Unsurprisingly the African morning once again came too soon. It occurred I was in serious danger of seeing more ‘morning time’ this week than the previous month or two combined. Still, I could be in the office or behind a computer....?!
After breakfast and a tour of the farm and its facilities we headed to Plantation Lodge for a site inspection. Whilst this was not expected to be the highlight of our trip it was a stunning example of what can be achieved if you combine a breathtaking view with a large site, a fat wad of cash, and interior designer and an architect with a dream. Each house (to call these accommodations rooms would be unfair) was different to the next in design and purpose, some set up for families, some for group and some beautiful honeymoon suites. The bar / public lounge area was a multi level triumph to lounging and drinking complete with ample seating and glass floor down to a temperature controlled wine cellar and sampling area. If it were alive it would be the (unlikely) love child of Jilly ‘hint of hollyhocks’ Goolden and Kevin ‘fusion of light and space’ McCloud. Sadly whilst we could have happily sampled a vintage or two we had a date with the largest intact caldera in the world.
Once again the crow would have made quick time; however our route winded and meandered up the steep slope towards the rim. On one side the near vertical cliff seemed to continue towards infinity and on the other the view over the forest below did the same. Our Land Cruiser powered on, passing a staggering number of locals pushing heavily laden bicycles up the slope and a few coming back down again, desperate to keep their speed under control. We arrived at the gate around lunch time to be greeted by a confident male baboon that was no doubt aware exactly the time of day and was on the prowl for easy pickings. Whilst he was a little more warily avoiding the locals as he knew some may have catapults he was causing havoc in the ticket queue, toilets and car park systematically checking all the vehicles for any windows that might be left open or for any picnicking tourists.
The Ngorongoro crater is a world heritage site and also known as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. It has walls 2000 feet high and spans over 10 miles creating a natural amphitheatre with some of the densest populations of large animals found anywhere attracted by the vegetation and year round water. Also, I suspect, the steep sides don’t exactly make it easy to leave.
Our visit was in the middle of the dry season so the vegetation was not at its fullest, however this made spotting a lot easier. We saw many hippo, buffalo, warthog, wildebeest, zebra and several types of gazelle and antelopes. Alongside these herbivores we also saw hyena and lions sleeping within the grass. Sadly the only thing that eluded us was rhino. The exact remaining number of rhino left in the crater is a closely guarded secret often speculated by the game drivers. We heard estimates ranging from 17 to a massive 30. In any event it was clear there was room for a few more. We learnt that the authorities had stopped publishing the figures as this almost provided a guide to the poachers and that numbers were now slowly on the up. Each day the rhino are followed at distance by the park rangers who guard them 24 – 7. At Ngorongoro they have also implemented a scheme to split tourist revenue with the local Maassai who in turn keep an eye on the park rangers to minimise corruption and any illegal hunting.
After driving round all day soaking in the epic landscapes and getting up close and personal with the large herds we headed back up the steep caldera walls to our lodge. Tonight we were to stay at an old government run lodge perched precariously high on the rim 2,286 meters above sea level. Rooms are basic but in the process of being improved, the location however is stunning. At the time it was built it was the pinnacle of both architectural and structural design and as it was government owned they selected themselves the best possible spot. From the balcony’s you got an uninterrupted view across the crater in all directions and could see herds of tinny black specks roaming the crater floor looking for food.
After breakfast and a tour of the farm and its facilities we headed to Plantation Lodge for a site inspection. Whilst this was not expected to be the highlight of our trip it was a stunning example of what can be achieved if you combine a breathtaking view with a large site, a fat wad of cash, and interior designer and an architect with a dream. Each house (to call these accommodations rooms would be unfair) was different to the next in design and purpose, some set up for families, some for group and some beautiful honeymoon suites. The bar / public lounge area was a multi level triumph to lounging and drinking complete with ample seating and glass floor down to a temperature controlled wine cellar and sampling area. If it were alive it would be the (unlikely) love child of Jilly ‘hint of hollyhocks’ Goolden and Kevin ‘fusion of light and space’ McCloud. Sadly whilst we could have happily sampled a vintage or two we had a date with the largest intact caldera in the world.
Once again the crow would have made quick time; however our route winded and meandered up the steep slope towards the rim. On one side the near vertical cliff seemed to continue towards infinity and on the other the view over the forest below did the same. Our Land Cruiser powered on, passing a staggering number of locals pushing heavily laden bicycles up the slope and a few coming back down again, desperate to keep their speed under control. We arrived at the gate around lunch time to be greeted by a confident male baboon that was no doubt aware exactly the time of day and was on the prowl for easy pickings. Whilst he was a little more warily avoiding the locals as he knew some may have catapults he was causing havoc in the ticket queue, toilets and car park systematically checking all the vehicles for any windows that might be left open or for any picnicking tourists.
The Ngorongoro crater is a world heritage site and also known as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. It has walls 2000 feet high and spans over 10 miles creating a natural amphitheatre with some of the densest populations of large animals found anywhere attracted by the vegetation and year round water. Also, I suspect, the steep sides don’t exactly make it easy to leave.
Our visit was in the middle of the dry season so the vegetation was not at its fullest, however this made spotting a lot easier. We saw many hippo, buffalo, warthog, wildebeest, zebra and several types of gazelle and antelopes. Alongside these herbivores we also saw hyena and lions sleeping within the grass. Sadly the only thing that eluded us was rhino. The exact remaining number of rhino left in the crater is a closely guarded secret often speculated by the game drivers. We heard estimates ranging from 17 to a massive 30. In any event it was clear there was room for a few more. We learnt that the authorities had stopped publishing the figures as this almost provided a guide to the poachers and that numbers were now slowly on the up. Each day the rhino are followed at distance by the park rangers who guard them 24 – 7. At Ngorongoro they have also implemented a scheme to split tourist revenue with the local Maassai who in turn keep an eye on the park rangers to minimise corruption and any illegal hunting.
After driving round all day soaking in the epic landscapes and getting up close and personal with the large herds we headed back up the steep caldera walls to our lodge. Tonight we were to stay at an old government run lodge perched precariously high on the rim 2,286 meters above sea level. Rooms are basic but in the process of being improved, the location however is stunning. At the time it was built it was the pinnacle of both architectural and structural design and as it was government owned they selected themselves the best possible spot. From the balcony’s you got an uninterrupted view across the crater in all directions and could see herds of tinny black specks roaming the crater floor looking for food.
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