Journey to the Center of the Earth

Michele nailed our day as soon as we got near the turn off for the crater (technically a caldera): "It's like a journey to the center of the earth!" It had rained overnight, meaning our drive involved a fair amount of deep mud ruts in the red dirt and clay of this area. We loaded up our picnic lunch (making sure to have diet cokes pre-boarded) then heaved and hopped through it to join the main road. It was a total of 40 minutes from the Manor to the Ngorongoro Crater National Park. We checked in, hit the restrooms one last time (Western toilets but still pretty nasty) and headed through the gate.

The circumference of the crater, Ami the guide reported, was 100 km. This led to much discussion, and an unexpected seminar by Champ on dimensional engineering analysis for geometric calculations of diameter, area and even volume within the crater. Ngaire looked at us and simply said "It's BIG." Nuff said.

We passed by a supply Land Rover that had gone over the side of the narrow road. The rescue folks were hanging on to vines and rappeling down to the car. Geez! This is one place a winch is no where nearby to get your land rover out of the brush. Fortunately, injuries were of the minor variety.

The first overlook was a sea of fog. We opted to skip staring into nothingness in favor of heading down to the floor. The fog started to lift about half way down, and by the time we arrived at the floor, we had deep blue skies, light winds and plains, watering holes and steep, green sides as far as we could see. Fluffy clouds rested gently on the top of the crater. Game could be seen all around - but well out of reach of anyone's camera lens. It was truly an 'aha!' whoosh of wonder throughout our vehicle.

As is true in US national parks, off road driving is also not permitted in the national parks in Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda or South Africa (those I know for sure). Once you've been off road to see animals in a private game reserve, though, it's tough to go back to another way of appreciating the animals and nature. Keep in mind we had 265 square kilometers to cover so getting an accurate flavor of the crater would take some time. We saw flamingos in the distance massing in one watering hole, lone hyenas looking for either water or leftovers near the middle of the day, and a black rhino hanging out. We did catch a pair of zebra in the last gasp of procreation. We've probably seen at least 25 animals we missed in South Africa in two short Tanzanian days. Still .. the photography opportunities were few and far between.

We opted for an early picnic lunch near a marshy area. Hippos were snorting around the watering hole. Crowned Cranes, the national bird of Uganda, were flocking in the largest groups I've ever seen. Egyptian geese were also in large groups, and the Rufus weavers, golden weavers and the superb starlings sent in their air force to grab our leftovers. One Rufus weaver with a bum leg kept up the begging. Another golden weaver swooped into the open roof in our car. I followed 'em in and urged them to leave, providing a few very good bird photos. A sacred ibis showed up and decided to strut his/her stuff. Zebra were running just past the marsh, forward, then backward, then at the top of a small crest. It is so much easier to appreciate the interaction by watching or using video than by trying for still pictures.

The picnic was terrific and we packed up to ready for a speedy trip back to the Manor. It was not meant to be. We came through the wildebeest and zebra herds. Mating season for the wildebeest will start shortly, so the bulls are duking it out for who will garner the 'reproductive opportunities' and who will have to toughen up for next season. They were all calling out to each other .. then head butting .. then chasing off the competition and/or falling back .. while the zebras bark (it is a WEIRD sound) and mingle amongst the wildebeest. We were mesmerized and stopped for a good 30 minutes to immerse ourselves in the giant plains herds daily grind.

I am so glad we took the time to stop at the Crater. It's a one day, one-and-done experience. You can stay right on the crater (Crater Lodge, Sopa Lodge, Wildwood, Serena) or stay a bit outside at other locations. They range from the ridiculous (Crater Lodge is approx $1400 per person per night) to the basic. There's no apparent advantage to getting into the crater at 6 am (for the one hour drive to the floor) versus getting in at 8 am. The wind picks up in the afternoon, and the supply trucks barrel past you at 60 km/hr and cover camera, nose, hair and mouth with lots of dusty detritus.

We headed back up the road and had two nice views from overlooks. I took advantage of another napping opportunity on the drive back to the Manor.

Tanzania is somewhere between Rwanda and South Africa in terms of development. There are many more cars, bikes and general infrastructure than Rwanda here. The first president of Tanzania insisted on Swahili education, so the 120 tribes who each had their own education were brought together by their children learning Swahili as a common tongue. It's certainly a less volatile political climate here than Kenya right now; but for me personally, I connected more closely with the Kenyan call of the wild than I've found so far on this trip. I hope to find that same connection when we head to Faru Faru tomorrow.

Cheers, Anne