Ngorongoro Crater

01/09/03
We drove back the same way (only one road going through) after some morning 4x4ing, but this time dropped the ~2000ft into the Ngorongoro Crater once on the rim. The crater is a collapsed volcano that essentially contains it's own zoo on the inside! On the way there we got to see plenty of birds and storks, as well as buzzards ravishing a carcass and a herd of wildebeests charging across the road. The animals are a lot more active in the cool temperatures of the morning. In the distance was a herd of close to 30 giraffes nibbling away at the treetops.
Inside the crater we saw most of the same animals as before all close up again and we got to see a few rhino's. The lake in the center of the crater almost looked like the water was pink from all the flamingos in it. Had another episode of "Tanzanian Auto Shop" when we got a flat with a rhino not too far away. We had to stay in the truck and they pulled the flat wheel up onto a rock to get more clearance then smashed it to pieces to make more room. Saw some more mean lookin' cape buffalos and a HUGE lion with a big fuzzy mane right at the side of the road. Then came the best part of the day, we were heading towards the south side of the lake to the exit road when more elephants appeared. There were three to start with then a monstrous one that made the trucks look like golf carts! Max said he was around 45 years old; his tusks came out of his head, almost all the way to the ground, then all the way back up! We sat and watched him fill his trunk with water and grass for awhile, it was awesome.
We followed another 4x4 road up and out of the crater through the rain forest and mud on the way back to Karatu camp. Once there a few of us took a quick walk around town where we stuck out like sore thumbs. I was looking forward to driving on pavement again the following day. Real nice sunrise over the main road...nice colors in the sky, steam coming up everywhere, and silhouettes of people slowly walking up the street. Just outside of Karatu on the way in and out, there was a young boy who stood at the side of the road with a huge smile and