Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected area and a World Heritage ite in northern Tanzania, 180km west of Arusha. The area is named after the Ngorongoro Crater. It’s home to the 25 000 large animals, such as elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, wildebeest, zebra, hippopotamus. Huge herds of wildebeests and zebras traverse its plains during their annual migration.
We used the services of Bobby Tours to bring us to Kilimanjaro and they also organized our Ngorongoro Conservation Area safari.
While many animals can be seen at the extended hand distance – zebras grassing a few steps away, monkeys sitting on the road rails, wildebeests, giraffes and elephants slowly passing by, hippopotamus flock happily quirking in the lake, even lions can decide to take some rest in the lee of your truck, but for some shy animals as rhinos or leopards you may want to bring your long lens camera.
The visit to Masai village is a bit of a theater like experience. The village is build for the tourists and is more like a museum with live performing actors but is a great opportunity to get an insight introduction to the Masai people life. For a fee of USD 10 per pax you will be welcomed with a Masai traditional dancing, singing and jumping. Men and Women are dressed in their best colorful dresses and Masai cloths with the fines handmade bead jewellery. The one who can master the highest jump, can choose a wife first. Masai men are allowed to have as many wives as they can pay and provide for. A regular price for a wife is about 10 goats. The wife is responsible to build her own house, where she would live with her children and visited by her husband. You’ll be invited to visit one of this huts in the village, that has only about one square meter room that combines living room, bedroom, the kitchen and a little space for baby goats or calf. There is a fire log in the middle of the room and a hole in the roof for the ventilation of the smoke. One of Masai men would take you on a tour around the village and will tell you about their traditions, customs and how they organize their chores. In a small school there will be kids that would start reading letters from the desk in a loud choir once you enter the room. You’ll be allowed to take as many pictures as you want with anyone or any animal in the village and then you’ll be escorted towards the exit and offered to buy some handmade souvenirs on an improvised market.
The cost of one day safari trip was USD 300 plus tips and entry fees to the village.
It is also advisable to take few days and stay over night on the Ngorongoro territory.
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