The Ngorongoro Nyumba Camp (“nyumba” means “home”) is nestled in a jungle along the crater’s rim. It’s much chillier at this altitude (at about 7,200 feet), and gets much darker earlier due to the canopy of trees. But the camp is just as comfortable as the last one, and we sleep well, rising early the next morning for our exploration of the volcanic crater floor. This area feels like a naturally enclosed habitat with its contrasting lush vegetation and yellow plains trapped inside a ring of hills and ridges. But it’s actually quite passable for migratory animals who come and go with the changing seasons. Morning feels like 50˚F, and powerful gusts whip through the crater floor. That doesn’t stop our first immediate showcase: four male lions from the same pride greeting each other. They romp around in the rippling grass, the wind brushing through their mane. A whole week full of lions, and we never tire of this.

It’s amazing to run all over the crater floor. Each patch has its own story. At one end, a lake welcomes a massive flock of flamingos. The colony is so thick that it creates a jittery pink band across the water. At the other end, tall, vibrant grass blades ripple alongside the hippos who sunbathe in doughy heaps on a swamp bank. The slopes of the crater host denser vegetation, including flat-topped acacia trees. Along the lower parts of the hillsides, yellow and purple flowers stipple the landscape, and zebras, gazelles, and wildebeest intermingle peacefully in huge herds. At parts in the crater’s middle, elephants shuffle through the drier golden grass, calmly but cautiously eyeing our vehicles. One has a tusk snapped in half. That’s the one notable difference between seeing these animals in the wild versus in a zoo; the creatures here carry battle scars or mishap injuries—all telltale signs of self-sufficiency and survival.

Later that night, at our cozy campsite inside the near-pitch black jungle, we have a hearty Tanzanian meal followed by the best surprise ever: the camp staff singing and clapping to “Jambo Bwana” and “Happy Birthday” for Jeff and carrying out a dutch oven-baked birthday cake. He is speechless and completely touched. In this chilly and dark evening, it’s nice to be surrounded by the warmth of celebration. -k

 

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Silver Back Fox: Kori Bustard:Yellow Barked Acacia: