Ngorongoro Crater
We drove up the outer slopes of the crater rim in heavy cloud. These slopes are cultivated up to a point, after which the dense rainforest clads the rim of the crater. The rim is at around 8,000ft and there is a 2,000ft drop to the crater floor, down to a 14 sq mile circular area, with its own fresh and salt lake and forest. The more accurate description of the Ngorongoro crater is a caldera, an extinct volcano that was thought to be larger than Kili, which erupted 2.5 million years ago and spread its volcanic ash over the Serengeti. This left the imploded volcano (a caldera) one finds today.
At Park HQ we had to pick up a guide, which is compulsory for all vehicles descending into the crater. We squeezed our large chap (Daniel) into the back on our spare seat and set off. Daniel's English was poor in comparison to most guides and his knowledge was little better than ours, which rather spoilt the experience. Vehicles are strictly controlled on the valley floor and all visitors must leave by 1830hrs. 
The crater rim creates little barrier to animal movement (in or out), but the abundance of food within offers little reason to leave. The vast majority of wildlife are easily viewed here, although only solitary bull elephants can be seen (the matriarchal herds remain on the crater rim) and grazers such as giraffe, topi and impala are absent. Predators have a relatively easy time, although the lack of integration with other prides promotes incest, which has caused an abnormally high incidence of sperm abnormalities and disease within the feline population. 
The area of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and surrounds is Maasai land and it is a common sight to observe the herd boys tending their 'god given' cattle, dressed in the traditional red blankets and carrying spears. The conflict between traditional village ways and modern activities (especially tourism, in all its guises) is obvious. The conflict is not just with the tourists, but with the authorities too, who wish to exclude the Maasai from their traditional grazing lands due to the competition over natural resources. The authorities argue that 'tourists do not want to see local tribes people herding cattle in areas of pristine wild beauty'. In part, it is this latter reason why the Maasai are not allowed to graze their cattle on the crater floor. To us, this is absolute rubbish, surely it is better to see the true ecosystem in balance (within which the Maasai feature) rather than a zoo. Besides we witnessed Maasai herds on this trip and in 1998 on the crater floor and the steeply eroded paths on the crater rim bear testament to this regular activity. That the Maasai do not share in the profits from tourism is another matter. As a proud Nilo-Hamatic tribe, they steadfastly refuse to adopt modern ways, yet they are not slow to run to each and every safari vehicle to demand a handout for a picture or freebie! 
The larger soda lake in the middle of the crater bottom is ringed with thousands of pink flamingos, feeding off the algae within the water. Other animals seek the salt from the soda lakes too, notably the hyaenas. There are two fresh water pools, both with hippo, the second was quite a shock to us, for we had not see the Ngoitoktok pool on our previous visit. Lying hidden within a natural fold in the ground, the pool appeared almost artificial and was crammed full with safari vehicles and tourists on the bank enjoying lunch - an African Hyde Park! Tour operators had the blankets and deck chairs out, the champagne on ice and where the crusts from the cucumber sandwiches went remains a mystery. A few hippos languished in the water and black kites occasionally swooped down to steal food from the tourists' hands (beckoned or not!). 
Lerai Forest (Lerai is maasai for Fever Tree, the alternative name for the yellow-barked acacia tree) is an eerie, damp place and generally home to elephant, leopard and rhino. There are very few rhino left (only 7 or 8 individuals), both black and white rhino. Sadly we were unlucky on this occasion. 
The natural beauty is being eroded by the number of tourists, yet it is this revenue that sustains the conservation area. There are far too many safari vehicles crowding around kills and resting predators, fostering a zoo like mentality. Indeed safari operators jostle to get their clients the best view, with disregard for the flora they are revving over. This rather belies the value of having the guide. Finding one's way is simple and spotting animals is not too hard - indeed we spotted a family of cheetah in the near distance that was unobserved by others and we had a difficult job to get Daniel to see them! 
Accommodation on the crater rim is at a premium. The Simba Campsite is cheap, but a very basic affair so we spoilt ourselves by booking into a lodge. Both the Serena and the Ngorongoro Crater lodges are seriously luxurious (and expensive), especially the latter, so we opted for the Wildlife lodge - which was cheaper. The view down to the crater floor was good, but the lodge had neither power (to use our laptop) or hot water to wash us or our cloths until 1700hrs! 
