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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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 few Lion prides in the park. It was a pleasant game drive with another huge herd of wildebeests and we did stumble across a few lions mating and another group waiting in silence for a kill - although unfortunately for them, no other animals were nearby.
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 |