2006 E. Africa Safari - Day 12 (Ngorongoro Crater)

Trip Notes: This was our final day. We enjoyed dinner and an acrobatic display at the Serena lodge last night. The building is awesome; it's entirely built of stones and perched on the crater's rim. We had seen all we came to see so we enjoyed an easy drive around the border areas of the park. The variety of ecosystems here is amazing. We watched the hippos for hours to capture a good yawn and then spent some time watching zebra behavior. The animals here seem more "tame" than elsewhere. We stopped for lunch but kept most of it to give to the Masai children. The poverty in Tanzania seemed to be worse and we had tried to maintain this practice ever since we had passed through their land in Tarangire. To see a 4 or 5yr old child's eyes widen in amazement and disbelief at the site of a banana and cookie is heartbreaking.
We were twice blessed by the spotting of another black rhino in the afternoon and were able to get much better shots. Luckily he walked to within feet of the vehicle and crossed the path in front of hundreds of happy tourists! An amazing end to a perfect safari.
The next morning we were on a plane to Nairobi where we met Matthew again... and then on to Cairo. A truly beautiful and unique experience!