Tanzania safari report - day 3
Monday, March 1, 2010 at 12:07PM We left Tarangire National Park this morning, and drove across the Maasai Steppe and up to our camp on the Ngorongoro Crater rim. The weather was windy, chilly and slightly overcast. We ate a nice lunch at camp and then headed down into the crater for the afternoon.
Afternoons in Ngorongoro are typically much less active than the mornings, however today had some nice action in store for us. We saw a lioness stalk and run after a young wildebeest, which was quite the sight. Then we watched a large female hyaena pull a zebra carcass out from the water. And the end of the afternoon can only be described as the largest concentration of large bull elephants I have ever seen. I typically see between 10 and 20 bulls in the crater, but today there must have been 50 bulls within sight of each other. And most of these guys had *huge* tusks. My 2006 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year winning image was of a bull with acacia thorns in his mouth, and on that safari I didn't see many elephants in the crater. Today was insane.
We just finished a nice meal, and we will be up at 5am tomorrow. A full day in the crater is in store, and I hope that we run into the large lion pride that works the Munge River, as they are over 20 strong.
Time to close the tent flaps, as it is getting chilly right now. I hear our Maasai guide outside tending the fire, so he should be warm and comfy tonight.
Reader Comments (2)
Thanks Andy for the updates of your safari. I can almost smell the campfire, feel the heat on my face and hear the lions roar.....off-curse (freudian slip) its still winter and ooh how I wish I was there instead!!
Keep them coming............
love love love these reports