Travelogue Tanzania 2009
Programme Day 4 – Tarangire National Park to Ngorongoro Crater
This day started with a little discussion about our programme as there were discrepancies between what we had been told in Germany and what the local agency had planned for us. But the problem was solved quickly and we got the additional morning game drive to Tarangire National Park.
Then we drove towards Tarangire River. Though the river did not carry any water at this time there seemed to be a lot of humidity. It was there that we had our first contact with tsetse flies. I always thought that they were a kind of mosquito but actually they look more like a horse fly. And they bite you even if you use a 50% DEET solution, they absolutely don’t mind. So, we put on bite-tight cloths, a mosquito net over our head and left their territory as soon as possible.
And then Samuel spots our first lions. They were lying lazily under a tree. Samuel drove us directly next to them, leaving the road. Strictly speaking this is not allowed, but well, they were our first lions.
By noon we left Tarangire National Park and drove to the famous Ngorongoro Crater, the biggest volcano crater of the world which is not filled with water. As the walls of the crater are quite high and covered by jungle it is quite difficult to enter or leave the crater for most of the animals and so they stay here most of their life not migrating as their relatives on the outside.
We checked in at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and rested a bit, waiting for dinner and enjoying the great view.
After dinner the staff started with a little African serenade. It appeared to be spontaneous and hearty and we hope that’s what it was.
When we left dinner hall to go to our room other staff members were expecting us to accompany us. There were buffalo within the premises, they said. And really, only a couple of meters from our room, eating behind a bush, there was a big buffalo.