Visit To The Ngorongoro Crater - A Treat For All Ages

Volcanic craters form stunning backdrops to some of the most fertile and richest grazing grounds in Africa. The most famous among them is Ngorongoro in Northern Tanzania. It is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and home to the highest density of big five game animals in Africa - Black Rhinos, Elephants, Lions, Buffaloes and Leopards. The Ngorongoro crater is around 20 km in diameter and flaunts a lake in the centre named Magadi meaning soda in Kiswahili, the national language of Tanzania. You can see thousands of pelicans and flamingos, which are breathtakingly beautiful. You cannot find giraffes here but around the crater, you can see many. 

Image Courtesy: Flicker

Where To Stay

When we visited in October 2001, there were two lodges - Serena Safari Lodge and Sopa Lodge in that area. In order to reach there, you’ll need to arrive at Arusha International Airport in Tanzania and get in touch with the many travel agencies there which take care of lodging, travel, pick up and drop at the airport when you return.

Serena Lodge was our stay of choice. While there, we saw around 20 lions, a leopard guarding its kill, ostrich, alligators, rhino, wildebeest, hyenas, hippos and much more. We witnessed an interesting battle between the lions and buffalos and the buffalos won!

Elephant Encounters and More

There is another National Park, Tarangire, which is a four-hour drive from the Ngorongoro crater and has a large population of elephants, with an area of 2850 square kms. The landscape has granitic ridges, river valleys, swamps and many Baobab trees. The stones here have a greenish tinge and they use these in building hotels. 

From Gulati's album

On the way to Tarangire, an enormous bull elephant stopped us on the way. The guide told us to be absolutely quiet and not even click the camera. What followed was an absolute treat to our eyes. We saw a big herd of elephants crossing the road right in front of us. The baby elephants looked adorable! After all the elephants crossed the road, the bull elephant too left the road calmly. It was a full moon night, and the elephants came around the lodge and were breaking the tree branches in the middle of the night. We could see them from the windows of our room.

The third well-known National Park in Tanzania is Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its tree-climbing lions and bird watching. However, we weren’t lucky enough to find any lions on the trees. 

You can visit all the three national parks in Tanzania in about a week’s time. There is an entry fee for each park. It is a unique experience and I would recommend these spots as a must-go for all age-groups once the fear of pandemic disappears, borders open up and you feel safe to travel. If you are a nature and wildlife lover, I am sure you’ll enjoy it.