Ngorongoro Crater

"It is impossible to give a fair description of the size and beauty of the Crater, for there is nothing with which one can compare it.  It is one of the Wonders of the World."

Our next full day on safari was spent in this world-famous location.  The crater is one of Tanzania's most visited destinations and one of Africa's best-known wildlife viewing areas.  It is surrounded by stunning blue-green vistas and our guide had told us unparalleled concentrations of wildlife and close-range viewing opportunities.  And boy, was he ever right!  The crater is about 18-20 miles across and is surrounded by steep, unbroken walls.  The setting is incredible as we watched animals such as lion, zebras, elephants, cheetahs, wildebeests, gazelles and buffaloes make their way around on the crater floor.  The land is shared with the local Maasai people who have grazing rights (unlike in the Serengeti), so three species co-exist here~wildlife, livestock and human beings.  It has vast plains as well as forests and lakes.  The amount of wildlife we saw was unbelievable!  One of the highlights was seeing a lion at very close range as he was trying to find shade in the shadows of the jeeps.  We noticed he had a fresh wound on his back (our guide said most likely from a zebra's kick) as we were driving away.  We also witnessed a cheetah on a hunt.  We had lunch at a small lake with hippos.  We saw elephants that were probably close to 80 years old.  We visited a Maasai village just outside the crater before heading to our lodge.  They welcomed us with a dance, gave us a tour of their huts (made out of cow dung and sticks with a grass roof), and the children sang us a song and recited the abc's in English and Swahili. 

Our lodge was in a great location perched on the southern rim of the crater.  Our rooms had fabulous views overlooking the crater.  The lodge had a large outdoor viewing area off of the lounge where we tried to spot animals with the binoculars.  To give you an idea of the steepness, the wildebeests on the floor of the crater looked like ants.  The food was delicious and again, was a great way to end another perfect day~together with lots of laughs.  At one point during the meal, Christopher looked around and said, "Seriously, no one in this room is having this much fun."  We are blessed and are definitely sharing the best of times.