Day 38 - Ngorongoro (Commute to Arusha)

We were on a mission to get out of the crater before the permit expired. There's only one road into the crater & one out. The road out zig-zags up a relatively steep section of the crater rim with some wonderful views of the place we'd just spent the last few hours exploring. At the top we were allowed a quick stop for a photo before heading for the gate.

I remember having some strange feelings at the time. I was completely buzzed by the last week in one of the most incredible wildlife areas on earth but at the same time sad that it was all over. We were also looking forward to going home after nearly six weeks of hard core travel. We were weary & missing home.
It was a fairly long drive to Arusha but at least the roads were asphalt & in good condition. We were back to crazy drivers & loads of people. Being immersed in a sea of animals for a week quickly makes you forget about the heavily populated country surrounding these incredible parks.

To break the trip a little we stopped at a lookout point where you can pretty much see the entire Lake Manyara National Park. This small park is similar to the lake Nakuru national park in Kenya. Like Nakuru it surrounds a lake & is key to protecting a few endangered species. The small park (although much larger than Nakuru) is easier to patrol & keep poachers at bay. The tours that leave from Arusha tend to stop here before heading into the big parks.

To kill time I set about playing with my camera in the moving car. I found with the bright conditions, I could us very short shutter durations & still take clear shots while bouncing up & down in the back of the hard sprung Landcruiser. I managed to take a photo of a whirl wind that was throwing up dust & sand to make the Masai uncomfortable.

I then decided I needed a collection of Masai animal photos. I already had the Masai Zebra (donkey) so why not Masai gazelles (goats & sheep).

Then there's always the Masai Buffalo (cattle).

I couldn't quite work one out for the camel, but I settled with Masai Giraffe despite there already Masai Giraffe in the Mara & Serengeti.

We stopped at a timber carving store just outside Arusha hoping to pick up some last minute souvenirs that wouldn't be damaged by 10 days bouncing around in a truck. Unfortunately the prices were extortionate so very few people walked away with anything. On the outskirts of Arusha we were able to see the peak that towers about the city, Mt Meru. It isn't as big as Kilimanjaro, but it's still pretty impressive.

The group were taken to have a traditional dinner (well kind of) with a local family. I think we were all a bit exhausted so we weren't overly chatty with them. Fortunately we weren't there long & were glad to have a few cold beers with most of the group, said our good-byes & headed for bed after a much needed shower. We had a very early start the next day to catch a dawn flight to Nairobi.