The alarm woke us up at 5am and in the dark and cold, we got ready and sped to the crater gate for its 7am opening. There was thick fog and we could barely see a few metres ahead of us but as the morning sun rose, the fog lifted and the incredible Lake Magadi unfolded before our eyes.
With a maximum driving speed of 50 kph, we spent the morning exploring the Lake's edge, passing Mandusi Swamp, Ngoitokitok Dam, Seneto Springs and Lerai Forest. Although we saw quite a lot of game, namely elephants, hyenas, zebras, buffaloes, giraffes, wildebeest, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, and the most impressive flock of pink flamingos I've ever witnessed, it was the crater itself that was the highlight.
With an area which covers 8292 sq. km, Ngorogoro Crater (www.ngorogoro-crater-africa.org) was first established in 1959 and is one of East Africa's most visited destinations. Local Maasai have grazing rights here and we came across some herds of cattle led by the beautifully cloaked Maasai herdsmen in their red and black cloth, sometimes carrying their signature spear and shield.
With the Maasai warriors being one of the better-known "African tribes" in the world, many of them have taken to selling souvenirs to tourists at the crater's edge. Many also ask for money if you take their picture, knowing full well that people would pay a lot for 'the perfect shot.' I was asked to hand over 10,000 Shillings after snapping a quick one out of the car (I had asked for his permission first) but knowing this was a deliberate rip-off, I gave him a 2,000 Shillings note. He didn't seem to mind and I made a mental note of settling a price before I press the button from now on.
Keeping in mind of our 24 hour permit, we took the 4x4 ascent trail back up to the crater's edge around noon and carried on towards Oldupai Gorge. There, we toured the basic, but very informative, museum and heard a short presentation by one of the staff members.
The name "Olduvai" is derived from the Maasai world "Oldupai" which refers to the most common plant in the area: Mother-in-law's Tongue (aka sisal). One German visitor mistook the P for a V in "Oldupai" and so efforts are being made today to revert back to the original name.
It is quite a feeling to be standing in "the cradle of humankind" and to imagine what it was like millions of years ago when layers of volcanic ash were deposited here to form what is now known as the Ngorogoro Highlands. The world-famous Leakey couple (Louis and Mary) spent most of their lives excavating fossil remains of early life here during the 1950's-1970's, and the work continues today by archaeologists.
We made it out of Ngorogoro Park by our 16:30 deadline and crossed into the Serengeti National Park. Again, the park fees were steep: $50 per person/day, $40 for a vehicle, and $30 per person to camp at the public campsite. At least there was no crater fee this time.
Seeing as it was the perfect time for an evening game drive, we went towards the Simba Kopjies area before heading towards Seronera and our camp. Within 20 minutes of entering the Park, we spotted 3 lions lying lazily on these impressive rocks.
As Tanzania's largest National Park, the Serengeti covers 14,763 sq km of complete wilderness. When you mention Africa to most people, images of the Serengeti Plains usually pop to mind, and it is just like what you see on TV or in books, perhaps even more beautiful: fields of grass and shrubs and trees, stretching far into the distance. Elephants gathered at the watering hole, zebras nuzzling one another, giraffes and gazelles grazing in herds, all looking healthy and majestic.
The sunset was, of course, magnificent.
We arrived at Dikdik Public Campsite just in time to put up our tent and cook our dinner. There was a safari group already there, a couple of Korean guys and a British overseas volunteer and her friend. They had joined a local tour to visit Ngorogoro and Serengeti over a period of 4 days. As we introduced ourselves and chatted, a family of giraffes were grazing a few metres away near the ablution blocks. Surreal!
With no fence around the campsite, we knew better this time than to start an open campfire and cook some meat. Instead, the group's cook had just finished preparing their dinner and so kindly let Matt use his hot coals to barbeque our meat while I made some instant noodles and pea soup for our second course.
It was much warmer tonight and we opened all of our tent windows in hopes of catching an elephant or giraffe wandering through the campsite. With no way to shower, we brushed our teeth and dozed off to the sound of hungry hippos (which made me think that's how the children's board game got its name) munching and grunting away, blissfully unaware, or at least indifferent to us being so close by.
Start: Ngorogoro Simba A Campsite, TAN. 06:48
End: Serengeti Dikdik Campsite, TAN. 18:45
Distance Traveled: 270 km
Road Conditions: steep 4x4 track into/out of crater, nothing Foxy couldn't handle though.
Temperature: cold and foggy morning, warming up only in mid-afternoon, warm evening in Serengeti
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