Our game drive today took us into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest inactive, intact volcanic caldera. Formed roughly 2.5 million years ago when a massive volcano — once believed to have rivaled Kilimanjaro in height — erupted and collapsed in on itself. What remains is a natural amphitheater spanning 10 to 12 miles across, with a floor covering about 102 square miles enclosed by walls that rise nearly 2,000 feet to an elevation of 7,500 feet. That dramatic rim creates a self-contained ecosystem, trapping a remarkable concentration of wildlife within its bowl year-round.

An estimated 25,000 large animals call the crater floor home, including elephants, black rhinos, buffalo, zebras, and wildebeest, alongside the densest population of lions found anywhere in the world. The crater’s soda lake, Lake Magadi, regularly draws flocks of flamingos, adding a splash of pink to the landscape. We also saw white rhinos, which have recently been relocated from Kruger National Park in South Africa, to Tanzania, to try to improve the rhino population.

What captured our attention the most was the beautiful landscape, as the sun was coming up. The colors were brilliant and moody, and the topography so different from the Serengeti. There were so many species of birds, including the flamingos, that enjoy the salt water lake eco-system. Lake Magadi, like the Great Salt Lake in the U.S, is salt-based due to the ground composition. There were fresh water ponds too, so the animals have water to drink.

As we’ve been hearing some loud and odd noises coming from our land cruiser for the last day and a half, we decided to make our drive short today, only 5 hours, so that Zamoo could have the mechanic at Lions Paw Lodge take a look at it. It was good timing as we all felt like we could use a down afternoon, allowing us to catch up on sleep, social media and emails home. The wifi at Lion’s Paw is the best we’ve had so far!

In the evening, we enjoyed the sunset, on the balcony at Lion’s Paw, overlooking the crater, and then dinner. We’ve had a wonderful stay here and have experienced terrific hospitality.

Tomorrow: Lake Manyara

Recommended: Karibu Lion’s Paw, https://karibucamps.com/lions-paw/