TOURIST WELCOME TO TANZANIA...

Day one of 3 rest days.... It is a day I have been looking forward to. Today, Jos and myself are heading for the world famous Ngorongoro crater. It is situated at about 4 hours drive from Arusha and we have a private transport organised by his ex employer in Tanzania the NBC bank. The drive to Ngorongoro was just as scenic as what we have gone through over the last few days. Just plain Africa, absolutely magic! Cannot say the same about the road though, and we were feeling like scrambles eggs after the 4 hours drive. Ngorongoro crater is unique. It contains the highest density of wildlife per square kilometer in the world. Game viewing here is just spectacular and will spoil the novices as it simply does not get any better anywhere. Some will argue that Serengeti is just as good. Well, perhaps but it around the corner anyway...


We have been booked into a lodge called Sopa lodge, not the most exclusive one, but still of excellent value and unbeatable position at the edge of the crater facing the sundown... I am very impressed with Tanzania. I was here 12 years ago to climb Kilimanjaro and I can clearly see an enormous difference. The country is playing the tourism card big time and has really progressed a lot in 12 years. I would really recommend it as an excellent option for safaris with good value as prices here are definitely lower than in South Africa. Staff here at the lodge has been friendly and professional.

So this is the place where I will be recovering and relaxing before jumping back on my saddle in 3 days and riding the 6500 km south to Cape Town.
 

                                                   Me with the sundown over the crater

                        Spectacular sundown over the Ngorongoro crater viewed from the Sopa lodge.

                                     The hills surrounding the crater are steep and covered by
                                     a lush thirsk indigenous forest.

                                                   View from inside the lodge main building

                                                             wao... Luxury at its best....

                                    The roads inside the park leading to the several lodges are
                                    running along the edge of the volcano

                      As we reached the top of the climb at 2300 meters, we finally got to "view point"
                     where you could see the complete crater... What a view, it made the shaky 4 hours
                     drive from Arusha worth every minute

                    On the way to Ngorongoro crater we stopped for drinks. Coca Cola sponsors
                    each little shop here with their logo attached off course... Rasta is the name of
                    the owner of the souvenir shop by the way. He used to be a rasta he told me,
                    but his wife told him to cut his hairs off or...

                           I sneaked into someones backyard to take this picture. When passing in
                           the street these colourful clothes hanging there caught the attention of my lens....

                              On the way to the crater, we passed this guy pushing his bike loaded
                              with bananas. I asked our driver to slow down for taking this shot
                              from our car while passing by.