The roads in Tanzania are new and very good for traveling. In Kenya, we developed a deep appreciation for the early Conastoga Wagon pioneers who crossed America. They had to be able to withstand jarring on a daily basis. We traveled like that for one week and were bone tired! Of course there was always a reward for the lack of good roads.....the Kenyan countryside and all its animals and grand vistas.
Another stop on our journey in Tanzania was NgoroNgoro Crater. This was always a little hard to say outloud, but what an impression it makes on you. This area is a collapsed volcano from a millenia ago.
There is a high rim around a low lying plain. All the lodges here are built around this rim overlooking the vast plain below. A spectacular view. We stayed at the Serena Lodge (most of our lodges were of the Serena chain). The lodge itself was made of stones found locally and the lodge fits in beautifully with the habitat. All the rooms overlook the plain below. What makes this place so special is that the animals "trapped" in this low lying caldera are condensed in a smaller area and are more easily found. When you leave the lodge in the morning, you take with you a packed lunch because when you go down those slopes, it is an adventure in itself, and the less times you have to do this, the better. The slopes down are four-wheel drive only. There are large boulders and only dirt lanes on the mountain's edge. There are no guard rails, no way to have two way traffic, and you hold on for dear life until you finally get down to the bottom. This was a very exciting drive! And you had to make it again at the end of the day going up!
Even though this habitat is concentrated, there are different places to visit. There are areas with tall grasses, areas with salt water licks, areas that are arid and areas that are full of vegetation. We were told that the elephants in this habitat have the longest tusks in the world. I do believe that is correct; we did see very large-tusked elephants in this area. We also found a male lion and lioness who were mating. This activity is constant over a few days, on and off. They were in the tall brown grass area, but we got a good view when they moved around. We saw Rhinos from a distance. They are pretty shy creatures and know that the vehicles can only stay on the dirt roads and cannot make their own roads. So they stay far away from those well traveled roads.
We enjoyed our picnic lunches at a rest stop. There are places where you can get out of your vehicle to eat and use the facilities (very crude by the way). But the rules are that on any safari, you do not get out of the vehicle. The reason for this is simple. The animals are used to the shape and sound (diesel engines) of the vehicles and are not afraid of them. If you were to get out, you would be available as a meal. That is the reason you can get so close to the animals without fear. They are not afraid of you, and you do not have to be afraid of them.
Of course there are some moments that I still remember being a bit scared... Tomorrow I will tell you about how we felt like our souls touched with three male lions.....
Another stop on our journey in Tanzania was NgoroNgoro Crater. This was always a little hard to say outloud, but what an impression it makes on you. This area is a collapsed volcano from a millenia ago.
There is a high rim around a low lying plain. All the lodges here are built around this rim overlooking the vast plain below. A spectacular view. We stayed at the Serena Lodge (most of our lodges were of the Serena chain). The lodge itself was made of stones found locally and the lodge fits in beautifully with the habitat. All the rooms overlook the plain below. What makes this place so special is that the animals "trapped" in this low lying caldera are condensed in a smaller area and are more easily found. When you leave the lodge in the morning, you take with you a packed lunch because when you go down those slopes, it is an adventure in itself, and the less times you have to do this, the better. The slopes down are four-wheel drive only. There are large boulders and only dirt lanes on the mountain's edge. There are no guard rails, no way to have two way traffic, and you hold on for dear life until you finally get down to the bottom. This was a very exciting drive! And you had to make it again at the end of the day going up!
Even though this habitat is concentrated, there are different places to visit. There are areas with tall grasses, areas with salt water licks, areas that are arid and areas that are full of vegetation. We were told that the elephants in this habitat have the longest tusks in the world. I do believe that is correct; we did see very large-tusked elephants in this area. We also found a male lion and lioness who were mating. This activity is constant over a few days, on and off. They were in the tall brown grass area, but we got a good view when they moved around. We saw Rhinos from a distance. They are pretty shy creatures and know that the vehicles can only stay on the dirt roads and cannot make their own roads. So they stay far away from those well traveled roads.
We enjoyed our picnic lunches at a rest stop. There are places where you can get out of your vehicle to eat and use the facilities (very crude by the way). But the rules are that on any safari, you do not get out of the vehicle. The reason for this is simple. The animals are used to the shape and sound (diesel engines) of the vehicles and are not afraid of them. If you were to get out, you would be available as a meal. That is the reason you can get so close to the animals without fear. They are not afraid of you, and you do not have to be afraid of them.
Of course there are some moments that I still remember being a bit scared... Tomorrow I will tell you about how we felt like our souls touched with three male lions.....
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