Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Our final stop in Tanzania on our safari vacation was the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is the largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic crater in the world (according to my very unofficial google search).

The view from the top looking down into the crater. We were told this crater formed when a volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself three million years ago. It was absolutely massive. You could not see around to the opposite side and the rim was in the clouds.

The Maasai live around the outside of the crater and walk their cattle down to the bottom every day for water. Since the government made this a conservation area there are no settlements in the crater and the tribes are only allowed to enter a specific area for water, they cannot roam the entire crater floor.

Crested Crane (Uganda's national bird) and warthogs

Water Buffalo with Oxbow Pecker birds sitting on them

The ridiculous looking Wildebeest

Many, many wildebeest

Sleeping hippos... they must be active at night because of all the hippos we saw, we never saw them actually move, just shift their bulk around a bit or blow bubbles every now and again.

Haha, never thought I would have to share the road with a couple of zebras!

 That was our last stop on the mainland, but the vacation was not over. Next post will be our visit to Zanzibar!