Ngorongoro Crater

Up before the sun, and managed to see the Southern Cross in the sky. A quick breakfast, and off for our morning game drive. Inevitably we were late leaving which is frustrating our two German girls, who are fond of complaining that Africans and Australians are never on time, and 'We Germans are always on time.'

A fairly boring drive for the first hour or so, but then we struck it lucky. A pack of vehicles signaled that there was something of interest, and there was. Our first genuine leopard in a tree. Not quite the 'up close and personal' we get of other animals, but at least it completed the Big 5, so we can now go directly to Zanzibar, and not collect $200.

Our vehicle is a 6 seater long wheel base Land Cruiser. It's been around the park a few times, but we all have a window seat, and we can pop our heads through the roof if anything interesting comes up.

Spent an inordinate amount of time watching the immobile leopard in the tree - I guess our guide didn't think that there was anything else to see - but eventually we headed off back to camp to pack and have lunch. Although we had lunch at a decent time, our guides were in no hurry to get underway, and we had to give them a very unsubtle hint. Of course, it meant that our afternoon schedule was shot. After a decent drive out of Serengeti NP, it took over an hour for us to get through the paperwork, payment and clear the gate.

It was about 3:30 that we turned off to go to Oldupai Gorge where excavations over the last 50 years have led to the discovery of the oldest human forms on the planet, Homo Erectus, and it's predecessor, dated in the same era as the oldest found in Ethiopia, leading this area to be referred to as the Cradle of Civilisation. It is supposed that humans spread across the globe from this region. We even saw the bike of the Japanese scientist who took nine years to cycle overland from the tip of South America though North America, Asia, Europe to Tanzania in Africa tracing the migration in reverse.

All this meant that there was no time for an evening game drive, so we went straight to our campsite at the top of the crater, arriving after 6. Spectacular views of the centre of the crater, and very popular. There would have been a hundred or so people at the campsite, including big groups from Gap and Geckos. Had dinner at long tables inside the campsite shelter, complete with tablecloths used to reserve your table. Outside a ranger with a very serious gun patrolled the campsite, and I don't think he was looking for drunks.