Black Rhino in Ngorongoro 10/8/18

Up at 5 so we could head to the crater at 6. The road down into the crater was the worst of the bumpy rides since the rain has washed a lot of it away. It’s a very steep descent too, but not many trucks heading in probably because of the hearty entrance fee. 

The crater has many different environments: savannah, rainforest, marsh, a saltwater lake, forest. We saw many of the same animals as in the Serengeti. Our day started off lucky when we saw a Caraco (the smallest Serengeti cat that can still take down a gazelle). These

cats are very rare to see. Then Robert, who usually drives very cautiously, drove like a madman without saying anything. We were taking us to see a Black Rhino!!! The sun came out enough for Andy to take a spectacular picture of the endangered animal before it walked away into the savannah. Now we’ve seen the big 5 and then some! How lucky are we???!!!

The rest of the day we saw tons of hippos, flamingos, elephants, birds, and 2 more male lions chillin by the road! No need for them to hide under a tree from the sun when the temperature is so cool here. We also saw a pack of female lions walking down the road toward us and right by the car. Very lucky to be so close to all these amazing creatures. 

I’m glad we have good gear. This is a trip of a lifetime. I’m so glad Andy spent the money on his long camera lens and the Vortex binoculars so I could see the small animals and things far away too. Our amazing camping gear kept us warm and dry even on top of Kilimanjaro. Nothing can beat our 0* sleeping bags. 

I’m glad we did the private hike and safari. At first we thought we’d want to chat with others. Then we realized we get ready to go and hike faster than others. Plus 6 people in a safari truck is crowded and who wants to be on a difficult person's schedule. 

Good thing I’m OK with being dirty. You can’t camp without being dirty. Everything is so dusty here in the dry season. The toilets are what they are. We will now always bring toilet paper with us!