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Published: October 13th 2023
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Ngorongoro Crater is not a crater, but a twelve-mile-wide caldera with no breaks in the walls, the largest in the world. I regretted not taking any photos in full light from my balcony, but there was no time after breakfast before leaving at 6:30.
The day more than made up for it. At the gate to Ngorongoro, Lucas obtained our permit and other paperwork. Later he explained that per person the permit fee was $80, plus a conservation fee of $70, added to the $350 for the night at the hotel, plus $300 per vehicle – a sizeable portion of the cost of our whole trip!
We descended an 11% grade on a fairly good stone rode. Between the large bushes, trees and grasses, we could see the wide golden plain surrounded by a rim of mountainous hills. Descending the wall of the caldera was like descending into geological history. I kept imagining the terrible force that ripped apart a mountain and created a wide expanse of flat land. All the debris was driven west into what we now call the Serengeti. Eons of time let nature transform rock into rich soil that grew lush vegetation. And, the animals
came. Almost biblical.
Switchbacks took us safely to the bottom. We could see a large herd of wildebeest and zebras, so common to the entire ecological zone. We spent the morning, bouncing slowly along roads that might be impassible in the wet season. Whenever we saw something, our drivers stopped and we clambered onto the seats to get good views from the pop-up roof.
Early on we saw a lion family, right by the road. The family must have had a kill overnight, because their bellies were stretched. They ignored us, but we were excited to see a large female cross the road in front of us. Several steps into the grass, we laughed as she took a dump and walked back to where the family were resting under a large bush. The mother laid down and began to lick first one cub and then another with great thoroughness. The cubs loved the attention – gentle mutual affection was touching. After a while, first one female and then the other walked over to another bush farther away. The two older cubs sat at attention and kept their eyes on the females, probably waiting for a signal to join
them safely. Eventually, they saw or heard something we did not, and they crossed over. The three younger cubs kept playing; one unfortunately had a plastic bottle that provided it with endless fun crunching it with satisfying crackling noises. The mother came back, and after a while, so did the others.
When we moved on, to let other vehicles watch the family life, we saw a solitary young male nearby, probably part of the same family. His mane was fairly short and still golden in colour. His stomach may have hurt it was so full – he had a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep it off!
Later in the morning, we saw a tiny baby Thomson’s Gazelle next to its mother. Only about two days old, the fawn’s markings were smudged and camouflaged him in the dull-coloured grass. He trotted after his mother, and as she munched grass he wandered away. She didn’t seem concerned, so perhaps there were no predators around. In due course, he returned to her and helped himself to a good meal of milk. How astonishing to be watching a gazelle nurse in the wild!
Small lakes (at least in
Lake Magadi
Soda (salt) lake the dry season), a stream and a marsh attracted a lot of birds, as well as mammals. First we saw flamingos sitting in the water, only a few standing in that distinctive flamingo way. These birds are white, because they filter feed on algae, rather than shrimps. Some time later, we saw another flock, more recognizable because most were standing.
Two large flocks of pelicans stood waiting for something or looking for something – not feeding, at least. Near a big hippo pool, a flock of Ruffs were feeding in the marsh. Several types of herons strutted slowly, looking for frogs or other edibles – no fish. A Black Crake walked on four half-submerged hippos, pecking insects off their backs.
Our elevation: 1730 metres
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Isabel Gibson
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Wow. What a spectacular day. Your photos are excellent; your videos are exceptional. I love how the cub "asks" for more head-licking, leaning into it.