Blogs from Ngorongoro Conservation Area, North, Tanzania, Africa - page 5

So, after a nice few days together in Tofo, it was time to move on to new adventures in Tanzania. (*Tahn Zahn ya). We left Inhambane for Joburg, then the next morning we boarded a Kenya Airways flight for Kiliminjaro with a connection in Nairobi. Kenya Airways was quite nice, it is on the approved European list of African airlines. We landed in Nairobi and headed for the connecting gate to Kiliminjaro, where I quickly learned my passport was missing. I am always very paranoid about making sure I have my passport, so Randy and I were both in shock. And so the saga begins…. First, I retraced all of my steps from gate 9 to gate 5. No passport. We suggested they check the plane we came in on. That plane, we were informed, has ... read more

Drove down into the Ngorongoro Crater today and had some cool sights. Watched a cheetah stalking prey. Saw a rhino and hippo. Watched a jackel jump and nearly catch a bird. Watched a 2 lion cubs feeding from mother from about 30 ft. Mother came up to the Land Rover and was within 10 ft. Wait until you see the pictures. No wireless here. Can't download pictures. We will be heading into the Ngorongoro Conservation area tomorrow and will not have any internet connection from our tents. Everone is having a great time. Our guide very impressed by the cheetah today as he had never seen one in Ngorongoro Crater.... read more

We welcomed the farmhouse for its hot showers and the ability to do laundry for the first time since we finished our climb. It was nice to finally feel clean! We spent two nights at the Farmhouse which included afternoon siesta times, which we were all very excited about. After an evening of sending out laundry and hand washing what we could (laundry is VERY expensive here), we headed to bed early in anticipation for the crater the next morning. We met our team of drivers the next morning at just before 6:00 as we were only allowed to be in the crater for 6 hours. Leaving early meant less tourists and enjoying the morning views with some reprieve from the afternoon heat. The drive into the crater was something along the lines of Jurassic park ... read more

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Crater Lodge Game Viewing: Lions, Elephants, Hippos, Buffalo, Cheetah, Zebra, Wildebeest, Hyenas, & Birds Game drives: 6:30am to 2:00pm – normally only one game drive a day as the park closed at 6:00pm. However I did manage two (2) drives in a day to try and maximize the game viewing. Guide: Killian – very good The Ngorongoro Crater is located in Northern Tanzania, once a volcano, is the largest intact caldera in the world. It is an extensive highland area with a 600 metre (1,900 ft) deep Crater which is the focal point that shelters one of the most beautiful wildlife havens on earth. The views are spectacular and because the animals are not migratory, it is arguable one of the world’s natural wonders. From Zanzibar we flew to Arusha and then onto the ... read more

After a lovely breakfast (with some really excellent coffee!) we took a 20-minute Cessna Caravan charter from Arusha to Manyara, then got in our jeeps and were transported to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We spent the day driving around the crater floor, and we saw cape buffalo, zebra, baboons, warthogs, wildebeest, lions, cranes, ostrich, gazelle, eland and hyena. The highlight of the day was finding a wildebeest in a watering hole who was surrounded by hyena. There were over thirty of them and they just kept coming. We hoped for the best but knew the big guy didn’t stand a chance. And he didn’t. It was horrifying to watch, but that’s life on the savanna, all day every day. For our own lunch we were surprised with a catered affair in the floor of the ... read more