{"id":53702,"date":"2021-07-26T12:52:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T18:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isobaresoffit.com\/?p=53702"},"modified":"2021-07-26T13:30:38","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T19:30:38","slug":"exploring-the-ngorongoro-crater-and-truly-settling-into-our-safari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isobaresoffit.com\/2021\/07\/26\/exploring-the-ngorongoro-crater-and-truly-settling-into-our-safari\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Ngorongoro Crater and Truly Settling into Our Safari"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Visiting the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania is an absolutely remarkable experience for many different reasons. Although it is called the Ngorongoro crater, it is really a giant caldera with steep mountains covered in lush rainforests on all sides. The actual floor of the crater covers roughly 100 square miles and is very flat, making it easy to see the entire expanse of grasslands from any point inside of the crater. We were there as the wildebeest were migrating from Ngorongoro up to the Serengeti National Park and eventually into Kenya and the Maasai Mara. We saw many unique animals during our all day game drive in the crater, but the highlight was certainly seeing six of the eight black rhinos that live in the conservation area, especially since they do their best to avoid humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lush Rain Forest Surrounding the Crater<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Black Rhinoceros<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Looking Down at the Crater<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Playful Lions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Grumpy Hippopotamus <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our day started bright and early as we had to go to a local clinic to take another COVID PCR test in order to be able to go back into Kenya in a couple of days. Fortunately our guides made arrangements with the clinic to get us in before their normal hours, which allowed us to get our tests done quickly and still make it to the crater at dawn. There were heavy clouds hanging in the tropical rainforests as we drove over the mountains and down to base of the crater. The drive very much reminded us of our time driving in Bolivia and going down the famous “Death Road” and we were all happy when we made our way to the flat grasslands, especially our guide Shabani. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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