Day 11 Ngorongoro Crater

I wake early for a 06.00 departure so we can be first down to the crater. I get out of bed. It is so cold! There is a gas convector heater in the room which I hastily turn on. It is extremely effective and quickly takes the chill off the air. I put my fleece and puffa on and head for breakfast. There are huge gas effect coal fired in the main area which are all blazing away so breakfast is a warm affair.

I collect my camera from the room and head for the vehicle. The engine is running, there are brightly coloured Masai blankets on the seat and a hot water bottle to keep us warm. I am glad we have a closed vehicle. It is much too cold at this altitude for an open one.

Allyson and Benjamin climb in too and we set off. The sun is not yet up but the sky is turning pink and we pass giraffes silhouetted against the skyline. We stop to take pictures and move on. Entamanu Camp is the closest camp to the descent road, which was one of my reasons for choosing it, but it is still half an hour on bumpy dirt tracks to reach it. As we start to descend we catch a glimpse of the crater with the sun just rising over the distant rim. Eland and impala graze in the undergrowth and brightly coloured superb starlings dart from tree to tree. It is very beautiful but hard to take any good photos as we are facing directly into the sun.

We finally reach the crater floor and begin our drive. Almost immediately we spot 4 lions so we stop for the first of many photo opportunities. In fact this is the first time I have ever flattened the battery on my camera. There is so much to see and the camera is turned on pretty continuously.

Everyone says the crater can be very crowded but incredibly today it is very quiet and it is a surprisingly private and privileged experience made all the better by the fantastic weather. I shall not list everything we saw – I shall let the photos tell their own story.

There was one incident however that is worth mentioning. We stopped to look at a black backed jackal that was seeking shade in long grass by the roadside. Almost immediately he stood up and went under the vehicle for shade. Sammy started the engine and the jackal came out and looked up at us as if to say “What are you doing? I am trying to get some rest.” This happened 4 times – we accordingly could take some great close-ups.

We also saw a wildebeest that had just given birth being harassed by 2 golden jackals. They wanted the afterbirth and the mother was trying to defend her calf and chase them off. Jackals are quick and won the battle.

The only place that was crowded was the picnic area by a hippo pool where there are restrooms. Here there were maybe 20 vehicles but Sammy says this is nothing – he has seen 200-300 here in the past. I cannot think how unpleasant that would make the whole experience. We are lucky indeed and I understand January is a good time to visit as it tends to be quieter.

It is very hot in the crater and ice cold beers are very welcome on our drive back for a late lunch. There are 3 different beers in the cool box. We all choose different ones and Allyson discovers that Kilimanjaro beer is very fizzy and continually froths out of the bottle as we drive along the dusty and very bumpy tracks. Serengeti and Safari beers are much better behaved.

After lunch we only have a short break before setting off to see a Masai boma which the lodge sponsors. We are greeted with a Masai welcome dance and song and then to our horror are ‘invited’ to join in. It does not seem optional. Masai necklaces are placed around our necks and Benjamin is handed a stick. We hold hands and have to jump. We are not in time. It is exhausting and hilarious. We are relieved when it is over. Lsenge our Masai host takes my camera to film the whole sorry episode. It turns out this is not his forte. He has taken great footage… of our feet!

Next we go inside a hut. It is very dark and cramped but to my relief clean and not particularly smelly. A fire burns in the centre so it is a little smoky. I sit on a dried cowhide platform which is suspended on sticks and is the bed. There is crude shelving on one wall for pots and pans and a fenced off area for the baby animals. The hut is built by the women and 7 people can live in it. The Masai take several wives and each wife will have her own hut.

We leave the hut and outside seems very bright. There is then an array of beaded jewellery and ornaments for us to see and buy if we would like. The items are made by the women in all the local villages and at the end of each month the proceeds are shared out. We barter and all buy something and feel it is far preferable to buying something in a souvenir shop.

On our way back sundowners have been prepared and all the guests gather for drinks and chat looking out over the Rift Valley. Then it is back to camp for a quick freshen up and dinner. Dinner is again communal. There are some new guests and they are good company. After dinner we head for the lounge, fires are blazing. It is cosy and feels very much like after dinner in someone’s home. It ends up with the 5 of us staying up until 23.30 (late for a safari). There is a party of 6 Americans staying here and they keep themselves to themselves and are quite dull and earnest. The camp manager asks us to be quieter as they have complained….. We finish the wine, swap emails, hug and say our farewells. I shall leave first thing tomorrow for my next camp.