NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA . . . News!

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Ngorongoro Conservation Area is situated at approximately 3 degrees South and 35 degrees East, the jewel of Northern Tanzania's' safari route. These co-ordinates intersect through the seasonal alkaline or soda- lake, known as Ndutu, which shares a border with The Serengeti.
A day safari in Ngorongoro, can take the visitor through open plains, acacia woodland, across extinct volcanoes and into Oldupai Gorge. These dramatic changes in landscape and habitat also mean huge differences in local rainfall during the two seasons of wet and dry.
In general though, we expect the rains early in the year. Our usually wet months of February and March have this year been somewhat drier than in the past. This of course has caused unusual sightings in the plant, bird and animal worlds of Ngorongoro.
With vegetation on The Crater floor lower than we normally expect in these early months, rhinos, lions and leopards have been revealed, gazing back at the lucky visitors who make the journey down the breathtaking descent road, into a unique area full of surprises.
Massively tusked elephant bulls normally roam the Craters' plains, woodlands and swamps, which cover an area of about 100 sq miles. For the last two months some of them have been seen on the top of the rim, cleverly utilising the ascent road to get to the acacia woodlands surrounding several of the fantastically placed lodges on the rim.

Ngorongoro being a multi-land use area is home to about 50,000 Maasai. This is a year of many important events on their cultural calendar and the whole community is involved in the ceremonies whereby the age sets change. Spectacular scenes of large numbers of Maasai striding across the plains amongst the annual Wildebeest migration, with their red "shukas" blowing in the wind, have greeted fortunate safari guests lately.
Oldupai, where The Leakeys discovered some of the finest remains of early man, is often referred to as "the cradle of Mankind" and as a luncheon spot is unsurpassable. After a lecture by one of the rangers and a visit to the fascinating museum, visitors can sit in cool comfort while gazing at an outstanding example of fossilised geological strata's called The Cathedral. Before leaving it is possible to go into The Gorge and view the actual sites of work both in progress and from the past.
Safari is a Kiswahili word conjuring up travels in the wild. A safari into The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is exactly that, with all the comforts of modern travel and the romance and mystery of journeys gone by. Breathtaking scenery, traditional tribes in traditional areas and weaving into this tapestry of wonder, over a million wildebeests undertaking their magical migration.
One word covers it all, NGORONGORO, another always follows it, KARIBU, which is Kiswahili for WELCOME!!.

February - March 2003