{safari, part 3}

ngorongoro crater to arusha

july 5-7, 2012

we spent another cold night camping on the edge of the ngorongoro crater and since i still didn't have a sleeping bag - and this was the coldest night of the safari - 2 of my friends were nice enough to let me share their tent.  with all of my layers, some borrowed blankets, and some extra body heat, i made it through the night without freezing to death. we also shared our campsite with a number of zebras, which was pretty cool.  

(not the best view, but this is one part of our campsite on the edge of the crater)

the next morning we split into groups of 6 and climbed into our jeeps for our game drive inside the crater. though the permits are expensive and you can only get one for 6 hours, this day was definitely one of the highlights of my trip!   
 
 (safari friends will, andy, fiona, kelsey and cara.  it was freezing and foggy that morning!)


(another shot of us in the crater. still freezing!)

  




the crater was beautiful and the animals were incredible - we saw more of the usual - buffalo, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, and hippos, but also got to watch a number of lion prides stalking some zebras.  unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to wait out the kill, but it was still amazing to see these animals in action.  one lion was even using our jeep to shield itself from its prey, so we got some great photos.  there were also a lot of ostriches and flamingos in the crater, which was strange, but amazing to see.    
 


 

 (these were a few of the zebras that the lions were stalking)














(these hippos were really enjoying lounging in the sun)



(thousands and thousands of pink flamingos)





there are also 15 protected rhinos in the crater and though they are a bit hard to find, we did finally spot one at the end of our day.  
 
 (i didn't get the best photo, but he's there, i promise!)

 
(there were some serious baboons that greeted us after we left the crater)

after we left the crater, we were off to meserani, with a quick stop in a village along the way where i snagged some more cheap avocados, oranges, and passion fruit, and some nice views of lake manyara. 

that afternoon our guide, david, kept mentioning that we were headed to the snake park in meserani.  i guess when i signed up for this safari, i didn't realize that a stop at the snake park was on the agenda and given my last experience at the snake zoo near mikumi national park, i had absolutely no interest in going.  i asked david if there was a way some of us could skip the snake park and just go to the campsite and that's when he looked at me excitedly and said "meg, the snake park IS the campsite!"  yes.  it's true.  i camped at the snake park.  and luckily, i lived to tell about it.  

i took zero photos of the snakes, but would like you all to know that the cages were generally the exact same as the cages we saw at the other snake zoo from which the snake escaped.  glass window in the front, wooden door at the back.  and the front of the python cage was even adorned with a photo of the same kind of snake eating a human. it was the strangest, most random campsite ever, even down to the very odd dutch couple who ran the place.  my friends and i decided that a kilimanjaro beer was in order to ease our nerves, and since my kili climb was in my near future, this tshirt seemed absolutely necessary.  and comical.    

 

(kilimanjaro beer is also great when you CAN climb it)

the next day i hopped off the safari bus in arusha (and said sad goodbyes to my new friends who were all continuing on back to nairobi), found a hotel room, and took my first shower in a week. it's true...campsites with no electricity means no hot water. you may start to notice a declining trend in the number of showers i took the rest of my time in africa...   

 (most of the safari group on our last morning together.  don't be jealous of my awesome 80s outfit.)