|  Three million
years ago, Ngorongoro, one of the highest peaks in Africa, towered
alongside Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania. Our earliest ancestors
witnessed the restless volcano's collapse, forming what is today
the world's largest intact caldera (likened to a giant soup bowl
with a flat base and steep sides.) Today, Ngorongoro remains a place
of drama and beauty - the most remarkable wildlife haven on our
planet.
High on the south-western rim stands Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, commanding
views of this natural wonder that often moves onlookers to reverential
awe. Authoritative African guide book writer, Philip Briggs, wrote
that the Crater Lodge was a contender for the accolade of "the
finest safari lodge in Africa" - weighty praise indeed.
 The
Crater is an African Eden, teeming with 30 000 wild animals, including
black rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, cheetah, hyena, zebra,
wildebeest, warthog, hippo, Thomson's gazelle, eland and reedbuck.
The gigantic depression is a 12-mile (19km) wide volcanic crater,
ringed with towering walls and sheltering forests, grasslands, fresh
springs and a large lake. The lodge lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation
Area (NCA), which covers more than 8 000km².
In the conservation area, 42 000 Maasai live and farm in harmony
with wild and dangerous animals. The area also has a special place
in the heart of African conservationists: On the rim of the crater
stands a simple memorial. It commemorates Michael Grzimek, who died
here in 1959 while filming the epic African documentary, "Serengeti
Shall Not Die". The inscription reads simply: "he gave
all he possessed for the wild animals of Africa, including his life."
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Lodge
Overview
CyberCapeTown.com
