Tanzania Diary 3: Safari to Ngorongoro Crater
Mar 5 - Mar 6, 2013

Bob, Alan, Mike, with much assistance from Andrew, Loshie, Anthon, Harrison, John, Kreti, Frank, Isaya, Nasib, and many more

See also Tanzania Highlights
Tanzania Diary: Kilimanjaro, Feb 21 - Mar 3, 2013
Tanzania Diary 2: Arusha, Mar 4, 2013 and
Tanzania Diary 4: Safari to Serengeti, Mar 7 - Mar 9, 2013

Day 12 [Sun]: 3/5/2013, Crater Camp
Harrison is our guide - he does a superb job - and driver for the safari. He picks us up at the hotel. As we drive out of Arusha, I take this video of the streets at the outskirt of Arusha. Our first stop is Thomson Safaris headquarters.

Harrison
Courtyard at Thomson Safaris Arusha headquarters.


We stop for lunch at Gibbs Farm, where a young lady, Monica, gives us an excellent tour which Alan and I both thoroughly enjoyed of an extensive garden at the Farm. Whereas we here in California have to fence gardens to keep out deer, the Gibbs Farm garden is fenced to keep out elephants.

Monica
Monica and Alan


We travel to Ngorongoro Crater, an incredible area of wildlife which is also where our camp is located.

Park Entrance
View of one part of Crater


Elephant in camp
Camp is in forest


Our dining room
My tent
Day 13 [Mon]: 3/6/2013, Crater Camp
Day is spent in the crater, seeing an amazing diversity of animals

Hyena
Grants Gazelle

Shortly after seeing the hyenas and gazelles, Harrison heard on the radio about lions attacking a buffalo. He quickly brought us over to a good lookout point, where we watched for 3 hours as a healthy buffalo tried, ultimately in vain, to protect his wounded buddy. Here is a video of the lions taking down the buffalo after his buddy leaves: Lions attack Cape buffalo in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. We then spent the rest of the afternoon in the Crater, seeing an amazing variety of animals.


Egyptian Goose
African (Cape) Buffalo


Lichtenstein's Hartebeest
Crowned Crane


Lion
Zebra and Wildebeest


Hippos
Blacksmith Plover


Flamingos and Buffalo (reduced version) by Alan Cline . To obtain original work by Alan, visit http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/alan+cline/all


Thomson Gazelle
Ostriches


Kori Bustard
Olive Baboons


Rhinoceros, Zebra and Wildebeest


Black-faced Vervet Monkey. We saw the thorns in the tree being eaten by monkeys and elephants
Blue Monkey and 2 Elephants


Lion Next To Land Rover, and here is the video of the lion looking for that perfect spot

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