Undoubtedly one of the most fascinating natural wonder of Africa, the Ngorongoro crater became a UNESCO World Heritage site for its unique characteristics. This area originates from the explosion and subsequent collapse of a volcano millions of years ago and it is therefore confined by the rims of the crater, which prevents the animals from migrating in and out of it. Nevertheless, the crater has one of the largest concentrations of large animals in Africa and in particular a great number of lions and cheetahs which we are lucky enough to see.
Zanzibar is a place hard to leave, but the idea of having in front of us a great animal experience is compensating the pain of getting into the ferry back to Dar es Salaam. It has been a long time now since we were in Chobe. The sea is a bit rough on the way back, and there are several people nauseous or throwing up, but fortunately none of us! We have one night back at the camping site in town before we leave tomorrow to Arusha. This town is the starting point for many adventures in western Tanzania, from the Kilimanjaro tracking, to the National Parks of Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Tarangire. It has also been chosen to host the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where crimes committed during the Rwanda Genocide in 1994 were judged, and after that it kept its important international relevance hosting the African Court on Human and People’s rights.
Time to grab a cappuccino in the rising heat of the early morning in Stone Town and then we are off to the northern shores, where plenty of people are enjoying the fantastic weather of Zanzibar. It’s a rather long drive on dusty roads passing through small villages, but the predominant color around us is green from the palm forest and the banana trees. Despite being packed with luxurious resorts and all-inclusive hotels there is space for the down-to-earth budget ones like ours. The sea is the same for all wallets 🙂