From the Serengeti, while still in Tanzania, we drove down to the Ngorongoro Crater.
FROM THE WEBSITE OF “On The Go Tours”:
Standing proudly in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Tanzania is the Ngorongoro Crater. This highly visited African attraction is the world’s largest inactive, unbroken and unfilled volcanic caldera. What else is there to know about this natural wonder?
1. The Ngorongoro Crater was formed when a large volcano erupted and collapsed on itself. This explosion created a caldera approximately two and a half million years ago.
2. When it was a volcano it’s thought to have been a similar size to Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the world’s highest mountains. Estimates of the volcano’s original height vary between 4,500 to 5,800 metres. The crater itself is about 610 metres deep and 260 kilometres squared.
3. Approximately 40,000 people live in the conservation area. They share the land with an incredible amount of wildlife. There are around 30,000 animals ranging from leopard, cheetah, elephant and hyena to warthog, buffalo and impala. It’s also one of the best places to see the endangered black rhino and black-maned male lions.
4. You won’t find any giraffes in the crater. It’s thought they can’t enter as the sides are too steep for them to walk down. However you’ll still be able to find them around the crater.
5. The Ngorongoro Crater along with two others in the region (Olmoti and Empakai) were enlisted as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. It’s also one of the Sevens Natural Wonders of Africa.
6. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world. The fossils discovered there are said to be the earliest known evidence of the human species.
7. Tourism is essential for economic growth however visitor numbers are being monitored to avoid damaging the environment. Around 450,000 people travel to the Ngorongoro a year and all are required to obtain a permit to enter the crater and gorge.
8. The region has welcomed numerous famous people including Prince William, Bill Clinton, the Queen of Denmark, and Bill and Nancy Rumpel. Visitors to Ngorongoro account for approximately 60% of the 770,000 who travel to Tanzania each year.
9. The Oscar-winning movie Out of Africa was filmed partly in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. One of the scenes you can spot the crater is when Denys takes off from the Olkurruk airstrip and flies over the Masai Mara and Ngorongoro.
10. The Ngorongoro Crater is also referred to as ‘the Garden of Eden’ due to its dazzling beauty and being a paradise for animals.
Wasn’t that interesting?? We found the crater to be fascinating. We arrived late in the day and spent the night in a lodge provided by a Coffee Plantation. Wazeri, our guide, was telling us during the day about how poorly guides are treated at these lodges so we invited him to join us for dinner. He said he seldom dines with his customers but would accept our invitation because he was especially impressed with the place we were staying. So after checking in and unpacking a bit (we were staying for two night) we wandered out to take a look at the place and see if there were any watering holes around for thirsty tourists. We found a nice terrace and enjoyed a cool beer before dinner while watching the sun set. At dinner, with Wazeri, we found we were the only guests at the lodge and we invited the entire staff to join us for a glass of wine after dinner. Several bottles were soon emptied during stories of past guests, visiting animals, questions about America, questions about our families and you name it. It was a wonderful evening that we will not soon forget.
The next day Wazeri scooped us up and off we went to visit the Ngorongoro Crater. We spent all day wandering up and down the hills, saw so many interesting aspects of all the different animals that live there. They don’t leave and migrate as others do … this seems to be THE place for them. So here we go again with a bunch of animal pictures:
Nancy on the Edge of the Crater 
Bill & Wazari 
The Ngorongoro Crater 
Nancy & Wazari 
The Entrance 
Entrance to the Coffee Plantation … on the top of the Crater 
Coffee 
Our Room 
The Garden 
Sunset 
Morning Descent into the Crater 
It was Foggy 
There it is! 
Acacia Trees 
The Road into the Crater 
Can You Name These Animals Yet? 
A Jackel 
Lunch 
A Salt Lake 
An Ostrich Doing A Mating Dance 
Fresh water and Woods 
Can You Spot The Elephant? 
Leopaard 
A Rest Stop by The Lake 
We Had A Picnic Lunch Here 
Going Back Out 
Inside Wazeri’s truck 
Thats A Cooler in the Middle 
Our Lodge 
Thatched Roof 
Leaving For Dar Aslaam 
A Boab Tree 
Village Along the Way 
Found Only in Africa and Australia 
At The Airport ready to Fly to Zambia 
Good Stuff!!
Truly a Paradise. So this ended our wild Game Safari for now. Nancy and I and two other people, J.R. and Julie who you will meet in Zambia, were the only passengers on the plane. It was small but made it over Kilimanjaro. We said a sad “Good Bye” to Wazeri whom we had spent many days with driving all over Tanzania with. On to Zambia and Victoria Falls.