A Trek to Remember: A Foot Safari Across Tanzania's Crater Highlands
Imagine a journey through the heart of Tanzania not unlike the romantic accounts of Ernest Hemingway. Gently rolling hills also related, Parador Sos del Rey Catolico , The Beaches of Galicia, Spain bathed in soft, gentle breezes and knotted trees blanketed in Spanish moss. Mottled mountainsides punctuated by misty mornings followed by blazing daytime heat and chilled evenings, all against some of the world's most spectacular backdrops, and under the Earth's largest sky.
This is the Crater Highlands trek.
Working for a safari company definitely has its perks, so when it was decided that I should embark on a familiarization trip See, US Passport Application , Why You Should Buy a Condo Hotel? for this journey, I was more than willing. I was even more thrilled when two very close friends could join me and my wonderful Maasai guide, goto, How Salt Cod conquered the World , Peninsula State Park in Door County Wisconsin - My Idea of Paradise Ole Supuk, in the adventure. You may also consider, Greece and the Greek Islands , Making Hotel Reservations Online
What ensued over the next five days was an expedition that we likened to that of Frodo and Sam in J.R.R Tolkien's beloved, Lord of the Rings (albeit without the threat of eminent demise, of course). And while one may chuckle at the zealous comparison, the trek's vast and ever changing terrain, mystical sweeping vistas of distant jagged peaks, and rather ethereal feel definitely convey the feeling that one is indeed somewhere magical. This is the tale that unraveled...
We begin on the lush forested rim of the Ngorongoro Crater where the trees are thick with birds, the air is damp and cool and stealth buffalos lurk unseen in the foliage. We continue up a steep escarpment swathed in moss covered trees to behold the view into Olmoti Crater where we see a bushbuck gently sipping water. goto, How To Breeze Through The Security Checkpoint At Airports , Choosing the best season for travel bargains She senses our presence - her head juts up in attention - and bounds off with graceful leaps and strides. Along the crater wall is a small paradisical waterfall whose appearance is compared to that of the bushy Colobus Monkey's Tail, and named thereafter. We overnight here (we are told it is a long day tomorrow) - the spray of the distant fall You may also consider, Hiking in Australia , Royal Caribbean a vacation you waited for punctuate the cold and the sounds of the wild echo into the African view, Making Hotel Reservations Online , Consider This When Planning An Exciting Alaska Vacation night.
We are roused by the smell of coffee and the sounds of boiling water. view, Are you looking for Columbus Ohio Real Estate information? , Stag Weekend in Budapest - the Thrill of Horse Racing Morning. Breakfast goto, Hiking in Australia , Family-Friendly Vacation Condos on Hilton Head Island is served. Ema greets us with a smile and presents cereal, toast, an array of preserves and eggs with hot coffee and tea. We pack up camp Try also, Driving in Germany , Lost Electronic Devices Becoming Common in Airports and head out for the day. From here, the trek resumes across a substantial (18 km) valley, See, Travel Insurance - Trip Cancellation and Health Insurance , Why You Should Buy a Condo Hotel? over rolling hills You may also consider, How To Breeze Through The Security Checkpoint At Airports , Travel Saftey - Using Intuition and past eagerly waving Maasai children who run from their distant bomas to meet us. At dusk we finally start up an abrupt incline to the Jurassic Empakai Crater - the next camp See, Learning about the Story of Citrus: Florida's Natural Visitor Center , Travel Insurance - Trip Cancellation and Health Insurance - where views of distant hills goto, Are you looking for Columbus Ohio Real Estate information? , Parador Sos del Rey Catolico and impressive mountains also related, Driving in Germany , Vacation on the Beach the Smart Way swathed in purple haze loom. Night falls, You may also consider, Are you looking for Columbus Ohio Real Estate information? , What is an Holistic Retreat - guidelines on finding the right one for you and we rest our legs huddled over cups of steaming tea, basking in glow of the fire.
In the morning, we awake to the sound something munching on grass outside our tents. What? We sit up in our tents at attention and listen closer with wide eyes and baited breath - suddenly we hear the braying of donkeys and realize they are our new traveling You may also consider, Why You Should Buy a Condo Hotel? , What To Look For In A Backpack companions! Sigh. Ole explains that from this point, the path is no longer accessible by car You may also consider, Airport Hotels The Right Way To Start A Short Break Holiday , Nightlife In Jamaica and our equipment must be loaded onto the tenacious creatures lead by Maasai. How they got to the middle of nowhere as if on cue, I have not a clue.
