Today we left the ecoscience lodge, made it to the Ngorongoro Forest Tented Lodge, and went on a hike in Ngorongoro. The drive to Ngorongoro was around 2 hours, we drove over the Eastern Escarpment, and we stopped at a local gas station. I was able to get a drink that was very refreshing drink (passionfruit with chia seeds). On the drive we were able to see a lot of domesticated cattle and two really cute puppies.
Once we got to the lodge we were able to leave our bags and check out the lodging. The lodging is beautiful, it is elevated with wooden walkways and the tents have running water, two showers, and porcelain sink. It also looks directly out at the wildlife and you can see a lot of rolling hills with lush plant matter. After we settled in and had lunch we set out to go on our hike. It took awhile to get the permits to go to the hike, but we were able to get the permits for the next day, so that will streamline things.
The hike was beautiful. We hiked for about 3 hours and saw elephant caves, a waterfall, and heard singing. The elephant caves were made out of elephants digging for salt, which was very interesting because they were on theirs knees with their back completely open to predators, but the elephants were determined to get the salt. Apparently the salt is so beneficial for the elephants that it actually extends their lifespan. We also saw the Ngorongoro waterfall, which was a 40 meter tall waterfall. There was also a lot of Baboon and Cape Buffalo poop, but we did not see either. There was a lot of hoof prints and the buffalo poop was very liquid and fresh, so I think that the buffalo were definitely in the area. Luckily we did not see them, because they can be very aggressive. We learned that if you encounter it, the best practice is to take off your backpack and immediately go flat against the ground as that will confuse the buffalo. We ended the hike as the sun set and were able to hear the locals singing to welcome other tourists. The hike was one of the top 10 hikes I have been on and it’s still surreal that I am actually in Africa.
(Ngorongoro waterfall)
(elephant digging for salt)
(the sign pointing to our room #3, I thought it was cool because both signs had engraved species of animals that my taxa presentation was on: cape buffalo and hippos)
Isabella-2024-Bovini
