Down the Crater Rim, Emma's Adventures in Safari-land

March 9th

Safari in Ngorongoro Crater

A relaxed morning, the Serengeti/three day safari group rushed off at 6.30. Jenna was rapidly packing her bags at 6.20, having had a big night that evening. We weren’t due to leave until 11am. It was a good start to the day. There was time to organise my bags, which I didn’t do when we arrived, and use the internet, and cycle up to the supermarket. I also enjoyed some Wheatabix (which I had purchased last week) with water (there was no milk) and a mug of coffee. Jordan, the bike mechanic, had planned to use a couple of the rest days in Arusha to do some repairs and maintenance - my bike was booked in for a change in cassette and chain because the chain kept slipping.

We boarded our aptly coloured, safari green, 7 seater landcrusier. Bags crammed in the back. It was a 200km drive to the crater rim, and National Park. Our driver had said it would take about 4 hours, but we didn’t arrive until about 5.30. The drive was along the road that we would be cycling in a few days time, our exit from Arusha. We had a good group - Frank (who has been on many safaris, including to the Ngorongoro Crater, and is therefore a bit of a seasoned expert), Anton, Sophie, Steve (Sophie’s dad), Catherine and Marty. It was pretty cruisy, everyone was happy to go with the flow. We stopped at one town for coffee…what appeared to be self serve. Once ordered the man brings out cups, a flask of hot water, some instant powder, sugar and milk; ‘Make your own, and then you know how strong you would like it.’ They also served savoury donuts (more like slightly sweetened fry bread) and chapatis. The chapati was the nicest I have had, not that I am an expert. It was fresh, and still warm. My trip to the bathroom continued the Africa Jumangi experience with a massive butterfly/moth perched above the door. The wings were light brown, and about 4inches in span. On leaving the cafe we were surrounded by local touts, their persistence is something to be admired. I honestly feel people buy their stuff so that they get left alone! Marty and Steve invested in Tanzania football shirts.

We passed coffee plantations, rice plantations and an army farm. There is a military presence in Tanzania, however unlike the military presence in Sudan and Egypt, the Tanzanian doesn’t feel regulatory. We mostly passed a training camp, and then a field being worked by military personnel. On the way back we passed through an area where the road was lined by military men crouched by buckets, they looked like they were picking something. I assume it was a training exercise, although I saw them again when cycling out a few days later!

We stopped twice more -once at a supermarket for the alcoholics (Frank and Marty, and Anton who was influenced by the alcoholics) to buy roadies, and again to buy fruit. We pulled into the lay-by where there were basins of bananas and avocados, as soon as we pulled over we were surrounded by people presenting their products through the windows. True window shopping, we pulled away with a bunch of yellow bananas, red bananas and some avocados. And three Masai blankets, for 50000shililngs ($25US).

Opposite the fruit sellers were a pack of baboons. At the start of our safari the baboons were quite exciting, and a great photo opportunity. Most of the females had babies, and it was funny to watch them run across the road when people arrived, and slide down the tree in a fireman’s pole type maneovure. We climbed up the side of the crater, with good vistas over the Tanzanian countryside. At one point we were overlooking Lake Manyara. Being the start of the wet season the water levels looked low, the guide informed us that the grass was a different colour on one side that’s where it floods.

On entering the park the road surface changed from comfortable tar to rutted dirt tracks. A bit of mental preparation for the off road section to come this week. We bumped and bounced around as we continued to ascend the wall of the volcano. At the top there was a lookout point, with panoramas of the crater itself Looking into the crater you would never guess there was so much wildlife calling it home. My eyesight leaves alot to be desired, but Anton and the guide started pointing out grey dots and telling me they were animals. Through binoculars, I could see they were correct! We saw Elephants, Rhinos and Wilderbeest. It felt like we were looking into the dome in The Hunger Games. Having not seen many white tourists for the last two months, it was amusing to be surrounded by an eclectic mix of farenjis. From middle aged/older men and women in their safari attire, to young couples in fluorescent trainers and short skirts, and even a man discussing whether the problem he was having with his hair was due to the new conditioner or the humidity of Tanzania.

We camped on the rim of the crater. There were dark clouds rolling in as we drove into the field. The guide took this opportunity to drive very slowly and discuss where we wanted to camp. We had decided we wanted to be at the top of the hill, under the tree. Seasoned campers, we had identified the highest and most well drained ground, and the shelter that the tree would provide. ‘But the sitting toilets, and where dinner is served is over here’ said the guide - not understanding why we would want to be so far from such amenities. ‘Under the tree the condensed fog drips on you.’ He then took an extremely long time to turn the van around at the end of the drive, so it was ready to drive out in the morning. We were angsty to get out and pitch tents before the rain. Needed have worried, the rain never came, not at all. I still pitched the tent under the tree, about a meter away from some wild African Buffalo poo (they frequent the camps at night, passing through). It proved to be a good site, although the tree roots meant that I spent the whole night sliding down the hill and having to wriggle back up.