We decide to stretch our legs with a walk down into the crater itself. Empakai is significantly larger than Olmoti, tiny in comparison to Ngorongoro. It is a giant bowl of stone where a volcano once stood, known as a caldera. The walls are a mélange of jade colored fig trees and draping vines that pave the way to a large soda lake You may also consider, Boat Timeshares - A Unique Vacationing Experience , The Best Reviews of Travel Websites whose spectacular shoreline is occupied by thousands of pink flamingoes who migrate between here and Lake goto, Motor Home Living - Part 1 , The American Edinburgh Natron.
From Empakai - with the donkeys leading our way - we continue across the rift valley's escarpment ridge and it is from this vantage point that the sheer vastness of Africa You may also consider, What is an Holistic Retreat - guidelines on finding the right one for you , The Best Reviews of Travel Websites is admired. There are no roads, no telephone poles, no developed areas Try also, Reservation Tips For Hassle Free Travel , Florida Beachfront Rentals - Finding Florida Beachfront Vaca for miles and miles - the Earth has been left un-bruised, untainted, and untamed - and is breathtaking. As we make the slow rounding of a corner, Ol Donyo Lengai becomes visible. She is an active volcano whose muffled rumblings and minor eruptions are the sole reminders of a time since past. It's presence is both glorious and ominous - and it feels like we have slowly been trekking back in time. The walk continues slowly around this "Mountain of God" as it is known to the Maasai and finally leads to a scramble down the escarpment wall of the Great Rift.
Once down, the Rift Valley Try also, THE TOP FIVE THINGS TO DO IN TUSCANY , Are you looking for Columbus Ohio Real Estate information? opens up to an endless dramatic landscape of velveteen slopes, serrated peaks and undulating valleys goto, Boat Timeshares - A Unique Vacationing Experience , Peninsula State Park in Door County Wisconsin - My Idea of Paradise created lifetimes ago by aggressively shifting tectonic plates. Maasai children adorned in threadbare shukas (signature Maasai blue and red clothing) and jingling jewelry run over brimming with curiosity to greet us with beaming faces. The sounds of cowbells resonate across the valley See, Neelakurinji -A Flower Seen in Kerala India , Which Blooms Once in 12 Years , KANCHANABURI :The Perfect Getaway From Bangkok floor as willowy Maasai men lead their cattle to greener pastures. In the distance lays Lake also related, How Salt Cod conquered the World , More Retirees Seek The Good Life Outside the U.S. Natron, glistening in the sunlight like a mirage - our goal - and the end of our journey.
Ole slows us down and forces us to take respite under the "last tree" - he says from here will be only sun goto, Cheap Car Hire In Spain , Peninsula State Park in Door County Wisconsin - My Idea of Paradise and heat - no shade - so we must enjoy. Ole, as usual, is right and we trek for hours across a vast stretch of desolate sun-baked Earth. The heat is strong and here sunburn takes only minutes to develop. We drape our kikoys over our heads and shoulders for protection. Respite finally comes when the Kamakai campsite is reached. We jump on the suggestion to take a short hike Try also, How To Breeze Through The Security Checkpoint At Airports , Neelakurinji -A Flower Seen in Kerala India , Which Blooms Once in 12 Years along the river Try also, Cheap Car Hire In Spain , Holiday Hotels in Scotland with live Scottish music. into a small canyon where a waterfall awaits us. This supplies instant gratification in the form of fresh, cool water also related, Consider This When Planning An Exciting Alaska Vacation , Life is an Adventure, Live It where the journey's dust is cleansed away. The ecstasy is bittersweet, for we have reached the end of this enchanted journey.
Nighttime chats and laughs around crackling campfires, uninhibited skies with shooting stars and warm meals in the open air. Sunsets with steaming cups of cocoa, birdsongs in the morning amidst a backdrop of water-colored sunrises and the satisfaction of a job well done. Yeah, I'd do this again in a heartbeat.
If you are interested in more information about a Crater Highlands Trek, visit check out, Greece and the Greek Islands , Neelakurinji -A Flower Seen in Kerala India , Which Blooms Once in 12 Years Tropical Trails Safari Co. at www.tropicaltrails.comand read more!
If you would like to see pictures of this trek, please visit Try also, Enjoy your honeymoon with a low cost Mediterranean cruise , My Gay Film Festival in Seattle our Photos Page.
Brittany Stephen is currently the Sales and Marketing Manager of Tropical Trails Safari Co. She originally hails from Chicago but has made Arusha, Tanzania her home for the past two years...until her next adventure. goto, More Retirees Seek The Good Life Outside the U.S. , British Columbia - Ranchlands and Rivers Circle ..
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