Hello World,
Hold onto your hats because day 5 got WILD. We started out the day by leaving the Ecoscience lodge and heading to a forest lodge on the lower slopes of the Ngorongoro crater. After settling in at the lodge, the group headed to Endoro Conservation Area where we went on a hike with 3 of the park rangers. Before going into the park we were warned of the dangerous animals such as cape buffalo and leopards to explain for the large guns by their sides. The goals of the hike were to visit a waterfall and the elephant cave. The elephant cave is a cliffside with salt in the rocks that the elephants have licked away into slight caves.
We were warned to listen to the rangers if any instructions were given. For cape buffalo the protocol was to quickly lie flat on the ground because it confuses the buffalo. The hope is that they would move on and not charge the class, but I was not wanting to find out. There was fresh buffalo and elephant dung along the trail so the chances of running into one of the two seemed high.
As we neared the elephant caves the guide leading the group urged everyone to be quite. As we turned the corner there were a family of elephants licking the salt from the cliffside. They were beautifully elegant for their size. The class stood in silent awe as the elephants went about their business fully knowing that we were there.
After visiting the elephants, we headed to the waterfall. It was a steep downhill trail that was lined with huge banana trees. The views from the trail were stunning as they looked out over the eastern slopes of Ngoro
ngoro Crater. Nearing the waterfall, the water roared and the mist consumed the air around the group. We had to be careful when viewing and taking pictures around the waterfall because there had recently been a landslide nearby. The ground was slippery and weak in spots. After some time with the cascading falls, we headed back to the cars. Along the way we could hear a catholic choir singing off in the distance. It was a beautiful end to the hike and the day at large.
Thank you for tuning in!
