NGORONGORO CRATER

The panoramic image of Ngorongoro Crater from crater ridgeline is about as good a view as one can have of a nature reserve.  It's stunning to see the size and scope of the caldera and know that there is a relatively self contained ecosystem below teaming with wildlife.  There's nothing new in the park although there is a giant lake with flamingos that we had not seen previously.  I initially expected that you could spend a few days at Ngorongoro Crater, especially given the park's reputation, but the park's sites can be covered in a five to six hour drive - you enter the park at one end, drive through the caldera, then exit at another location.  We visited in the afternoon after dropping making a stop at the campsite on the ridge above the crater.  There's one group campsite that was the busiest place we stayed during our trip.

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Ngorongoro Crater has a lake near its center that draws thousands of flamingoes and other wildlife.

Wildebeest doing their walk in a long line thing.

We saw many animals have sex while on safari. Seeing a bull elephant, with an erect penis, charging after a female is something I would love to unsee. We saw this poor female lion succumb to a male's desires several times. Apparently male lions aren't exactly the largest cats in the jungle. They both seem unhappy about the overall process.

We saw this lion enjoying a drink, then sat up, and in one swift motion jumped across the stream.

There is a little bit of everything in Ngorongoro Crater except for smaller predatory cats like Cheetahs and Leopards that would not be able to compete with the lion prides in the park. 

One other thing that was interesting about this park is that Maasai farm and raise cattle in the park - this was the first time we saw humans and wild animals living side by side - in other areas the villages were slightly outside the park confines

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For additional photos see the Ngorongoro Crater Flickr Album.