We were served popcorn, rice and beef stew for dinner. Sophie had persuaded me to try Ginger Beer and Konyaki (Tanzanian gin). The gin was fine, but I’m not a Ginger beer fan. I think that it probably would taste good with vanilla ice cream, as a root beer float - I have been told about these a few times. Catherine, Sophie and I stayed up drinking tea/Konyaki, while Frank, Marty and Anton moved outside to the fire with their alcohol beverage selection.

Waking up on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater was one of the best rise and shines of the trip. Watching the sunrise from the tent door, and realising where you were was once in a lifetime. There was even wifi which reached my tent, and hot water showers. i hadn’t packed my fowel, and used my Helly Hansen. It was actually a better towel than my micro fibre one!

On to safari. We had 7 hours in the crater. There are no giraffes there are there is not enough food for them, but on the way down we saw three! And some donkeys. The main thing about the crater that really struck me was the density of animal. It felt surreal, everywhere you turned there was something to see, and in such close proximity to each other. Marty described it a ‘one giant paddock with all variety of animals all cohabiting…’ I felt that it was like Disneyland but animals, there were so many that it felt artificial.

The crater is 269 square km, and the sides are some 4-610m high and so steep that most animals will not ascend from the floor. Technically the crater is actually not a crater, the technical term is a Caldera - the collapse of the crust above the magma chamber, causing the ground surface to fall into the partially emptied magma chamber. We did a circular route around three quarters of the crater, dropping down on one side, and coming out by a dedicated exit road further round.

I very much debated whether to do the trip to the Serengeti (which also included the Crater) or just do the abridged version that I opted for. I do not regret the trip that we did. We saw Giraffe, Cape buffalo, Wildebeest, Bat ear fox, Zebra, Common jackal, Warthog, Hyena, Hippo, Elephants, Ostrich, Lion, Black back jackal, Grant gazelle , Thompson gazelle, Black rhino, Secretary, Coribuster (heaviest flying bird), Flamingo, Eland (largest antelope) and Vervet monkey. The whole intensity of the the crater has to be experienced to be understood. Lions lying about 400m away from grazing Zebra. Having lunch with wild hippos swimming about 200m away. Another lunchtime experience, was having a Kite swoop down and grab a chicken drumstick from my hands (that I was eating), their precision was spot on. Driving past a lion lying 2m away from the truck, only to see it when we had driven past, and be able to reverse back and park right beside it. The eyesight of our guide was astounding he was capable of spotting a Rhino and here calf a couple of kilometres away.

We returned to Arusha that night, getting in at 7.30. I took a local bus 500m up the road (the road we were staying on was unsafe for us to walk along in the dark) to buy some food (namely ice cream) and then grabbed a motorbike down. I then spent a pleasant evening watching movies on my laptop in bed…

The group which went to the Serengeti returned the following evening. Their stories were incredible. I hadn’t reapplied that March is the time of the big migration. They saw miles of wildebeest running in single file, and returned to the same spot, and the herd was still crossing the road - there were that many of them heading south. A cheetah making a kill. A leopard and it’s cub. Their luck was obviously in. But I would consider returning to the Serengeti in March, given their experience.

That evening Stevie (one of the crew members who is from Tanzania) arranged for us all to go to a Tanzanian BBQ restaurant. I wasn’t planning on going as I was tired, and we have a big week ahead. A week which I anticipate will be the hardest one so far. In fact, I have informed the party bus that they should do a sweepstake on what day I will loose my ‘EFI’ status. I don’t like rain, and don’t like being wet, and don’t like cycling in the wet, and don’t like not being able to shower after cycling in wet mud, and don’t like camping when it it raining, and don’t like putting wet clothes on the next day, and don’t like doing that for 7 days in a row. We are in Tanzania. It is the rainy season. We are doing off road sections.

Anyhow, the dinner was well worth it. The street was filled with similar establishments, dimly lit by the flames from their barbecues. Smoke filled the dirt street. Twenty or so of us took our seats at the table. We were served chicken, lamb and beef chunks, fresh from the BBQ, and fried plantains. It was a great experience, although very heavy on the meat. I could have done with some bread, or veggies, or even just tomato ketchup to break it up. We were serenaded by a local guitar player, playing Bob Marley! Befire Dylan and Craig took the strings for a sing along session.