A day in Ngorongoro, Tanzania

We were in a sullen mood a day before. Serengeti National Park  was turning out to be a real pain. First, it was such a huge park that one needs to drive for hours before one could see something crawling at a distance and hope it was a predator. Second, roads are fairly limited within the park and it is an absolute impossibility if one hopes to click wildlife driving on those Serengeti National Park roads. Third, we were chased and bitten by hordes of Tsetse flies for almost the whole day (no wonder, all of us were wearing blue, a color that attracts them the most). By the evening, we were done with Serengeti. Our next stop was Ngorongoro.

We drove thru 2.5 hours of Serengeti National Park (with all our windows and sunroof shut) on its dusty roads when Ngorongoro announced its arrival with a sign that read “Ngorongoro Conservation Area – 10 km ahead”. And the story changed. We saw huge hordes of wildebeests and Zebras migrating from Serengeti National Park towards Ngorongoro. The fabled migration had started and in a few weeks thousands of these animals will cross into neighboring Kenya without a visa. We saw a large male lion lazing along the grassland not too far from the road. And then, we saw a Cheetah tearing into his kill and relishing an early morning breakfast – while a Hyena waited around to help herself with the scraps. Ngorongoro was turning it on!

About Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania

This strange sounding place is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it contains a large crater. This crater is the world’s largest, inactive and intact Caldera (teeming with wildlife, rich flora and indigenous Masai people) and an amazing sight. Around 2000 ft. deep, it is 260 sq.km in size and contains 2 large lakes and multiple springs. It contains the densest population of African Lions and a huge variety of birds. The next 7 hours spent inside the Crater were heavenly. Here are a few clicks we took –

The drive into and away from Ngorongoro is akin to driving through the “valley of flowers”, where every turn is scenic. Cool breeze (it is at a height of 6000ft above MSL), vast expanses, rising mountains and floors beds of green grass and yellow flowers are everywhere. Gone were the tse-tse and we were relishing each and every window in our 4X4.

To top it up, we stayed at the Ngorongoro Farm House – and perhaps our most luxurious stay in the whole trip. An extremely pretty place, with very huge and yet cosy rooms – each with its own fireplace, 2 large poster beds, luxurious baths, amazing views from most balconies and an amazingly warm clubhouse to lounge and eat. It was a perfect place to unwind after a beautiful day. Here are some pictures

Where to stay in Ngorongoro, Tanzania

How to book a safari in Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro is a must visit if Tanzania is on your mind. Get in touch with us traveljaunts1(at)gmail(dot)com or +91 96111 29338 and we would be happy to work with you convert your plan into a reality.