After being at the Ecoscience Lodge for what felt like only a few minutes (it was actually two whole nights), we continued our Tanzanian road trip—this time to the town of Karatu. After driving for a bit, we made a stop at a local gas station where we stocked up on snacks and drinks. Fortunate for me, I had the chance to try one of my new favorite sodas (and a Tanzanian specialty)— Stoney Tangawizi. This soda reminded me of all the great ginger beer drinks I’ve had at home but somehow just a tiny bit better.
After a bit more driving, we ended up at the place where we’d spend the night—the Ngorongoro Forest Lodge. Our hotel had such amazing views and hospitality, but that was just a precursor for what was in store.
Later that day, we set out on a hike to Ndoro Waterfall with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority. The views and wildlife of this hike were the true highlight of my day. I did not see any of my taxa today, but it was expected since they don’t typically reside in the environments characteristic of the crater rim. We had the opportunity to see the Ndoro Waterfall (pictured), huge banana trees and leaves (pictured), and the elephant caves (pictured).
Ndoro Waterfall on our hike
Huge banana trees and leaves with me as a human sized reference (photo credit: Anna)
Elephant at the salt lick cave
The elephant caves were a very special part of the hike. Essentially, we got to see a common hang out spot for elephants right nearby the trail. Elephants will often come to these salt caves and carve out the salt in order to supplement their sodium intake. We were very lucky to be able to see the elephants in action today, according to our rangers.
Aside from that, there were a few more cool things from the hike. For starters, we always had to be aware of a ranger’s warning to drop to the ground if there was ever a buffalo on the trail (it was like stop, drop and roll minus the roll). There was also a beautiful Catholic choir singing as we wrapped up our hike which reminded me of home a tiny bit.
After all that, we wrapped up our day with dinner and some presentations. It was another very busy yet exciting day, and I am looking forward to see how the other days shape up as well!
-Milton
