6/28- Nogorongoro Crater

6/28- Nogorongoro Crater

Sampson, our driver, wanted us to get in the car early and drove like a bat out of Hell this morning.  It was very foggy as we limbed the slopes of Ngorongoro so we didn’t have much view but the scene was surreal.  When we finally descended into the crater we dropped below cloud level, which acted like a lid on top of the bowl-like crater.  Down where we were was clear!

Very soon after we began descending down the crater wall, we realized why Sampson wanted us to get going early. About a mile away we could see about 10 trucks all gathered together, which means something big was happening.  As we got closer we saw brother lions leaving the scene, their faces and chests stained red…. a kill!  Having filled up their bellies on the good stuff, the lion lefts scraps of cape buffalo meat, entrails and skeleton for about 30 Hyenas, 6 Black-Backed Jackals, 2 Hooded Vultures, and 2 White-Headed Vultures.  The sounds were unbelievable- all kinds of “laughing” by the Hyenas as they were in a very excited state, and the crunching of bones.  Hyenas are one of the only animals in the world that can eat and digest bones, making their feces white.  What an incredible start to the day- five different species of carnivores all sharing the same space, feeding on a kill!

Then of course, as soon as we left one of the Hyenas literally walked right up to and around our truck.  If I had a meter stick I could have reached out and touched it. 

Another first for the day was the Hippo pool.  About 20 hippos basking in their muddy pool, continually pooping and turning their little tails into propellers as they “broadcast their feces” to establish territory.  Good thing humans don’t settle land disputes this way.  

 

We saw Wildebeests en mass for the first time, herds of 100-200 gangly, strange-looking creatures scattered all around the crater floor.  

 
Celebrated lunch in the Lenai Acacia forest on the south-west corner of the crater floor, and surprised Zac with a  cooler full of cold African beers for lunch.

 





The big event after lunch…. We watched a pride of about 7 lions, one alpha male, one very young male, and 4-5 females, sleep basking in the sun.  But a huge old male elephant with tusks almost to the ground slowly sauntered out the marsh behind the sleeping cats.  The elephant kept getting closer to the lions.  Finally at about twenty feet the lions awoke, starting the elephant, who turned, blared its trumpet, flashed his ears, and twisted up his trunk- the lions fell over each other as they scrambled away.  Samson proclaimed, “the Tembo (elephant) is the real king of the jungle”!

Another incredible day!  See you tomorrow when we visit Oldupai Gorge and then enter the Serengeti!