The Ngorongoro Crater

Daryll writes:

The Ngorongoro Crater was formed 4,5 million years ago when the volcano erupted and then caved in on it’s self.  It’s called the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area as the Masai are the only tribe that are allowed to live on the rim of the crater raising their domestic animals in close proximity to the deadliest predators.  All the endangered animals in the crater are also closely monitored and the rhino in particular are counted daily.  There are only 21 rhino in the crater; 40 lions; 8 cheetah; 40 elephants together with several wildebeest, zebra, hyena, jackal, fox, water buffalo, hippo; springbok and other game.
We camped on the rim of the crater the night before and at 2300m, it was a cold evening and morning.  Day 4 started with us descending into the crater and I will leave you with a photo summary of the day.
















We did the tour with Tropical Safari’s and they were excellent.  The cook and driver/guide were great ensuring that all our needs were met and that we were always happy.  I highly recommend them.  In total, between the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, we saw 31 lions, which included 6 male lions; 6 cheetah; 2 leopards and 1 rhino together with elephant and water buffalo (all of the big 5).  If you ever want to go on safari, these 2 parks are the place to be.  We had an incredible 4 days of game drives and I would do it again in a heart beat.  It was a magical experience.