Arriving at Ngorongoro

This school near the Nou forest is supported by the Dorobo
safarai company that we have been traveling with since we
first came to TZ in 1989.  Kevin wanted a photo with Roberta
and Bill standing next to the school's sign.

The trip from the Nou forest to our camp at Ngorongoro was our longest drive, lasting seven hours and rattling our bones through and through. We passed over the ancient Tanzanian Craton, enjoying vast stretches of medium-grade schists and quartzites, while later on moving on to the western extent of the recent volcanic lava flows of the Rift Valley. In doing so we drew closer and closer to the Ngorongoro Highlands, which tops out over 2200 meters (6600 feet), and is the great volcanic edifice that encircles the Ngorongoro Crater.

Helmeted Guinea fowl 

The crater, some 14-km (10 miles) across and 600 meters deep, provides approximately 140 square kilometers (100mi2) of roaming area for the National Park animals of Ngorongoro. The crater itself is interpreted as forming from the release of some 90 cubic kilometers of lava escaping a subsurface magma chamber that was perhaps only a few kilometers deep.

Blue bearded wildebeest in Ngorongoro crater

As we reached our campsite destination we pulled into this peaceful setting on a high bluff overlooking Lake Eyasi. Yes, it was another luxury camping site with fabulous views, big beds, and lots of comfortable amenities. This style of camping is always welcome at the end of a long day’s journey. 


We rolled in around 4 p.m., giving us plenty of time to chill, wash up, settle into our new digs and meet back at the meeting area between the mess tent and the library. Immediately we were served up some Chenin Blanc and started sharing family stories,  


The wine supply was only ours for a while and then a group of nine rolled in.  They were a merry group who had all ascended Mt Kilimanjaro two days before. 

Hippo remaining calm during the mid-day sun

The new group were a diverse and fun mixture including Harry, an Irish/Canadian Dad and his two sons, and John, the younger son’s girlfriend, Brie, Scott, the Army officer and his wife, who were celebrating their first wedding anniversary, the 67 year old Oregonian from LaGrange, Debbie from Eugene, OR, and Sarah the lone, self-described, cougar from NJ. After brief introductions we were all asked to re-muster in about 20 minutes to view a Masai goat feast ceremony.

making Masaai broth

Going down to the Masai camp we were treated to a brief ceremony with about 10 young Masai men. The head Masai man gave us a description of the two broths that they made for the goat roast. The first pot was blood red liquid broth made from a tree root. During the description they took out the tree section; it was about five inches long and 3 inches wide with a bright red exterior. The other broth contained the heart, liver and intestines, which had been stewing for a few hours. 

a very happy warthog

We all tasted the first broth and agreed that it tasted like a mild tea; it is used for alleviating stomach pain. The blood red broth was then mixed with the second broth and stirred and mixed with a Masai food processer, a long stick with two orthogonal paddles for stirring and blending. As the combined broth was being prepared some of the colorful Masai warriors took their roasted goat legs and sliced off pieces for everyone to enjoy. All expressed happy eating sounds, while everyone marveled at the sharpness of the large Masai knives that they carried bayoneted around their waists.

Sunset at Ngorongoro

Later, we walked back to the camp and waited for a peformance of the ceremonial Masai dance, which everyone enjoyed from beginning to end. There were about 10 tall warriors, all about 20 years old and an equal number of wonderfully dressed Masai girls ranging in age from about 10-15. The girls all wore 2-teir, wide-brimmed necklaces made from many rows of small white beads. The men sang to the girls and every so often one or two men would step out and dance by jumping straight up for about a minute. The girls would sing back to men in harmony and this brought out more response dances from the men. As the dance evolved the men marched back and forth in two columns in front of the women singing along the way and waving their 6-foot long spears that they had carried from the goat roast. The ceremonial dance lasted for about 10 minutes and was magnificently full of harmony and grand motion. What a superb way to finish a long day