most common in the crater are wildebeest, gazelles and zebra.
Since there is no outlet other than evaporation, water in the crater's lake is very salty, which provides home for a huge number of flamingos.
These wildebeest appear to be walking on water, but it is just a shallow pool of water.
We also saw hyena.
And a sleeping jackal.
This hawk was keeping an eye open for small prey.
There were also several hippos.
Now hippos are only found in freshwater, so where is the freshwater coming from? And if the lake is brackish what do all the animals in the crater drink? There are actually several freshwater springs found in the crater.
The cold spring water produces marshy areas where hippos can actually stay cool during the day without having to remain in the water.
We saw this male lion which is about 3 years old and has not grown his full mane yet.
Once out of the crater we headed for Arusha. The land in this area is very fertile and the people grow many different types of crops.
In Arusha we had a meal at a local family's home.
The food was excellent.
The next morning we had a 6 a.m. flight back to Nairobi for a connecting flight onto Johannesburg.
The Serengeti National Park is a continuation of the Maasai Mara Reserve, on the Tanzanian side of the boarder, but it is much much larger at over 3.6 million acres and 5,700 square miles, that is a bit larger than the State of Connecticut. It is famous for its annual migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebras.
We changed vehicles in Tanzania, swapping our "lunch box" for this stylish Toyota Land Cruiser. The top pops up on this one also, but the lions have a little bit higher to jump to reach their "snacks".
This lion was thinking about a little snack...
But decided to just look at us looking at her.
We saw more monkeys
And baboons
This is a black and white colobus monkey
We even saw a few of the extraordinarily rare "legless giraffe", just a neck and a head.
Poor fellows had to hop around like pogo sticks. Very sad site indeed.
Just kidding.
We stayed in the very nice Seronera Wildlife Lodge.
Though again no internet and electricty for only a few short hours each day.
The lodge was constructed with minimal disturbance to the existing land.
These are real pre-existing boulders. The art work was a decorative addition.
Spotted this colorful fellow on one of the rocks.
They had an observation platform with great views of the Serengeti.
These little fellows found some shade to cool off in.
They are called hyrax. Though not in appearance they are actually a close relative to the elephant biologically.
Can you find all 5 hyrax in this photo?
The lodge offered balloon rides over the Serengeti, but we passed due to the $500 per person per hour fee.
In some parts of the Serengeti there are vast areas of grasslands.
The height of the grass made it hard to spot some of the animals. Can you see the lions laying in the grass?
Thank goodness for telephoto lenses and a sharp eyed guide.
Standing they loose their cover and are more visible. You may notice the one in the middle has a tracking collar used for research on the lions habits.
How about this male lion, can you spot him?
He was not interested in standing up for a photo.
As long as you kept your eyes open you were certain to see some animals. Either in large groups like these hippos...
Or small groups like these ostrich and hartebeest...
Alone like this vulture...
Or in massive herds like these buffalo and wildebeest.
The elephants were always amazing to see whether alone or in groups.
We saw more impala and gazelles than you could count.
Giraffes have a hard time hiding.
As do these huge Marabou storks.
Hippos are huge and their mouths enormous.
This little bat-eared fox is a cutie.
Can you spot the leopard in this tree?
Just chillin' out with a little cat nap.
After a full-day game drive we returned to the lodge and had a good night's rest...until 3 a.m. when we heard a loud munching outside our window. Peering out into the darkness we saw this huge hippo. Is this window glass hippo proof?
We woke early to a beautiful sun rise to the east...
And full moon setting in the west.
We started the morning game drive with another Serengeti traffic jam.
This pride of 2 females and 10 cubs were not as interested in us as the tourists were of them. As you could see earlier, once they settle down into the tall grass they are hard to spot.
Can you spot the leopard in this photo? Thanks to our sharp eyed guide he did...and we got some great shots.
She even had 2 cubs.
Where are those little ones now?
Oh no, is she eyeing her next meal?
Fortunately not. We learned that for most of the animals having grown up with tourists constently around they are relatively uneffected by us. They just go about their business as normal.
Some animals though have been more difficult to find up close. The male lions have remained elusive or at a distance for us. This looks like a great "big cat" hiding place.
As mentioned earlier, the annual migration of wildebeest and zebras is a major spectacle in the Serengeti.
They migrate single file in lines miles long.
Often at a gallop pace. Wildebeest are quick and fast like a horse.
But where there are large herds of animals predators also follow.
This cheetah has spotted a baby wildebeest that has gotten seperated from its mother.
The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. I got the final chase and kill on video. Certainly not National Geographic quality, but according to our guide, a rare sight for a tourist to capture.
These zebra looked on thankful it was not their time.
We happened across another cheetah kill of an impala. Likely another lesson on how to kill by this mother and her 3 cubs.
The Serengeti is a wide open space with all the dangers and wonders in the circle of life.
In all this wide open space we came across a bit of an intimate moment.
Two lions sleeping.
The male wakes up.
Scratches his head.
Gives a little grin.
A little kiss.
And then...
Wham Bam thank you Mam
And back to sleep. The whole thing took less than a minute. That's not so Kingly. But then we found out that lions mate for six days straight. The first 2 days they "do it" every 15 minutes. He really is the King of the Beasts. We did not stick around for the next show.
As we left the Serengeti plains, quite glad to be alive, we saw a quentisential African storm.
