NGORONGORO CRATER

Witness thousands of pink flamingos preening and reflecting in the still waters – a fantastic sight. A blue-green algae flourishes in the alkaline waters and is the sole source of food for the thousands of flamingos that can be found here. The flamingos travel in and out of the crater at night, and you may hear them honking like geese as they fly overhead. Many different animals can be found along the lakeshore including rhino, eland and lion. The lakeshore is also a good place to spot golden jackals which regularly hunt the flamingos.

The magical Elerai Forest is a special refuge for many different species of animals. Look for sly leopards perched high in the tree boughs, hiding in the leaves and dappled light. Also, watch for massive bull elephants ambling through shady thickets. Elerai is a Maasai word referring to the tall yellow barked acacias. These beautiful trees are old, gnarled by years of growing back the bark stripped off by elephants. The forest is also a special bird habitat, providing food and nesting sites for hoopoes, cuckoos and weavers.

Gorigor Swamp is a refuge for elephants and hippos, as well as a profusion of water birds. The swamp is a vast area that is fed by Ngoitokitok Springs and runoff from the crater walls. The area is a regular haunt for serval cats and also for lions and hyenas which use the thick cover to ambush other animals when they come to drink. The area to the northwest of the swamp is favoured by the crater’s black rhino population, and it is a particularly good location to get close-up photographs of this critically endangered species.