We are enjoying Maasai territory
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
December 31, 2015The view of the sunrise from the deck of our room was so beautiful. It was cool and calm with only the sounds of birds, cows and their bells, goats bleeting, and whistles and calls of the Masi herders. The water was crystal clear and the massive red sun was casting shades of pink across the gray sky and lush green grass.
After a delicious omelete and breakfast buffet spread we headed out on our drive. We were heading to our tented camp which will be our home for the next 2 nights.
The beginning of our drive was descending the rim of the crater through Maasai tribal territory. The young males were busy herding their livestock and the cow bells were making a lovely sound which has given the name to this area, Ngorongoro Dawn Over the Crater. We saw large groups heading toward a boma. It must be auction day!
A short time after leaving the lodge we spotted a few groups of giraffe. At first we saw 2, then 9, then 4 and then we were all amazed to see a journey of more than 50 giraffe. It was a breathtaking site to see them nearby and extending all the way to the far hillside.
Further along it became more densely populated and the Maasai villages became smaller. Their huts were all huddled together in a small cirle with shrubs planted along the outside like a fortress wall. We saw lots of men, women and children near the road wearing their bright red and blue cloth which makes them visible for long distances.
We left the main road and began to drive through more trees, shrubs and grassy areas. It was in this area that we saw a giraffe straining to bend down to drink, lots of colourful birds, and our very first cheetah! She was resting under a small shrub Superb Sparling. After manuevering closer and using binochulars we were able to see that she was with to small fuzzy, dark cubs! So awesome!
We arrived at camp at noon and began to enjoy the surroundings immediately. The staff is very friendly and the accomodations are wonderful. The common area is spacious and has very comfortable furniture and our tent is a vast improvement from our tent from last week. Everything here is portable, as the animals migrate, they are able to move the camp. Our room is very spacious and beautiful. We have to let Kelvin know when we want to shower as he has to heat the water and dump it in our water pouch. He also needs to escort us to our room each evening. Last night a herd of buffalo were grazing around the tents while the guests were retiring.
After a fantastic lunch and rest we headed back out for a 2 hour game drive before dinner. One of the first things we saw was the gorgeous lilac breasted roller Giraffe Everywhere. And it got better from there. We wre able to spend a lot of time with 4 lionesses, 7 cubs and 2 lions. It was great! At first they were pretty sleepy, but in the last 1/2 hour of our drive, on our way back to camp, the cubs were very lively. They were practicing all of their hunting techniques on the moms and their siblings. It was such a pleasure to watch!
We also spent a lot of time in the marsh area with 2 African elephant bulls. They were first cooling themselves off in the marsh, then they were taking long drinks of water in a stream, then they were filling their bellies with plants and grass. Karen was really glad to see these magnificent wild creatures up close for the first time.
We met and dined with Max, Julie and their children Emily, Alex and Jake from KC and Peter, Gabby and their two young girls from Austria. They were all lovely and we had a great NYE dinner and celebration around the bonfire that the Maasai warriors made for us Beautiful. We were not able to enjoy the fire before dinner because the rain storm was passing through. The Austrian girls enjoyed roasting marshmellows for the first time. We were all ready to pack it in early, so we decided to celebrate Kasikstan NYE instead of Tanzanian NYE. I think we were all asleep before 10:30.
New and noteworthy:
Masai giraffe
Vitelline weaver
birdwhistling bush with ants (build in security system)
long tailed fiscal
porcupine plants (similar to aloe vera)
lapped faced vulture
Agama lizard
dung beetle
golden jackal
hyenas
ringed neck dove
dikdik
red cheeked cordon blue
blackheaded weaver
cheetah
secretary bird
red necked sparfoul
hartebeest
impala
chameleon
Fisher's lovebird
lilac breasted roller
blackfaced sand grouse
red billed teal
grey backed fiscal
Pallid harrier - male and female (look very different)
African elephants
hooded vulture (they eat lion poop)
Steepe eagle
Pictures & VideosJackelWildabeastCheetahElephant FightLion PrideLittle RoarAnother Fabulous Sunset
