Safari Day 6- Tarangire to Ngorongoro Crater

Today was a travel day as we left Tarangire and headed to the Ngorongoro Crater.  The drive was mostly paved until we reached the entrance to Ngorongoro, where we would leave behind paved roads for the next 7 days.  On our way, we stopped at this beautiful flower/vegetable garden called Gibb's Farm.  This began as a coffee plantation years ago by a British couple.  It is now run by an American and continues to grow coffee, various vegetables and flowers, and operates specialty cottages for guests to stay in. We enjoyed a delicious, farm fresh lunch with this view.

After lunch, we were able to get a tour of gardens.  Christina, our tour guide, pointed out all of the vegetables and explained the story of Gibb's Farm.  She also allowed me to try carrying vegetables African style.  This basket-on-the-back thing was not so bad.  I'm glad she didn't ask me to carry a bucket of water on my head (which African women are also skilled at).  

After lunch, we continued our drive until we reached the rim of the crater, where we stopped to look in.  The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera, formed when a huge volcano collapsed into itself about 2-3 million years ago.  The landscape of the crater is pretty incredible and was a highlight for us.  

Family picture on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.

We continued our drive around the rim to an exclusive "mobile camp", run by our safari company.  This meant we were the only people staying there and it provided a slightly more rustic camping feel. However, the amenities of these tents are still amazing (flush toilets, hot water showers, king sized bed, etc). I should also mention the INCREDIBLE staff members who kept us safe and made us feel comfortable.    Each of these camps is guarded by Masai warriors, who are trained to recognize animal sounds and behaviors.  As someone who is maybe a little afraid of animal noises around my tent (especially predators!), I appreciated their vigilance. (And...I also started sleeping with earplugs...)

We enjoyed a delicious dinner and a little Amarula (a tasty African liqueur) before going to bed and preparing for our big day in the crater tomorrow!