Tanzania Ngorongoro Conservation Area

“It was a gorgeous spot and initially looked innocuous but on closer inspection we could see rings appearing in the water nearby and every now and again a pair of nostrils would break the surface. Further away a group of hippos were just visible, and we realised that just metres away, below the surface, was one of Africa’s most dangerous animals. We were apparently safe to mill around the water’s edge here, within a few metres of the jeeps, and it was a great photo opportunity. I wandered along the road a little towards the other end of the lake but I was called back hastily. You never knew what wild animal was lurking about, I was told, and it was safer in a group. It was too easy to get complacent. Not long after I returned to the vehicle, one of the hippos came out of the water and stood on the bank staring at us. It was a juvenile, but it was still a chunky animal. It stared us down for a bit before walking back to the water.”

“We gradually followed the road, stopping every now and again to watch the rhinos further, but nearer us we were among the zebras and wildebeest and I was loving watching them just as much. It was hard to know where to look, with animals mulling around on both sides of us.”

“Inside the conservation area the road is dirt. At this point we were still on the outer portion of the ancient volcano. We continued climbing, much of the way through a fairly dense cloud layer, to nearly 8,000 feet elevation before beginning to descend. The road passes through a heavily forested area and much of it is along the rim of the crater. Occasionally there were views over the lowlands outside the volcano, including a nearby smaller volcano.”