Every single day we woke up, loaded up, and said “surely today is the day we will be disappointed” and at no time, on no day, did that prediction ever come true. Every single day was amazing and exciting in a new and unique way. The Ngorongoro Crater was no exception.

The Ngorongoro Crater is actually a caldera, the world’s largest unflooded one, in fact. Is it more than 2,000 feet deep and covers over 102 square miles. Game viewing here is fantastic as most of the wildlife here stays, year round.

Lions, cape buffalo, elephants, hyaena, zebra, black rhino, wildebeest, hippo, it’s a mild blowing experience.

We entered the crater that first morning, and literally the first thing we saw was a pride of lions, with a young male moving in from one side and an older male moving in from the opposite site. The male who led this pride sat alert and vigilant, in all of his glory. His ladies rested in the grass; his offspring wrestled in the ravines. It was fun just to sit and watch them. His dominating presence won the day as the interlopers stayed on the outskirts. Wildebeests in the distance gave them all a wide berth.

We spent the entire day in the crater, enjoying both a bush breakfast (under an amazing grove of acacia trees) and a bush lunch (on the banks of a large pond). There were primitive bathroom facilities at each location along this tour by the way. Nothing to brag about, but with running water and flush toilets, they get the job done. At the lunch site there was actually a food truck offering ice cream. It was painted in zebra strips. What a great idea, right?

It was here that a lioness, just walking across the grassland, spotted us and decided to investigate. She scratched herself on our bumpers, and finally sat in the shade of our land cruiser. We watched her for what seemed like hours. Of course it was a matter of minutes, she bored with us and walked away.

Our resort here sits on the rim of the crater. The Maasai came and performed for us that evening. Food is again excellent, as is the service. This lodge has stunning woodwork throughout. The view from our balcony is incredible.

We spent two nights here, and were amazed at the number of other guests here since it was low season.

We had long since stopped counting the number of animals we have seen. Every day is an onslaught of new sightings, new behaviors, once in a lifetime experiences. The word “lifechanging trip” is being thrown around a lot by now. And we still have days to go.

Serengeti tomorrow.