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MARTIN
 

Black Rhinos

Ostriches

Cape Buffalo

NGORONGORO CRATER xxxxx It's the largest unflooded, intact caldea (collapsed cone of a volcano) in the world and is believed by some to be the proverbial Garden of Eden. Scientists think at one time the mountain was larger than Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's largest peak. The crater's ridge gave a beautiful view of the floor 600 yards below. It was a spacious area (102 square miles) with an estimated 30,000 animals. From the distance we observed, elephants looked like dots. But, that promised to change when we explored the actual crater.

Even though it was low season there were often five to seven vehicles parked wherever we stopped. I didn't like that one bit. Lyimo said I'd hate the busy season when twenty to thirty vehicles lined up. He was so right!

The grass was very high and most of the black rhinos remained hidden throughout the day. We did see two in the distance. And, they came our way. It wasn't as close as I'd have liked, but it was close enough to photograph.

Ngorongoro contained possibly the largest permanent concentration of wildlife in Africa. In addition, this was probably the best park in Africa to see black rhino. Large concentrations of wildlife made Ngorongoro Crater their permanent home. Game viewing was good year-round. Because of a permanent source of fresh water, there was no reason for the wildlife to migrate, as they must do in the Serengeti. A day's viewing would likely include black rhino, jackal, hyena, elephants, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, ostrich, flamingo, baboons, monkeys, foxes and a host of other creatures.

 
Copyright 2001 by Phillip Martin All rights reserved.