Ngorongoro Conservation Area Hike

View of the crater

As much as I love safari, one of the biggest drawback is the extended time spent in the car on bumpy roads. I always recommend people to try to include some walks in their safari to stretch their legs and to view the landscape at a different speed. Driving is great for covering huge distances but it's a "miss the trees for the forest" kind of situation. We were lucky to have a walk in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area that took us along the crater rim on the northeast side. 

The walk was stunning for the views across the Ngorongoro highlands on one side and the crater on the other. We saw some giraffes and we avoided a trail with elephants although we had very good visibility so the danger would not have been all that high. The highlands are at altitude so the walk was a little tougher than we expected which allowed for several breaks to check out the smaller flora and fauna. The crisp climate meant that we could hike mid-day without it being too hot. It was nice to enjoy our big breakfast without any rush since most of the safari days have us up at the crack of dawn. 

I highly encourage everyone to enjoy the national parks of Tanzania on foot, preferably with a good guide. You'll get to see all the beetles, grasses, animal dung, and all the little things that come together to create the larger landscape.