Wed 10th Aug '16 - Day 12

Roika Lodge, Tarangire National Park – Ngorongoro Crater – Eileen’s Trees Inn, Karatu

Another big day, saying farewell to Tarangire and heading to the Ngorongoro crater. This means breakfast at 06:15 and departure soon after, back on to the main roads for a couple of hours. Whilst some are dozing we crunch to a halt – the reason? A giant bull elephant ambling across the road. Once it reaches the other side it turns and looks at us before rearing its trunk and roaring at us.

Approaching in the distance is the crater, another extinct volcano which is a haven for wildlife. As we start driving up the base we pull over to look down on Lake Manyara and its national park which we shall visit tomorrow. At the gate to Ngoro-Ngoro there is of course a wait while John queues in a hectic hot room to buy our pass. Through the gate and wend up the side of the crater and along the ridge. On the outside are Massai villages, equipped with mud huts and then circular compounds fenced with wooden spikes to keep in the livestock. Some of them tending to their animals are sat on the roadside, their faces painted black wearing the red tartan robes.

We pop over the rim and down the other in to the giant bowl. In contrast to Tarangire it almost devoid of trees, but similarly it is very dusty. Wind rolls down in to the crater creating mini whirlwinds that sweep along the surface. It looks desolate and like no one or thing would live here but as we drive around we sure enough run in plenty of animals, though without the height of giraffes and elephants but more hyenas and birds. We get to see hippos for the first time in the aptly named Hippo Pool. Whilst they’re not doing much we then do see one off in the distance slowly but surely plodding along dragging its huge weight with it.

We also see 3 more lions walking near the road, just minding their own business. Its near here we have another packed lunch by a small lake, and though we are told to stay in the car, it’s not for fear of lions but of hawks swooping from above.

The last of the big animals we spot is a black rhino. It’s way off in the distance inconsiderately not near any road. It is clearly a rhino but it’s certainly not seen close up like the other animals. We’re seeing this on one giant loop of the crater, the last part of which is through a small forest in one corner which is more like Tarangire and indeed it’s here the elephants are found.

Morbidly to finish John shows us a large tree from which white colonists used to hang locals, with graves scattered nearby.

We ascend up and out the crater and drive to Karatu which we’d passed through on the way here but tonight hosts us at Eileen’s Trees Inn. This has a colonial feel to the large main building but the showers are definitely 21^st century in our rooms beating down on us after a dip in the (clean) pool.

Dinner is in the main building and Jason sets to work on the buffet, already attacking desserts by the time most of us are getting our mains. More cards and beers follow of course.