African Safari – Day 5

Noah stood at the bow of his Ar happy that he had touched land after sailing through the deluge. ” Oh Lord, I have done it” said Noah. A voice sounded from the Heavens above ” Sail on Noah, this is not Mount Ararat where you are supposed to dock”. The Ark had touched some other mountain peak and some of the animals on board had already jumped out. They did not realise they had landed on an extinct volcano and soon tumbled into the crater below, landing on the soft grass growing inside. There was plenty of water too and the animals started staying inside the crater. Thus was born the legend of the Ngorongoro crater. Believe it? No, this was a figment of my imagination as I stood at the rim of the Ngorongoro crater early in the morning.

The previous night had been cold and uneventful in my tent except for some strange noises outside and when I stepped out to investigate, I almost bumped into a zebra which was grazing near my door.

My imagination aside, there are a number of popular notions/ beliefs/ hearsay about Ngorongoro;

1. Ngorongoro refers to the crater only.
2. The crater was formed millions of years ago when the mountain surrounding it, which was a volcano exploded.
3. There is only one such crater in the world which supports a variety of wildlife.
4. There is only one road to drive into the crater and out of it.
5. The animals inside the crater never ever come out to the rim or surrounding areas.

Let us look at each of these points. Ngorongoro Conservation Area extends nearly 8000 sq km right upto the Serengeti area. Wildlife abounds in the entire area and Maasai tribesmen too live here. The Ngorongoro crater is a part, possibly the most famous part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It is the world’s largest inactive unfilled caldera of a volcano, which imploded nearly two and a half million years ago i.e. it collapsed within itself. This caldera is listed as one of the Natural Wonders of the world. This is not the only crater or caldera in the region — there are two more smaller ones, Embakaai and Olmoti. Unlike Ngorongoro crater, the other two are not completely motorable and only hiking accompanied by armed rangers is possible. Though rich in natural beauty, the other two craters do not have the bountiful wildlife which the Ngorongoro crater has. All three craters together are part of the World Heritage sites. There are three routes to drive into/out of the Ngorongoro crater. One is the Descent Road ( one- way), Ascent Road ( one-way to climb out) and another small two-way Road not often used. Contrary to popular belief, animals at times do move in and out of the crater. However, as there is abundant food and water inside, the need to come out is not frequent.

Excited, we set off early in the cold morning, all luggage including tents packed as also lunch. The plan was to go down into the crater, complete our safari drive, have lunch and then go up the Ascent Road onwards to Arusha. The crater covers an area of around 260 sq km and has a very high density of wildlife, lions, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, hippos and rhinos but no giraffes, said Godson.

Almost a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountain from within the caldera was an ‘ out of the world’ feeling. Herds of zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, Thomson gazelle, ostrich and a sleeping lion…. yet no sign of the rhino.

We went up an elevated wooded portion of the crater where the undergrowth was more dense, in search of the black rhino but no luck. Went down a little and were in an open area again. Godson peered at the distance and said ” Four rhinos”. My untrained eyes could see nothing. After a while, using the binoculars, I could see the four of them moving almost as if in formation. Too far away to get a click. Having sighted the last of the Big Five, I murmured ‘ Mission accomplished’. Having spotted them, now even without binoculars, I could make out the tiny specks moving.

Finally managed a long- distance shot of a rhino. The walkie-talkie had crackled about a rhino nearby but I was too busy invoking technology and showing live videos of zebras and wildebeest grazing to my three-year old grand-daughter in Chennai as she was having lunch. By the time we reached the spot, the rhino had moved on.

Happy grand-daughter and happy me! We continued along a muddy road, made dirtier by the recent rains and tracks of passing jeeps, when Godson said ” he could smell a kill”. A little further…. and what do we find? Two male lions lying as if dead on the muddy road and besides them a buffalo which they had killed, stomach slit open, partially eaten and the excreta inside the carcass clearly visible.

Even as we watched in awe, I could make out two more lions lying further ahead with bloated bellies, having clearly over-eaten and in need of a snooze. A fifth lion now walked slowly towards our jeep and as it was quite hot, like a domestic animal, went and lay down under the jeep next to us welcoming the shade. Spent nearly twenty minutes here watching the lions snooze, turn over belly-up and in general being happy after a hearty meal. Hyenas on both sides of the road were looking to partake in the remnants of the feast, but they dared not meddle with five big male lions. Nature at its very best!

Having seen so many lions at such close quarters, my heart swelled with pride ( pun intended), a story I can narrate in detail to my grand-daughter. We were not done yet. There were more lions in store.

Vultures hovering overhead and we sensed another kill nearby. Sure enough on the muddy road full of water puddles, we could see two female lions lying and two more approaching through the grass. Looked through the binoculars and could see in the distance another buffalo having been brought down and three female lions gorging on it. I could count eleven lions in all, males and females. What was interesting was that as the female lions were eating, a pack of hyenas kept coming closer and closer in a circle. The lions would chase them and come back to their meal, even as the hyenas made a comeback again. In between, a small jackal raced in and came out with a piece of flesh.

One female lion stood in the shade of the jeep next to ours and then decided to come over and drink water from the puddle just below my jeep window. So close, that I could hear her breathing and also clicked the number of flies on her back as she bowed before me ( what’s the harm in thinking so?)

Awesome sightings indeed! Time for a bio- break and some picture postcard photographs by the lake.

All the excitement had made me hungry. Time for lunch. Reached the picnic spot and I was clearly told ” No eating in the open, only inside the vehicle”. When asked why, the reply was that some big birds would swoop down for food or even attack us. A fine meal of spiced rice, green lentils, fresh fruits and juice….. and we were fully energised. Raindrops had started falling and it was time to shut down the roof of the jeep as we took the Ascent Road on our long drive back to Arusha. Just as we were leaving the crater, saw an amazing sight– a bleeding zebra which had been attacked, possibly by a lion and survived, walking confidently towards his herd. How’s that for courage, tenacity and will to survive?

By 5 PM, I was in my hotel room in Arusha. Back to civilisation and a proper bed to sleep on. Safari over! What an exciting five days of my life! Each moment will remain etched in my memory. A childhood dream realised.

The true meaning of Friend, Philosopher and Guide came to me in the form of Godson. He was all three to me during the safari. As for Nico, our cook, cannot than him enough for churning out and serving food with love, thoughtfulness and bang on time…. every time.

A big thank you to you guys!