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Ngorongoro Crater. |
 Dazzling
tour of the "The Garden of Eden"
By: Elisha Mayallah
My friend and I on a visit to Ngorongoro recently spotted a pride of sleek and
majestic lions heading probably to a watering hole. It was great seeing them too
close enough to stick out a hand and touch them. The scenery in the crater and
wildlife were absolutely breathtaking as the lions moved on.
At a distance a herd of buffaloes, three adults and one calf, were grazing; our
driver pulled over to allow us watch the scene as the lions were closing in. In
fact, as it turned out the lions were on a hunting mission, far from our
assumption earlier. The lions looked brave, determined and hungry as they got
closer to the buffaloes. Buffaloes are known to fight back when attacked and
help one another giving their attackers, mostly lions, a hard time and sometimes
the attackers get killed.
All too soon, the four lions silently spread out ready for a four-pronged
offence. One buffalo was separated from the herd providing an easy target to the
predators and we really expected it to be killed, but another safari bus drove
along distracting the lions and they missed their chance. We waited nearly as
patiently as the lions, but eventually the calf rejoined the herd.
Maasai tending their cattle walking along the road was our first sighting as we
entered Ngorongoro crater in the midmorning. Most were seen going some places
dressed in their finest, with some waiting by the roadside for tourists to take
their pictures at a fee. Children were also seen by the roadside waving.
Ngorongoro Crater is right next to Serengeti National Park and partly shares its
wildlife. The densest permanent concentration of wildlife on earth (including
nearly 25,000 large mammals) roams freely in the crater, enjoying year-round
water and plentiful food. Lake Magadi, alkaline because of its bed of soda
(sodium carbonate), occupies the lowest part of the crater floor.
As compensation to the Maasai they were moved from Serengeti National Park and
offered refuge in Ngorongoro, which was already occupied by fellow Maasais. No
more Maasai were allowed to move in and so was their livestock. Unlike many of
Africa's conservation areas, the Ngorongoro Area Authority manages a complex mix
of wildlife, vegetation, water, Maasai pastoralists and their livestock.
Ngorongoro was declared a World Heritage Site in 1978 in recognition of its
unique and importance to humankind. In addition, it has been called "The Garden
of Eden" and "Paradise on Earth". Obviously so, over the years, it has attracted
hundred of thousands tourists.
Ngorongoro was a huge volcano that collapsed inward millions of years ago,
leaving 18 km wide volcanic crater (caldera). It is the largest intact unflooded
caldera on earth. The crater floor, 600 metres below, is a self-contained world
apart, likened to Noah's Ark in its preservation of animal diversity in a
relatively small area.
Earlier before the tour James, my friend was interested in seeing the buffaloes
best; I was partial to the predators. We actually saw two buffaloes before we
went down into the crater, as they stood by the roadside eyeing on us.
Driving further we witnessed an incident that is rarely seen: a face-down
between a rhino and buffalo. A lone buffalo was walking slowly when he saw the
rhino standing quietly. The buffalo changed direction and walked quickly toward
the rhino. The rhino turned to face the oncoming buffalo. When the buffalo was
nearly fifty feet from the rhino, he stopped. After a moment, he made a mock
charge. The rhino lowered his head and stood his ground. The two were about
twenty feet apart, and suddenly the buffalo turned and walked away!
We saw over 50 different species of animals, as we drove deeper in the crater
floor many of them close enough to touch. Hyenas sunning themselves near a hippo
pool were another welcoming view. Unbelievably herds of zebras and wildebeests
milled around in a group nearby as we learnt to tell the difference between
Thompson's and Grant's gazelle. A couple of warthogs grazing with their front
legs kneeling offered a stunning sighting.
By late afternoon it started pouring with rain ruining my chances of seeing
leopards and cheetahs, but the leopards were what I had really wanted to see. I
left the crater floor with some reluctance as we drove up.
After driving for ten minutes we saw three safari buses parked by the roadside,
and we wished to see what was happening. One of the guides in one of the buses
told our driver that he had seen a dozing leopard, up in the tree. As we
watched, the leopard rose from his limb, eased toward the trunk, then jumped to
the ground. What a fulfilling end to our great safari! The safari was really
beautiful …… words cannot do justice.
E-mail contact:
elisha.mayallah@gmail.com
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