2025: Tanzania: Ngorongoro Crater: Aug 11 & 12:

The name "Ngorongoro" originated from the Maasai language. It's name comes from the sound made by the cowbell (called "Enkorkor" in Maasai) worn by the lead cow in a herd. The bell would make a distinct "ngor ngor" sound, which would echo back from the crater's walls, prompting the Maasai to call the area Ngorongoro.

The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Tanzania’s most iconic wildlife destinations — often called the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

We are at the rim, 7,500 ft, the crater/Wildlife is 2,000 ft below behind us.

The crater is a volcanic caldera (depressed area) formed when a massive volcano (possibly taller than Kilimanjaro) collapsed around 2–3 million years ago.

It’s the largest unbroken and un-flooded caldera in the world: about 20 km (12 miles) across, 610 m (2,000 ft) deep, and covering 260 sq km (100 sq miles) and home to Masai as well as 25,000 wild animals and birds.

Our lodge was at the rim, 7,500 ft above sea level, while the crater is at 5,500 ft.

Wildlife:

• Home to over 25,000 large animals year-round.

• The Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino). T

The big-five was not coined because these are the largest animals in Africa. Instead, it was a term used by big-game hunters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The animals on this list were considered the most difficult and dangerous to hunt on foot due to their ferocity, speed, and unpredictable nature when cornered or injured. Successfully hunting all five was seen as a major achievement.

About Lions: 

A Lion pride is a social group of lions, typically consisting of related females, their offspring, and a coalition of male lions. These prides are a core aspect of lion social structure, offering advantages like cooperative hunting, cub rearing, and territory defense.

There are roughly 60 lions in this park, with five prides, i.e. 10 to 12 lions in a pride.

• Core Females:

• The heart of a pride is the group of related lionesses (females) who stay together for life, hunting, raising cubs, and maintaining the pride's social order. 

• Males:

• Male lions join or form coalitions, often brothers or related individuals, to defend the pride's territory and protect the females and cubs. 

• Size:

• Prides can vary in size from a few lions to over 40, with larger prides typically found in areas with abundant prey. 

• Territoriality:

• Lions are territorial, and prides defend their territory, which provides access to resources like prey and water, from other prides. 

• Social Structure:

• The pride is a complex social unit with a hierarchy and intricate dynamics, requiring cooperation and strong bonds between members. 

• Dynamic Nature:

• Pride dynamics can change, particularly when new male lions take over, potentially leading to the death of cubs and changes in the pride's social structure. 

• Other wildlife: wildebeest, zebras, hippos, hyenas, jackals, flamingos, and more than 400 bird species.

In 1979, it became part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It protects wildlife and allows Maasai pastoralists to live and graze livestock there (though they are restricted from farming in the crater). There are approximately 100,000 Maasai living here.

p.s. we didn’t see rhinos or leopards, but were able to see the Lion, Elephant, Water- Buffalo, Blue Wildebeest, Serval cat(looks like a small chetah, long legs, large ears and zebra like strips on the tail), Zebra, Hippos, Ostrich, Warthogs, many birds, such as Pelicans, Flamingoes, Kori Bustard, Grey-Crowned Crane and many more.

Above, a Wurthog, belong to pig/hog family, but have wart-like protrusions on the sides of their faces. They stay in burrows for protection. Their main predators are: Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, Spotted hyenas.

Below is a Serval, looks like a small chetah, an African wild cat known for its long legs, large ears, and beautiful golden coat with black spots and stripes. It’s like the runway model of the savannah. Their main prey: rodents, birds, frogs, reptiles, and large insects. They can leap up to 3 m (10 ft) straight into the air to catch birds in flight.

Below is Grey-Crowned Crane, a national bird of Uganda. It is Africa’s most striking and graceful birds—almost like the ballerina of the wetlands, complete with a golden crown.

Below is Kori Bustard, one of the heaviest birds. It takes off like an airplane, must run first before lift-off. The kori bustard can weigh as much as a medium-sized dog, making takeoff quite the effort—it’s often compared to a cargo plane that really prefers staying on the runway.

Above a white browed Coucal:

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