EDITOR'S
NOTE: Tanzania's amazing Ngorongoro Crater
is truly a photographer's paradise, and ideal for
photo safaris. That is what our ATA delegates
experienced during Host Country Day at the Africa
Travel Association's 33rd Congress in Arusha. To
prove my point, most of the wildlife images on this
page were taken within a few hours by Muguette
Goufrani, Africa Travel Magazine Associate Editor,
who has lived and worked in several African
countries. The group of ladies in their colorful
Maasai tribal attire were photographed near the
Serena Lodge, where we stopped on our return to
Arusha. Our ATA party included Hon. Dhino
Chingungi, Tourism Minister, Republic of Angola
(second from left) next to Editor Jerry W. Bird).
8TH WONDER OF THE
WORLD
One of Tanzania's seven World Heritage sites,
the Ngorongoro Crater is located in Northern
Tanzania, and is part of the famous Serengeti. It
is a deep Volcanic crater, the largest unflooded
and unbroken Caldera in the world at 19.2 km in
diameter, 610m deep and 304sqkm in area. UNESCO
declared it an International Biosphere Reserve and
World Heritage Site because of its wildlife and
Cultural Heritage. It is also home of the world
famous archaeological site, Oldupai (Olduvai)
Gorge, often referred to as the "Cradle of
Mankind," because some of the oldest humanoid
remains, dating back 2,000,000 years ago, have been
found there.
In order to protect this unique blend of
scenery, wildlife, human culture and pre-history.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority is not a
national park, but a unique multiple use area with
an indigenous population sharing the area with the
wildlife. Rare Species The rich pasture and
permanent water of the crater floor supports a
large concentration of wildlife of up to 25,000
large mammals, predominantly grazing animals. "The
Ngorongoro Crater is one of the few places in East
Africa where visitors can be certain of seeing
black rhinoceros in a natural setting," said
Stephen Mallya, World Tourism Manager. "And for the
adventure traveler, there are walking safaris in
special areas such as the Olmoti and Empakaai
Craters; to the Great Rift Valley, the Northern
Highlands Forest Reserves and the Eastern Serengeti
Plains." One of the lures of Ngorongoro, besides
witnessing the breathtaking sunrise and sunset from
the Crater's rim, is that it is a dynamic and
constantly changing eco-system and the numbers and
proportion of some animals there have fluctuated
considerably over the past 30 years.
Safari
Contact:
Looking for a company that is familiar with
Ngorongoro Crater and all prime locations in
Tanzania? Look to Predators Safari Club. Their
fleet includes 36 Safari vehicles all 4X4
combinations, specially modified for safaris with
pop-up roofs and sliding windows for unrestricted
viewing. Visit www,predators-safaris.com -
www.ngorongoro-crater-africa.org - or
www.africa-ata.org
