Our first real view of Ngorongoro Crater was from the balcony of our Lodge, perched 1500 feet above the floor of this unique place. Technically, it’s not really a Crater [a remnant of a volcanic eruption], it’s a Caldera [a place where the earth sank]. And the mountain that collapsed here was bigger than Mount Kilimanjaro. Whatever made it, it’s one of those places that "words cannot describe" – beautiful and breathtaking. Like Lake Manyara, it’s fed by mountain springs, but has no outlet, so it’s an alkaline lake like our Great Salt Lake in Utah or the Salton Sea in California.
I mentioned that we’d passed the Ngorongoro Crater on the way to Serengeti, but had seen nothing. The Crater’s rim is at nearly 8000 feet, so it’s is bathed in clouds each morning. I expect there might be a more spectacular sunrise somewhere in the world, but I just haven’t seen it. As the sun rises, the clouds open first directly over the Crater.
Later, on the Crater floor, we could still see the clouds pouring over the rim.
With scenery like this, who needed more? But there was more – on the floor of the Crater.
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
Thank you for an unforgettable African tour. It came at the right time.
Joy,
You’re welcome. It came at a good time for me too.
I hope I get to see it all in person. I loved Cape Town, but that is just one city in a huge continent. Thanks for sharing.