Do you know of a natural phenomenon called ‘caldera’? Some volcanoes, while exploding, collapse inward and form huge basin-like structures. These are called calderas or cooking pots.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a fine example. It must have been a fairly large volcanic mountain 2 or 3 million years ago, but then it exploded and collapsed on itself, thus forming a basin that is around 600 metres deep and has a floor area of 260 sq.km!
Our first sight of this magnificent, natural wonder near Arusha in northern Tanzania, was breathtaking. We stood at the rim of the crater and looked down upon the sprawling open grassland forming the floor of the crater. We could see tiny black specks dotting the green below. We trained our binoculars on these black spots and realised, much to our amazement, that they were wildebeests and zebras! We could also see Lake Magadi - the water source for all the animals in the Crater.
The alluring sights of Ngorongoro Crater
We halted at the campsite and pitched our tents. The campsite has been set up right on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and commands a panoramic 360 degree view of the collapsed mountain. It has a wonderful, lush growth of grass. The campsites are equipped with a common kitchen and a dining room apart from a separate set of washrooms for men and women. Ceneal, (pronounced Kenail) our cook on the trip, got busy in the 'kitchen' and churned out a wonderful meal for us. His hot soup accompanied by freshly roasted peanuts and popcorn was perfect to beat the sudden chill of the evening.
As we slept in the tent, we suddenly heard chomping noises. We opened the flap a wee bit to see a few wild bison feeding on the grass right outside our tent. We remained quiet so as to not disturb the giants. Our guide Milkauroy (pronounced Milcure) informed us that this was a common phenomenon. The bison could not eat the lush sweet grass growing at the campsite during day time. But at night, they could enjoy their midnight meal without people around!
Early next morning, before sunrise, we drove down towards the crater floor. A chill wind blew and made us all shiver despite our sweaters. Apart from elephants, wildebeests, zebras, lions, we also saw the African Black Rhino and the extremely shy cheetah during our three-hour ride. A family of wart hogs, scampering around and frolicking, made for interesting viewing. We could also observe several colourful birds like the crowned crane - Uganda's national bird, the delicate and gentle flamingos around the lake, the big-framed deer called Eland (this resembles our native sambar deer), dik-diks (the smaller, dainty looking deer), Thomson's gazelles.
We saw a family of lions sleeping – they were totally oblivious to the several pairs of eyes staring at them! We waited a while but they continued to doze. Finally, Milkauroy emitted a loud lion cry - a deep-throated roar. The lioness, surprised, looked up to see if a lion had indeed come but must have been disappointed to see good old Milkauroy instead!
- The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is a protected area and a World Heritage Site. Ngorongoro Crater is supposedly the world's largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera.
We then stopped for a picnic breakfast near the lake and spent some time exchanging pleasantries with the hippos! And what a royal breakfast it was! Ceneal had packed sandwiches, cake and fruits for us. Milkauroy set up the folding table and chairs. A flask of hot water ensured that we could have coffee while the girls enjoyed their hot chocolate drink. It was a truly memorable picnic, out in the open with several birds for company, and watching the hippos immersed in the water with just their heads sticking out!
