Ngorogoro Crater

Day 35 & 36 - 13th & 14th July 2019

 We arrived at the crater at 12h00 so that we would have enough time to get from Simba Campsite in Ngorongoro to the Serengeti National Park on the morning that we leave.  Park fees are strictly for a 24 hour period, so if you are late to exit you need to pay for an additional day.

 Simba Campsite is on the rim of the crater, and for the first time since entering Tanzania temperatures dropped drastically!
A pic taken from the crater rim
It was freezing cold up on the rim and also during the descent into the crater the next morning.  Once we had reached the crater floor it warmed up nicely.

 The crater was teeming with wildlife.


Spotting a Golden Jackal was also a first for us.

We were extremely grateful that the men had arranged a game guide for the trip into the crater.  We would have got horribly lost, I'm sure, and would never have found the picnic spot for lunch.  The biggest advantage was that we could all take photographs without having to watch where we were going to.   
We were amazed at all the game vehicles at the picnic spot!

We counted at least 70 vehicles (our lens wasn't wide enough!).  Most of the vehicles had at least three people in it, other than the guide.  We guessed that the income of the crater was between US$40 000 - US$50 000 a day in the dry season.

 Normally you have to have lunch in the vehicle because of the Black Kites that swoop down to take your food off you.  We were fortunate that the Kites weren't that many and we managed to sit out on the grass from lunch.

 The ascent out of the crater late in the afternoon was hair-raising - the single, very steep road did not allow you to pass a vehicle and there were vehicles stopped that had obviously spotted something and our vehicle did not have a handbrake!  Eventually, all you could smell was the clutch burning, then steam started coming out of the bonnet.  The men found stones to put behind the tyres.  Then the engine cut out and wouldn't start again.  Another Land Cruiser actually pushed our vehicle until it started, and we eventually got out of the crater.

 We all agreed that the Ngorongoro Crater was definitely a highlight and that it was a really good idea to get a guided vehicle for the trip into the crater.

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