In the crater

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The next day we drove down into the crater which was an experience in itself, the road is a very narrow track with a sheer drop on one side. We then headed out along the crater floor along dusty bumpy roads looking for animals.

Unlike the Serengeti the animals tended to be a lot further away from the road. We did see a rhino, but he was about 1/2 a kilometre away. I managed to get a half decent photo that lets you see that it was actually a rhino.

The scenery around the crater was very spectacular. We saw two groups of lions, one was a mother with some young cubs, these were no more than 50 metres away on the edge of a streem. We also saw a large male sunning himself out on the plain about 200 metres away.

We then travelled to the town of Mosquito River on the edge of Lake Manyara, we camped in the grounds of a lodge which had a swimming pool and hot showers and western toilets. Everyone made the most of it.

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Photos

Maasai Herdsman
A Maasai herdsman standing on the edge of the crater just as the sun was rising.

A Male Lion
The solitary male lion relaxing on the crater floor, he was approximately 200 metres from the vehicle.

The Rhino
The only rhino we saw, he was about 1/2 a kilometre away.

Park Rangers
We meet these two National Park Rangers as we stopped for one last look at the crater before heading to Lake Manyara. The AK47's are to protect themselves from any aggressive animals or to shoot poachers and annoying tourists.