Thursday, Mar 1st, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

Greetings!

On our last full day of wildlife safari, we criss-crossed the Ngorongoro Crater in search of the elusive cheetah. Alas, no luck. I'm beginning to worry about their numbers. We'v not seen a sighting of on in any of the sighting books maintained by the lodges, and the tour guides aren't promising anything to their participants. But it was a wonderful day, full of new birds and lots of animals we've seen before, but still amaze us.

And every one presenting their babies to us. January and February are big birthing months for very species, and we can't seem to stop taking photos of their antics. But it can bring the big challenge - how to protect them from harm by the carnivores. As cute as jackals, hyenas, lions, and the birds of prey are, there's life going on here. Fortunately, we've missed seeing a direct kill, but we're still reminded when we come across a group feed.

On the way back to the Lodge, we visited our second Maasai village. With houses a bit larger than the other (we could actually stand up in these), groups of four were treated to an intimate tour of their village, including the one-room (about ten by ten) school used to teach their 3-6 year olds. We provided a small stipend for their teachers, and bought a few crafts from the women in the village. The villagers performed traditional Maasai ceremonial songs and dances, and we were glad to have been invited.

Tomorrow, we drive to Arusha to spend the night, lose and gain some travelers, and take a lane the following day to Zanzibar. On the way to Arusha, we'll visit a coffee plantation in operation since 1911.

To see the photos taken today, click on: Thursday, Mar 1st, Ngorongoro Sopa lodge