A Wonder of the World: The Ngorongoro Crater

The road is long, bumpy and full of bumps but for this destination it is worth it. It is a timeless wonder, a continuous adrenaline rush, a world unto itself so beautiful it seems unreal.
17 km long, 20 km wide and over 620 m deep: these are the dimensions of the caldera created by the implosion of the supervolcano that dominated northern Tanzania some 3 million years ago.
What was previously considered the highest peak on the continent had become nothing more than a huge hollow after the eruption collapsed the volcano's mouth inward.
After centuries, this area has once again shined and flourished, transforming itself into a kind of earthly paradise that is absolutely not to be missed by anyone coming to Tanzania.
Filled to the brim with wildebeests, lions, elephants, rhinos, and hyenas, more than 25,000 species of wild animals can be found inside, battling each other every day.
As I think you already know, the national parks in Tanzania are home to all five of the BIG 5, or the 5 largest animals in Africa: the lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. I am sure that 4 out of 5 you have already seen them in the previous places so I want to give you this good news: Ngorongoro is your best chance to complete your BIG 5 because this is the place where you can most easily catch a glimpse of the black rhino.

Those who say that Africa has no history do not know that it was right here in Oldupai Gorge that the first traces of homo habilis were found.
Paleoanthropologists Louis and Mark Leakey discovered hominid remains here dating back about 3 million years: thought to date back to Mbulu pastoralists, the ancestors of the Maasai.
This area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and is visited annually by about half a million people.

Among the best-known tribes in Africa is undoubtedly that of the Maasai. A Nilotic people considered nomadic or semi-nomadic who live mainly in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are mostly pastoralists and hunters and are considered titti of great warriors mainly because they never bowed to colonialism.
They live by holding firmly to the ancient traditions that are passed down from generation to generation and totally refuse to be contaminated by progress and modernity.
Men dress only in a cotton blanket (often with red and black checks) called a shuka while women wear tunics colored according to their social status; they embellish their outfits with colorful beads and almost all of them use car tires to make their shoes.
In Tanzania, and especially in tourist places, being maasai has become a fashion statement. Tourists are attracted to them, and so even those who are not, pretend to be maasai to earn extra money.
However, it is not difficult to recognize a real Maasai because they all have small circle-shaped scars on their faces.
Want to learn more about them? Visit this village and have a firsthand experience with this all-too-familiar people.
P.S.: As in any tourist place, people will approach you and ask you for money. You say thank you and move on without caring about them. If they are too pushy, tell them "ACHA" which in Kiswahili means "Stop, stop, stop."

Have you ever slept on the rim of a crater? The view from here is breathtaking and it will be really hard not to be completely enraptured by it all. Try to get there by sunset and enjoy it. At worst, remember to wake up before sunrise and look out over the crater. It will be amazing, I got so excited!
The staff at Pakulala is friendly, dinner is plentiful, and the owners pamper you as best they can so that your stay at their facility is unforgettable. Snacks, heated bed and helpfulness are the key words of their hospitality.