Tanzania’ Ngorngoro Crater
Traveling down bumpy( this ride is so bumpy that it requires an athletic bra and many potty breaks), dusty roads in large Land Cruisers begins our venture into the brush. Massai tribesmen are seen herding the village cattle and goats onto the plains and children are playing soccer. This culture is very recognizable. They are very tall and thin. They jump very high, which is part of their dance, and run very fast.Red or red and blue checkered blankets are wrapped around their shoulders. They feel protected from wild beasts in red, the original tribal color.
The crater, about 1.600 feet deep, has many landscapes. The rim looks down onto flat plains of scrub, tall grasses, trees, cacti and several watering holes, one of which is a salt water lake. At first, we saw no animals. I thought to myself,”This is a beautiful sight but, maybe my kids were right, I could see more animals in the zoo!” Then, we spotted a lioness
blending into the golden grass right next to the road, Boy, was she difficult to detect. We got great views out of the lifted roof of the 4-wheel drive vehicle. After this first sighting, it got exciting. One large male lion and one female started to move around the vehicles, so close we could touch them (but we didn’t). After that we came very close to herds of zebras,
wildebeest, gazelles and wart hogs. They are all so amazing when you see them individually but seeing them in huge herds is breathtaking. We witness the mating dance of heavily feathered ostriches.The neck of the male gets red as he chases the flirting female before it becomes a pornographic demonstration! After that it became pretty mild.
Leaping gazelles and submerged hippos with above water eyes taking in all movement were interesting.
We headed off road to have a picnic in a naturally enclosed area not far from our lion sightings. Tauck Tours planned an amazing picnic. A long buffet of hot and cold foods, a separate bar for drinks and tables covered with red and blue checkered Masai clothes
were set with crystal, silverware and china. They even set up draped bathrooms to blend into the scenery. Lunch was delicious and it was fun comparing stories of our sighting, even though we all saw the same things, our impressions were different.
After lunch we finally saw huge eared elephants with ivory tusks. The older the elephants,
the bigger the tusks. One walked toward us before turning toward a watering hole to drink part of his 60 gallons a day ration!
ASIDE: Afican cabarnet and merlot wines are delicious.
