Ngorongoro, Tanzania - Auntie Anna in the Garden of Eden

Guest writer: Anna Nilsson Spets

Garden of Eden, the words came to me as I stood on a cliff edge and looked out over the Ngorongoro Crater, it was breathtakingly beautiful and a light layer of morning mist swept over the landscape painted in 50 shades of green. The view hit me like a punch in the solar plexus.  

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The journey, by four-wheel drive jeep starts in Arusha, Tanzania and further north, Ngorongoro stretches between the Serengeti in the west and the Great rift valley in the east.  

The Ngorongoro crater is a so-called caldera, a cauldron created by volcanic eruptions, which is the world's largest, measuring 16 x 19 square kilometres. It is believed that the volcano was around 5 kilometres high and erupted around 3 million years ago.  

The crater itself is only a small part of the protected area, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ngorongoro Conservation area; NCA, is not a national park, it is a special type of conservation area which allows, for example, Masai to live and keep their cattle here. 

The Maasai number around 40,000 and many of their settlements can be visited for a fee. 

We roll on ... 

The nature types are upland, savannah and forest and the area is comparable in size to Västmanland. 

Wonders ... yes, Ngorongoro IS a wonder and also one of the 7 wonders of Africa. 

The black rhino is a highly endangered species, there are around 20 of them. The black rhino is much smaller than the common rhino, its head shape is more pointed and adapted to eating bushes, whereas the common rhino has a blunt head adapted to eating grass. Its endangerment is of course due to poaching, the horns are important in Asian medicine. 

For bird lovers, it's ideal, with more than 500 species to be seen.  

The BIG FIVE is a famous term, a must if you are on safari, all five can be seen in Ngorongoro; elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard. What you don't see are giraffes, because their physique means that they cannot move in the hilly terrain. 

Around 25,000 animals make their home in the crater, not just the big five. 

The hyena is a lonely soul who looks ragged, although the hyena is a group animal, they are usually seen hunting alone across the savannah, eating carrion as well as fresh produce in the form of smaller mammals, birds and eggs. 

Warthogs live in a matriarchy, with sows and piglets alone and boars alone. 

The grass-eating wildebeest are special ... and numerous. 

Large herds of zebras, how is it now, the stripes never run out? 

The hippos take a bath in the mud pool, we have to keep our distance and stand on a kind of bridge quite far away. These are not small mammals, a hippo can weigh up to 2000 kilos, the head alone weighs around 450 kilos. 

And yes, hippos may seem cute and peaceful when they are splashing around in their pool, but in the wrong situation they can attack and this can lead to death, which is not at all uncommon. Their canine teeth can reach 50 cm in length ... We stay on our dock. 

This day there are not many tourists driving their gamedrive, the drivers keep in touch via communication radio if something exciting is seen. A call says lion and we go there. The lions do not take much notice of us. 

Ngorongoro can definitely be considered the cradle of humanity, in the Olduvai Gorge many finds of fossilised human remains have been found, it is believed that man's predecessors lived here 3 million years ago. Breathtaking. 

For those interested in botany, yes, lots to see, in the picture a sausage tree. 

There are many ways to see this area, most people do it from a jeep, a so-called gamedrive. You can also do walking tours, hot air ballooning and horse riding, depending on your taste and budget. Organisers are of course in abundance, my opinion is that you hire a local ability so that your money does not end up in many intermediaries and instead goes directly to those who need it most. 

Most safaris start from Arusha, drive via Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and finish in the Serengeti. The distances are not too long but the roads are terrible and that means overnight stays. Accommodation options come in all price ranges and varieties, from luxury lodges to tented camps. 

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Anna Nilsson Spets

60+ year old lady with a lifelong love for Africa. Emigrated to Flanders in Belgium and works with plants on a daily basis. Writes, takes photos and tries to inspire others to budget travel on their own. Blogs on "Anna's mix" about travelling, work, plants, writing and much more.

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