Zero degrees and zero black rhinos

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After the remoteness and small population of Soki camp in the Serengeti, it's shocking to arrive at what appears to be a tent city on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. Simba A campsite is a much bigger operation and there are already 30 or 40 tents erected in its scenic grounds, dominated by a large, spreading tree and views into the crater. Our tents are pitched in some available spots and we see a few faces familiar from our game drives. A lone zebra potters past the toilet block on its way into the crater.

The camp is at 2,000m and exposed to a keen wind, meaning it's damned cold even before the sun goes down. I put on two T-shirts and two fleeces and am still far from toasty. Pretty much every other group has opted to eat in the dining hall, next to the large kitchen in which all the various tour cooks are whipping up dinner in a noisy and chaotic atmosphere awash with intriguing smells, but Nuru has set up our table outside. I drink several mugs of tea, as much to have something to warm my hands on as to satisfy any thirst requirements. Dinner is eaten quickly then we all repair to our tents.

This is the first night that I spend inside my sleeping bag instead of just under it, and this while wearing all my clothes too. The wind makes the tent walls vibrate and it sounds most unpleasant outside. However this is the best night's sleep I have on the entire safari, uninterrupted even by my insomniac bladder.

There's still a strong, cutting breeze blowing at dawn and I'm most unimpressed to find that in this, the largest, most popular, and coldest camp we've stayed at to date, there is no hot water. The second infrastructural boo-boo is that there are just five power sockets available, despite there routinely being a couple of hundred visitors per day, most coming from the generally powerless camps of the Serengeti and hence in need of juice. It doesn't help that the camp staff monopolise these sockets with their cellphones. Someone in the NCA governing body needs a good kick up the arse.

The descent into the crater is slow and impressive, the slowness partly attributable to some engine malfunction that has seen us negotiate uphills and downhills in first gear since the beginning of the safari. The walls of the crater are lushly forested and we see several Masai striding down (they have grazing rights inside). The crater floor is generally savannah but it also includes Lake Magadi, a salt lake shimmering white in the sun. It's as freezing as at the rim and we sit huddled in the same number of layers as we'd been wearing there. This doesn't deter the animals though, and the concentration of wildlife is amazing, with wildebeest and zebra particularly well-represented. New sightings include crowned crane, hyena, Kori bustard, jackal, and hartebeest. Lion encounters comprise a lioness and two cubs, as well as a couple of adults with their kill.

It's possible to track the progress of each of the safari vehicles in the crater by following the upward-drifting dust clouds that trail behind them. I can feel my hair becoming stiff with dust, and a quick glance at P, M and K shows they are becoming greyer by the minute.

Unfortunately the windy conditions are not optimal for finding black rhino, as they prefer to retreat to the forest when it's blowy out, and we leave without seeing any, meaning I'm still one short of the Big Five. The other noteworthy absentee from our spotting list is cheetah, though my Masai Mara safari spoiled me in that regard.

We return to camp for lunch, finding almost no tents still standing. It's essentially a 100% population turnover each day. We pack up our own tents for the last time, then begin the drive back to Arusha.

K reveals that, at home, she usually eats 1kg of chocolate a day, which comfortably eclipses my own excessive consumption. Fortunately she's a gym (and German) teacher so it doesn't show. I have no such luck.

P is one of the first people I've heard articulate a thought to which I've given considerable time - that the world isn't such a great place that the decision to have kids should be a no-brainer. I have many other reasons for not wanting children but that's certainly a strong one. I've never been sure whether my view of the world informs my view of parenthood or vice versa.

The adrenaline excesses of the previous few days kick in, and for the rest of the journey I drift in and out of sleep, the fields of sunflowers we pass barely registering.

We hit Arusha at evening rush hour, and it takes an interminable amount of time to go the last 10km. I say goodbye regretfully to P, M and K, my enjoyment of the safari having been in no small part due to our group dynamic.

Back at the hotel, I remove my glasses and find several milligrams of the Serengeti stuck to my nose and cheeks. Mere washing has little effect and I have to scrape the compacted dust off.

Fortunately the memories are more securely ingrained.

On the assumption that I will fly home from South Africa mid-December, this safari marks the halfway point in time of my African jaunt. I would be lying if I said this fact depressed me.

Dull but possibly useful info
i. See third last entry (Tarangire).

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Photos

Tree at sunset
Simba A campsite

Intrepid indeed
Simba A campsite

Men with hats
P, M and K try to pretend it's not bloody freezing

Comments

[Vin Pisano]

Just saying, "Hi"
I've been reading your blogs for a while now and just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy them. Great descriptions, beautiful photos, and I love the honesty.