Ngorongoro Conservation Area: Ndutu Trip II

Lions and elephants

I've visited Ndutu in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) once before (Trip I) and it was one of the more amazing experiences with wildlife that I'd ever had. Granted, we were there during the time of the migration and calving, so there were plenty of carnivores stalking the available prey. However, my most recent visit took place in the heart of the dry season, so I was curious to see how the landscape and animals varied.

We stayed three days in Ndutu and although we only had chance for one game drive, there was quite a bit of wildlife around the lodge we stayed. The lodge owners said the year had been especially dry and that the area looked like the dry times in November, even though it was only August. All of the migratory wildlife had moved on, leaving only the resident wildlife hanging on for survival.

I could see a marked difference in the landscape, obviously the green grasses were gone but also Lake Ndutu was entirely dry. I remembered seeing wildebeest crossing in the morning but now it was only caked mud. A few other wetlands had also dried up, though there were some water holes that still held water. On our game drive we managed to see many lions, though prey seemed a bit scarce.

Even though it wasn't the ideal time to visit, I still found Ndutu area to be stunning with plenty of wildlife. It was also very cool to see the change from wet season to dry and gives a sense of the "other half" of the legendary migrations of this eco-system. No wonder the majority of the ungulates are chasing the rains in the far north; there is very little fresh grass in Ndutu!

Large male lion.