Life Inside an ancient crater.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. Nov. 7th.

Ngorongoro is a large, protected area of Tanzania. It includes Ngorongoro Crater, the caldera of an ancient volcano some 2 thousand years ago. The crater is now a prolific plain that is home to many varieties of African wildlife.

We enter the conservation area on a scorching hot afternoon and stop at the entry gates where our drivers and guides have to stop and arrange the necessary permits. As we drive in baboons roam alongside the road. Our driver parks our jeep and we discuss getting out to get some pictures of the baboons. "Close the windows", warns our driver, Adam. Baboons will try to get into the car."

We roll up the windows and hurry out of the car, heading toward the road where the baboons are gathering. We snap pictures madly, as usual. As we are distracted with our photo madness one female baboon with a baby clinging to its back senses the opportunity and makes a beeline straight to our jeep. Quick as a winks he scurries up the side of the jeep and into our jeep. Apparently, in our haste, we had neglected to roll up one window. We race back to the jeep, yelling at the little bandit. She quickly scoops up a box of cookies and a bag of chips and as we reach the car she jumps back out the window, screeching, and up the nearest tree.

Once up the tree another baboon approaches her, looking to share her booty. She holds on to her precious goodies, baring her teeth and screeching at the other animal. She is not letting go and she is not sharing.

Like a siren to the other baboons, soon dozens of them come pouring in from all directions. They scamper about the parking lot, alert for other vehicles who may have left windows open. One man walks across the parking lot with an ice cream bar. The baboons circle and jump, trying to steal it away. A bus comes in loaded high on top with parcels and luggage. The baboons jump on top, searching for something worth stealing.

One baboon is sentry. He sits high in the branches of a tree where he can watch the vehicles, especially our. If he sees an opening he calls to his accomplices and they rush the vehicle. It is like Planet of the Apes!

Finally the drivers return with our permits and we quickly load in to our vehicles and get out of Dodge.

We arrive at our Lodge at the crater, Sopa Lodge. It is a beautiful lodge that sits perched on the rim of the crater, with the entire crater floor far below. We settle in, eager for our early morning start the following day.

It is 6:00 am. when we descend into the crater. The crater floor is a mixture of long, dry grasses and dried up , salty lake bottoms. Here and there are dark green patches where marshes or ponds provide water holes for the animals.

As we descend we see Cape Buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, warthogs, hyena.

Baby zebras start out with brown stripes which darken as they get older.

Hyenas are scavengers, usually feeding on animals that are weak or dead.

It is evident these animals live together in  harmony. Animals are one of two types, we are told. There are predators and there are prey. Among prey there is no internal competition. They can live together and co-exist.  However, that is not the same for predators, They do compete for the same food source and there is definitely a hierarchy. The lion is the largest and most dominant. They will kill other predators like leopards and cheetahs because that will reduce the competition for food.

We follow the marshy area in search of animals. We are hopeful we will see lions, cheetahs, leopards, hippos.  The crater is large, 20 kms in diameter. Clusters of zebras graze in the long golden grasses.  We head toward a watering hole and stumble upon a family of lions lazing in the shade beside the road. They are ambivalent to our presence. Our guide tells us, lions can only see in black and white. They can not see us in the vehicle. To them, it is just a large shape they can use for shade.

As it nears noon, we head to a beautiful, green pond area for a picnic lunch. We spread blankets on the grass and relax alongside the pond where a group of hippos lazily doze in the water under a giant acacia tree. It is serene.  As we finish our lunch we head to the pool, trying to get close enough for some decent shots. We notice a couple of hippos moving off behind the reeds. A few minutes later we see them emerge from the water on the far end of the pool. We hurry over, watching as they lumber out and walk along a path near the water. Snap, snap, snap! I even got the picture of the big hippo with its mouth wide open in a yawn.

Perfect spot for a picnic

Group members photographing the hippos.

We load up and head out again. We pass a herd of wildebeest,. it may be the start f the their migration out of the crater. The large herd makes it way, grazing as the go.

Finally, we arrive at the Hippo Pool. Here dozens of hippos, some with babies, laze, submerged up to their eyeballs. Every now and them the move, trying to shake off the birds that perch on them. They look like giant logs in the water. Alongside and several Cape Buffalo, there giant horns making them impressive. Surrounding the pool is a grassy knoll where zebras and wildebeest graze. Warthogs are dotted throughout and hyenas skirt the group. It is like Noah's ark, the animals living and existing together. We remain, still, snapping pictures. It is an amazing sight and a beautiful vista. A truly special place.

Come With Me as I continue to the Serengeti....