The scenery along the Greater Rim of Ngorongoro is breathtaking. With its blend of montane forests and rolling grassy hills, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area offers an inspiring and refreshing experience. The rim is cooler and often misty, making it ideal for forest species, rare trees and unique plants. Some trees grow close together, while others stand alone on tall trunks, their outstretched branches breaking the sunlight into scattered shades of colour.
We were walking along a unique section of the northern wall of the Ngorongoro Crater, an area covered with dense forest and evergreen trees, including the Podo, also known as the East African yellowwood and the flat-topped red thorn, known in Maasai as Oltepessi. A professional armed ranger and an expert guide led our safari as we explored the landscape, scenery, flora and birdlife of the rim, which offers a very different experience from the famous crater floor.
A cool, gentle breeze drifted past, instantly refreshing our minds and spirits as we spotted an Mbulu white-eye, a small, sharp-billed bird with an olive-green back, yellow underparts and broad white rings around its eyes.
We paused to take in the breathtaking panoramic views of the Ngorongoro Crater below, a vast caldera stretching before us. Just a few metres from where we stood, a massive old buffalo bull lay quietly near a shrub. His immense presence was a clear reminder that he was more than capable of defending himself.
We continued through colourful wildflowers and lush trees, with the calmness of the rim surrounding us as our guide explained the traditional medicinal uses of various plants.
High above us, a bird of prey was scanning for movement. Soon, an unwanted visitor, a martial eagle, appeared and perched on a pillarwood, also known as an onionwood tree. Its presence created sudden tension among hornbills, francolins and baboons, all of which form part of the martial eagle’s menu. Their loud alarm calls gave us a rare opportunity to experience what tension sounds like in the wild. Later, the martial eagle flew away, and the forest became calm once again.
One of the most memorable sightings came high in the canopy, where a typically gregarious bird with a white-tipped crest was feeding on fruit. More often heard than seen, it was the beautiful Schalow’s turaco, painted in a coppery jade-green colour that fades into a dark iridescent blue near the tail. We watched it for several minutes before it disappeared into the thick greenery.
The sun was now dipping low, painting the sky in fiery shades of orange and gold. We decided to order our dinner and spend the night at one of the most naturally beautiful and luxurious lodges in Africa, located at Mto wa Mbu, Manyara: Foot of Africa Lodge.
