Day 252 Tanzania 12/7/2011, Ngorongoro crater – Arusha. Safari day 4

To say it was cold this morning was an understatement. It didn't help that Suweda seemed to be running a little late and our breakfast wasn't ready when it was supposed to be. Instead of getting away at about 6:15am it was nearer 6:30am. If it had been intended that we would see the sunrise from the crater floor, we missed it.

To counteract the cold, Debs took the wise decision of keeping her sleeping bag with her in the car. The wind blowing through the open roof was freezing. Nevertheless we set out to explore this unique area.

The Ngorongoro crater is the largest unbroken caldera in the world, covering an area of 100 square miles it is home to over 30,000 animals. One of the highlights of visiting the crater is to try and spot one of the 32 resident rhinos. We may not have spotted 32 of them, but we did at least get to see one!

It may be just us, but after the sheer amount of animals we had seen in the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro crater came as a slight disappointment. The soda lake was largely dried up due to the light rains and the start of the dry season. Which meant that the huge flocks of flamingos that normally inhabit the area had dwindled. Also, much as we have loved seeing zebra and wildebeest, it is a job to get terribly enthusiastic about seeing more. The rhino spotting was great as were the many hippos inhabiting the pools. The crater itself is also incredibly dramatic, with its steep walls, open plains and diverse areas of vegetation. Perhaps we were just tired!

Before leaving the crater to return to Arusha we spotted some hyenas fighting over a carcass, one running towards our vehicle with a half eaten head in its mouth.

This was followed by a lioness stalking some zebra and wildebeest. We watched for quite a while, but this time the lion was unsuccessful. It rounded off what has been an amazing, but very tiring experience.

We arrived back at Sakina camp-site at around 5:30pm and said our goodbyes to Thomas and Suweda. Our 'Arunga Expeditions and Safaris' experience has been excellent, our guide was knowledgeable and informative and the meals have all been great.

Day 251 Tanzania 11/7/2011, Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro crater. Safari day 3

This morning we woke at 6am, had a coffee and some biscuits and then set off for an early morning game drive. The morning was to prove perhaps the highlight of our entire safari. While the sun was rising giving everything a beautiful golden hue, a large male lion walked out beside a rocky outcrop.

If that wasn't enough, we rounded a corner and stopped beside some other vehicles watching a lioness. It soon became apparent she wasn't alone when we could hear a faint mewing. A cub, maybe a week old, set about running rings around its mother by constantly trying to climb up the hillside behind. Every time it got too far away the mother went to get it, bringing it back down the hill in her mouth. Clearly enjoying the game the cub, as soon as it had been brought back, set off again. Thomas our guide thought this was hilarious and we could hear people laughing in the other vehicles. It was a terrific sight to witness and one that we will not forget.

On the drive back to the camp-site for brunch we saw a pride of lions, more elephants and once again a cheetah and her cubs.

After a very nice meal it was time to pack up our tents and gear and then head towards the Ngorongoro crater, by way of another game drive. This time we came across a pride of thirteen lions, three of which were large males.

The remainder of the journey was largely free of any more animal sightings excepting the ubiquitous Thompson gazelle and we were soon climbing up the craters rim towards our next camp-site.

Arriving at the site, Thomas gave us the slightly ominous and somewhat amusing warning to not leave any food in the tents because of bush pigs. Apparently they will chew through a tent to get to food and while they won't hurt you, they will jump up and down on you. With that in mind we left our snacks in the vehicle!

Being at a higher altitude meant that the temperature on the crater rim was considerably colder than it had been on the plains. We were grateful when dinner arrived, as by now we were wearing everything we owned and had no intention of staying up too late. Another 6am start was suggested by Thomas, so an early night was definitely the order of the day.