Ngorongoro Crater Revisited

Flamingos in Lake Magadi (Source: own photo)

The concentration of game in the Ngorongoro Crater is phenomenal, but animal numbers do vary by season. When it rains a lot, there is generally less game in the crater as the prey animals can find water elsewhere and prefer not to risk their lives congregating around the crater's large predator-ridden body of water, Lake Magadi.

Lake Magadi in the distance seen from the crater viewpoint (Source: own photo)

This being June, the rainy season is over, but the crater is still cool and green. Moreover, the crater lakes have burst their banks. Animals numbers are down. Many park roads are submerged, posing a challenge for tour guides.

A submerged crater road (Source: own photo)

Even so, Ngorongoro never disappoints. Already on the crater rim near our lodge we spot three giraffes chewing the cud with a zebra.

Giraffes in the afternoon sun on the crater rim (Source: own photo)

In a tree nearby, an Augur Buzzard looks for lunch.

Augur Buzzard (Source: own photo)

Inside the crater, it is teeming with Wildebeest, Thomson gazelle, Grant gazelle, chuffed warthogs, and zebras. Within half an hour of arriving on the crater floor, we net two distant rhinos and bump into a pride of lionesses with many offspring of both sexes. Later, quite a distance away, we spot a coalition of male lions sleeping in tall grass, but I did not bother photographing their bulging bellies.

Rhinos and young lions on the crater floor (Source: own photos)

Ngorongoro has more birds than I have ever seen before, probably due to the time of year and the volume of water in the crater. The edge of the lake is brimming with Pelicans, Herons, Flamingos, and various storks. Large, healthy-looking hippos wallow near-shore. There is also an incredible number of Crested Cranes many of which appear to be fighting, perhaps to establish dominance ahead of breeding season, which is approaching.

Pelicans, Herons, Storks, and Crested Cranes (Source: own photos)

Vultures sit in the tall trees or fight for scraps with the jackals on the ground. Hyenas lurk everywhere.

Scrapping among pickers-up of scraps  (Source: own photos)

Baboons move through the crater woods in enormous bands, picking up anything edible along the way as they look out for leopards. Elephants with surprisingly large tusks leave massive turds on the park roads, but otherwise offend no one. Even the buffalos, two-toned from wading through swamp, seem chill. The tranquility in the crater has nothing to do with the animals. Rather, it has to do with us, the people. The tourism season hasn’t quite kicked off yet. Come July and August, Ngorongoro’s wildlife will not get a moment’s peace in the hours between sunrise and sunset as the crater fills up with safari vehicles.

Baboons, elephant, and buffalo (Source: own photos)

I end this post with a picture of my goofy self in front of the Grzimek Memorial on the crater rim. It has become a tradition to take a selfie on this spot. Michael Grzimek died in the service of nature conservation. It is worth keeping his memory alive, no?

Grzimek Memorial (Source: own photo)

The End