http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Tanzania , North , Ngorongoro Conservation Area en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 17:35:57 +0000 Fri, 24 May 2013 17:35:57 +0000 The schedule had another game drive next day morning and then drive to Ngorongoro crater after. Since we had seen most animals we decided to skip the morning game drive in Serengeti and instead head to the crater in morning. It had rained quite a bit at night and I was quite worried that we will see more overflowing streams. The drive out of campsite was smooth. There was a overflown stream but http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-780902.html Why not consider a holiday that will really make a difference benefiting the people or helping to conserve the wildlife of Africa and participate in a Volunteer or Conservation Project.Volunteering whilst perfect for those on a GAP year anybody professional or non professional can participate. It is a great way to travel and make new friends at the same time you will be contributing to societ http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-770238.html We are in the village of Karatu for the last leg of our safari. So far our safari has been amazing We39ve seen so many beautiful things. Snake ParkWe started the safari by visiting a snake park. We saw a bunch of different snakes that are found in Tanzania and it really made us hope we wouldn39t meet any of them in the wild. Specifically we want to avoid the Black Mamba at all costs. It http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-763224.html Vi hadde en rolig middag i gr var tidlig i seng etter en lang dag. Aleksander sovnet som vanlig med et poff og en smell mens jeg l vken lenge. Det er ganske kaldt her i Ngorongoro nr solen gr ned faktisk like kaldt som hjemme. Ngorongoro ligger 2500m over havet og dermed er klimaet noe helt annet her enn de andre plassene vi har vrt de siste dagene. I natt var det s kaldt at jeg t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-747908.html dra p besk til en Masai landsby har jeg nevnt tidligere p bloggen at vi hadde et sterkt nske om i dag ble dette realitet. En fantastisk opplevelse med minner vi sent vil glemme. Nr vi kom ble det holdt velkomstdans for oss jeg mtte ogs delta til slutt. som en ivrig hobbysanger sang jeg av full hals. De ordene jeg forsto iallefall prvde menge meg s godt som overhodet http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-747735.html Today we had a relaxing morning getting a chance to look around the snake park and head into the city of Arusha where we went to the supermarket and got to go on the internet for a while. Chris and I were amused at some of the cultural differences in Africa everyone is so relaxed they are almost going backwards. We went into the supermarket around 10am only to find they had no water left we wen http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-743558.html Ngorongoro Crater 2 August in morning and 4 AugustWe arrived at the camp at the top of the rim of the Crater at about 6.00pm. We took longer than expected because we were following one of our 4x4 vehicles which was toeing another vehicle that was carrying our tents and beds. The 2 nights we were on the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater we had our tents put up for us and we were waited on. H http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-742248.html Damn it was cold overnight around 3c. Straight into the truck at 6.00am with our sleeping bags for warmth then head for the Crater entrance and the steep descent to the crater floor. this is like Africa in miniature all the game is here in a 26 km2 area prides of Lions Elephants Giraffe Bush Bucks Zebra Ostriches Hippos and on and on. The highlight was seeing a couple of Rhinoceros al http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-730007.html It has taken me a few days to process what happened this weekend. I have gone over it and over it in my head and I cannot come up with an appropriate way to put into words all that I experienced. What follows is my inarticulate attempt to conceptualize and verbalize one of the best things I have ever done. A group of us booked a three day two night camping safari scheduled to take us through http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-726203.html How to describe three indescribable days in a short enough fashion so that you dont nod off ltspangtltspangt It was so fabulous that words will never do it justice and even Sydneys amazing photos and Daves fabulous videos will fall short because of the scope and magnitude.ltspangt Safaris are on ltspangtrough roads very dusty and dirty and SOOO worth it. We left Friday a http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-725781.html The Ngorogoro Crater is spectacular. It sits about 7000 ft above sea level at least the rim does. Our hotel balcony overlooks the crater it almost looks like a satellite map or that you are looking at it from the plane. It is a LONG way down. The Maasai a famous African tribe live on the craters edge and often graze their cattle in the nutrient rich grass. Actually Ran was on the balcony http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-722442.html 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 Kilimin http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-722166.html 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 Kil http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-722161.html First we booked the ticket on the net. We went to the airport at 8 a.m. We went to the chekincounter labelled our suitcase passed the customs and security controls. We got on the plane and we waited for the departure of the flight. The flight was 9 hours long. The plane landed at the Dodomas airport the Tanzanias capital. The next day we took the bus to Arusha. A local guide waited for http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-699923.html Life in the tent camp primitive. This blog WAS NOT done in camp. Giraffes and cape buffalo visitors in camp. Saw cheetah mom with 4 cubs 30 minutes in land rover from camp and another mom with 2 older cubs 1 hour from camp. Could hear the lions roaring at night. Wildebeest have migrated through some did not make the water crossing and skulls and bones on the lake shore. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-691929.html 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. Can39t download pictures. We will be heading into the Ngor http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-690883.html Our first night in the N39dutu wilderness camp was a slightly more wild experience. Although the canvas tents were more luxurious than we expected including beds and portapotties we still felt a tad unsure of their safety rating should we be swarmed by animals in the night. The manager of the camp assured Morgan with a totally straight face that the canvas and plastic venting were complete http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-682396.html 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 earl http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-681251.html After a lovely breakfast with some really excellent coffee we took a 20minute Cessna Caravan charter from Arusha to Manyara then got in our jeeps and were transported to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.ltspangtltspangt 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.lts http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-675277.html We had to say goodbye to Edwin yesterday when he dropped us back in Arusha for our flight out. He dropped us at the Arusha Hotel made famous by John Wayne in Hatari and they were milking that connection for every ounce of benefit. Edwin is my one and only example of a safari driver so it is hard to make comparisons but we were thrilled with everything he had to show us and could not have ask http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-675033.html