December 4 - 6 and December 10 - 11

We stayed at the Ngorongoro Farm House because it is relatively near Ngorongoro Crater and is an elegant place to stay! The meals were served buffet style and provided a nice range of selections. We took a tour of their spacious garden which three full time workers maintain . The amazing garden provides fresh produce not only for its guests but for tourists at other hotels.

We were impressed by how environmentally friendly the Ngorongoro Farm was. Its diverse plantings encouraged a wonderful variety of birds.

Not only was our room spacious, it had a working fireplace and a porch for relaxation.

Ngorongoro Crater is justifiably world famous. The crater, which more accurately should be called a caldera, was created when the volcano developed a lateral lava tube which created a nearby mountain. The loss of lava from Ngorongoro caused this mountain to collape creating the world's largest caldera. The caldera/crater has steep sides helping to make what is effectively a biosphere for wildlife. This "biosphere" is relatively self-contained with plenty of water and is one of the few places in Africa where the wildlife do not need to migrate to survive. Ngorongoro has a diversity of wildlife. Giraffes are notably missing because there are few trees for them to browse on.

Maasai used to live in the caldera, but were relocated to further enhance the naturalness of the biosphere. They are still allowed, once a week, to bring their cattle into the caldera for access to salt licks, but they are not allowed to stay over-night.

One morning we went for a "cultural" experience at the Bashay Primary School in Karatu. The school principal gave us an informative presentation about the school's history, how its pupil's test scores (yes they track them in Tanzania too!) have been improving, and how they are very appreciative of private gifts, especially for the help the Grand Circle Foundation (parent company of OATS) provides.

This new school building was funded by the Grand Circle Foundation.

December 10 - 11

We returned from the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Farm House on the afternoon of December 10. After spending the night here, we continued the next day to Mama Wilson's Lodge for lunch and relaxation in a day room before leaving for the Kilamanjaro Airport at 5 PM.