Ngorongoro Crater from above
It was already three in the afternoon when we left Olduvai Gorge and began our two-hour drive East out of the plains and up into the hills. At first, the road was flat and the terrain barren. But soon we began climbing and as we did the hills became green and almost lush with low vegetation. We also began to see numerous Maasai villages on these hills. While in the Serengeti, we had been in a wildlife protected area. When the National Park was created, the Serengeti was made off limits to the nomadic Maasai. We had now passed into the Ngorongoro Conservation area where settlement was allowed, and we passed dozens of large Maasai settlements as we continued to gain altitude and ascend.
Early in the planning stages of our trip we had been told to bring warm clothes, and the reason given was that we would need them for the two nights we would spend camping on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. The campground where we stayed was nearly 2300 meters (7500 feet) above sea level, and the temperatures at night got down to 5-10 degrees Celsius. Indeed, it was already considerably cooler, although the afternoon sun was still bright.
I think it's fair to say that nothing on our trip so far had prepared us for the experience of Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater itself is a wonder, an immense volcanic caldera measuring 22km across and 600 meters deep. It has been estimated that the mountain that erupted to create the crater was 5000-6000 meters and rivaled Kilimanjaro. Within the crater is a population of 25,000 large mammals, including what is thought to be the densest population of predators in Africa.
When we arrived at the campsite, we found that we would be pitching our tents on a large circular green looking out over the crater. In the middle of the green was an ancient tree. The effect was magical.
There were other things about this campsite that were different than what we had experienced so far. For one thing, we had an armed guard here patrolling the perimeter of the campground with what looked to my untrained eye like an AK-47. Rob explained that the guard was necessary to protect against incursions of water buffalo and bush pigs. As we disembarked from the Land Rover, he also pointed out a young elephant hanging out in the sparse bush about 100 yards away from the camp. It seemed that this elephant was fairly well known to the guards, and hung around the campground for its water. I made a mental note that it would be a bad idea to meet either the elephant or a bush pig on a midnight trip to the bathroom.
I also noticed that the campground was ringed by a red dirt road and grass path that was perhaps 500 meters long. It almost seemed designed for high altitude intervals. I had to remember my promise to myself not to run.
As it grew dark, we played cards in the common dining building while Henry prepared another incredible dinner. Our meal was especially satisfying that night, since we were hungrier than usual after our improvised lunch. It was also very lively at the campground, with perhaps a hundred fellow campers from all over the world. I happened to be sitting next to a Japanese woman and a Tanzanian man who were conversing in basic Japanese. It was a perfect multi-lingual eavesdropping opportunity for me, as I knew a bit more Japanese than the man, and the woman spoke very slowly and explained everything twice.
Heading to our tents after dinner, the sky shone with stars, and the black outline of the single sheltering tree stood out against the deep blue of the heavens.
I fell asleep easily that night.
Sometime after midnight, I woke again to the sound of an animal snuffling up against the side of the tent. My heart froze. Was it a bush pig? Something worse? I lay there trying to be as quiet and uninteresting as possible, my mind racing with images of a big ugly brute rooting around our tent, ripping a hole in the canvas.
This went on for several minutes. I seem to remember the snuffling sound stopped for a while, then sounded again a little ways off. I wondered what it was after.
The next morning, I woke up before the sun. Peter was also up, and took some spectacular photos of sunrise over the crater. As for the midnight intruder, there was no sign of any damage to tent or camper. That might have been the end of the story, but it turned out other members of my family had been up and had heard the animal. I know this because at breakfast Joni asked, "did you hear the Zebra last night?" Apparently my fierce bush pig had actually been a meek and harmless ruminant.
Two pictures of sunrise at Ngorongoro Crater
2 comments:
Great read and great photos!
seconded!
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