Peace out Ecoscience… you were so good to us. Today, we departed from our lodge near Tarangire National Park and headed towards the Ngorongoro conservation area. We stopped by Lake Manyara en route to our second lodge, briefly stepping out to overlook the scenery. Dr. Prendergast warned us to leave our food in the cars so we wouldn’t get robbed by baboons…
We reached our second lodge around lunchtime. It was STUNNING – overlooking vast forested hillsides, the lodge was in a completely new environment.
Our view from the new lodge
We traveled towards the iconic Ngorongoro crater ridge to get in on a little hiking action.
We were accompanied by three guides as we trekked up the outer side of the crater’s south rim. We were in one of the few regions of the country which receives year-round rain, so we got to experience a rainforest environment with quite dense vegetation.
Our group hike
I was ITCHING to see a leopard (they’re part of my taxon group and tend to live near trees), but unfortunately the closest I got was just its scent: our guide noted the smell of “cooked rice,” which suggested a female leopard is nearby and in heat.
We were hiking to a cave which had been carved out of the salt-rich parent rock by hungry elephants; unfortunately, our hike was cut short…by some hungry elephants. Since they were actively feeding at the cave, we decided to watch from a distance. However, it was so amazing to see the elephants taking turns sticking their entire front half into a low cave to feed. Feeling like Bob Ross… what a happy surprise.
The hungry elephants
The final stop on our hike was the Endoro waterfall, descending 40 meters over the tropical forest’s cliffside. It was gorgeous. And wet.
A really good-looking student at the Endoro waterfall
We returned to our lodge for some good bites, good company, and good student presentations before declaring it yet another successful day. Goodnight to my fans.
