Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania
Tanzania
One of the largest calderas (volcanic craters) in the world, 20 km’s wide, the Ngorongoro Crater has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in all of Africa!
Crunching to a halt on the crater edge, my excitement was palpable. Anxiously disembarking our sturdy Land Rover, I walked towards the edge. What I saw was out of this world. Teeming with parched vegetation and thirsty plant-life, the top of the crater dove downwards into a desiccating world. Spotted with minimal shrubbery, thirsty trees, and a crater floor of hazels & wheats, rusts & dust, the landscape was direct from a Star Trek episode. As our driver, Edson, explained, during rainy season the crater is extremely fertile but since we arrived in dry season, the landscape has transformed into an unforgiving world of red earth, relentless dust storms and only a handful of small watering holes. It’s these coveted watering holes that draw wildlife from their limited hiding spots (again, no plant life to hide behind) to its cooling embrace. In other words, the best chance for animal viewing!
Crunching to a halt on the crater edge, my excitement was palpable. Anxiously disembarking our sturdy Land Rover, I walked towards the edge. What I saw was out of this world. Teeming with parched vegetation and thirsty plant-life, the top of the crater dove downwards into a desiccating world. Spotted with minimal shrubbery, thirsty trees, and a crater floor of hazels & wheats, rusts & dust, the landscape was direct from a Star Trek episode. As our driver, Edson, explained, during rainy season the crater is extremely fertile but since we arrived in dry season, the landscape has transformed into an unforgiving world of red earth, relentless dust storms and only a handful of small watering holes. It’s these coveted watering holes that draw wildlife from their limited hiding spots (again, no plant life to hide behind) to its cooling embrace. In other words, the best chance for animal viewing!
Descending the steep walls, vegetation withered but human life surprisingly subsisted. Small thatched roofs with crackled walls and stick framed yards emerged in the distance. “Masaai villages”, Edson responded. The Masaai people continue to inhabit the now, wildlife conservation area, as they did hundreds of years ago but only under two conditions: One, they cannot kill the local game and two, tourists cannot take pictures. But trust me, the rushed blurry photo of a checkered man holding a stick is not worth his wrath - reported to have chased vehicles with spears and rocks. But where there’s a will, and more so money, theirs a way! Edson proposed a visit to a “traditional” village, which in tourism lingo means, pay into the exploitation of a society. 20 USD was almost steeper then the crater walls themselves but for the chance to see how the Masaai live and snap a few photos – without being stoned - we couldn’t resist. Let the exploitation begin.
Hardly cracking the land cruiser doors, dozens of Masaai hands reached in. Grabbing our unsuspecting wrists, they swept us into a tribal gyration. Chanting and dancing, we jived closer to the fortified stick walls of the village and finally into the compound. A large circle of a dozen or so mud huts surrounded a central holding pin, presumably to keep their prized cattle safe from enemies. Families emerged from their huts to greet the mzungus, but the women were the stars of the show. Escalating the otherwise monotone plaid fabric garments, their layers of colorful beadwork, adorning ankles, wrists, and necks, sparkled in the sun. Once again seizing our wrists, the women fussed about our mzungu trio, coating us in a selection of beads. Next order or exploitation, teach the mzungus how to dance. Standing in a line, the Masaai women chanted loudly then began a roller coaster of shoulder movements. Slowly rolling them forward, then popping at the top. An upright convulsion that sent the beaded necklaces bouncing and their small charms and bells chiming.
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Okay, dance portion over, onto the abbreviated accommodation tour. Constructed of dried cow dung slapped over thick stick frame,s homes were surprisingly cozy. Entering one such abode, the smell of human interaction mingled with smoke and dried meat. The inhabitant, a local Masaai woman, greeted us with a slight head nod as she lay exhausted atop her bed mat. The other house resident, a calf. Cows even had bedrooms in the Masaai community. Squatting in the dim light, we awkwardly conversed with our young guide but after an allotted two minutes, we were herded like sheep, or in this case cows, to the village school.
This is where I finally put a stop to the fast paced tourist twista! “Please Madam, it’s time to go.” “No sir, I will stay”. “But Madam…” “I have paid my money sir, now let me meet the children”. Very unimpressed with my persistence he finally conceded and left me in relative peace (for 5 minutes away). Excited by their visitor, the teacher asked the children to recite numbers in English. Singing at the top of their little lungs, 1…2…3….filled my ears with a tender sweetness. After numbers, it was time for introductions. “Hello Madam…HOW ARE YOUUUUU???” A simple question, I will never get sick of answering, followed by a few quintessential pictures. “Madam, piture, piture”. Giggling at their own images happily staring back, I could have sat amongst them for hours but no, our “hostess with the leastest”, pressed us to leave once more.
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So there you have it. Exploitation at its finest. And I haven’t even approached the issue of village purchases. From the moment we arrived, one phrase rang higher then the rest, “My friend, you can buy.” MY FRIEND NOTHING! I’ve paid a lot of money for a rushed 15-minute “tour” and I won’t pay a cent more. Practically diving into the Land Rover, we locked the doors and rolled up the windows to avoid any more sales questions or greedy gimme hands. “Edson, it’s time to go!”
When we finally reached the crater floor, our cabin interior turned into a hazy disarray. Every time we stopped to immortalize a wildlife encounter, the dust and red soil once trailing behind, engulfed our vehicle. Pouring inside, my poor contacts screamed for clarity and fresh air. Alas, another reason why contacts in Africa are a no go. Laser surgery has never appealed so much. |
Like Tarangire National Park (previous blog), Ngorogoro had an incredible amount of wildlife! Dotted across the wind-swept caldera, thousands of zebras followed each other in ridiculous lines, wildebeest pranced along in bizarre, unrhythmic manners and elephants enjoyed the warm October sun on their thick hides.
Even our lunch locale was teeming with wildlife. Remember Alfred Hitchcock’s, “The Birds”, well he must have been conceived the concept here. Birds have no regard for human passerbys and if they smell food, they will move in for the kill. Dive bombing unsuspecting tourist lunch boxes, birds got away with bread, biscuits and even full bunches of bananas. There the kamikaze-style, willing to fly directly into the safari vehicles, pick around and high tail it out before discovery along with the bottom feeders, the flightless birds, who managed to sneak up when no one was looking. Batten down the hatches, and your lunch boxes, the birds are coming! . |
We also enjoyed a, “marriage”. In other words, the hibity dibity. A male ostrich began his courtship with a dance. Lowering his tall mass onto the ground, he began twirling and writhing his long neck and fluffy wings to catch his ladies attention. Like a deranged cobra, his head worked back and forth, while his feathers flew around in beautiful disorder. Hardly amused, the female continued walking past but he wasn’t ready to play hard-to-get. Springing up, he ran towards her, “plumage” fully erect. Laying in the grass, she allowed him to mount and let the second act began. Occasionally her head would show above his pulsing feathery body, looking completely unsatisfied, until 1-minute later, he jumped off and strutted proudly away..The look of a man who just got laid and of a woman who was left with a 1-minute man.
The Crater offered an unforgettable experience. Between the unique, extra-terrestrial scenery and the high concentration of wildlife, it was the perfect bang for your tourist buck. Well, everything except the Masaai village. |
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