Tourist First: Africa: Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Africa: Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu

A spotted hyena endures a rain shower at Ngorongoro Crater.

Cape buffalo lounging at Ngorongoro Crater.

Here are photos from the first days of our January-February 2016 trip to Africa. We flew into Kilimanjaro International near Arusha, Tanzania, stayed a night and then headed out with a driver in a Toyota Land Cruiser closed safari vehicle. Our first safaris were at Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Ndutu, the part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area that abuts the Serengeti. We saw almost all the "must-see" animals here -- everything except leopards. In Africa, the goal for many people on safari is to see the "Big Five," the five animals that are most difficult to hunt successfully on foot: elephants, lions, leopards, cape buffalo and rhinos.

This is not David Livingstone's Africa.

Female (rear) and male cheetahs at Ndutu.

A female hartebeest with her calf. Hartebeest is one of
many different kinds of antelope in Africa.

Baboons at Lake Manyara. Notice the baby between the two adults at far left.

Black ibis.

Blue monkey.

Safari vehicles at Ngorongoro Crater, a 10-mile-diameter collapsed volcano with
steep walls and a flat floor, making it something akin to Disney World's drive-through
Animal Kingdom attraction. Great place to see a lot of animals quickly.

The steep wall of Ngogongoro Crater rises in the distance behind these black rhinos.

Warthogs, perhaps Africa's most endearing animal.
We were told that they make good pets, though the
adult males can be a challenge.

A silverback jackal. They're predators as well
as scavengers.

A sleeping male lion at Ngorongoro Crater. Visiting the crater at mid-day
meant that most of the big cats we saw were fast asleep.

Thomson's gazelles are frequent prey for cheetahs.

Grant's gazelles are larger than the Thomson's.

A viewing platform at Lake Manyara allowed us a good look at this crowded hippo water hole.

Would you buy insurance from this agama lizard?

Crowned crane.

You see a lot of elephants' tushes on
safari. This one at Lake Manyara
was our first. We kept waiting for
him to turn around, but he must
have thought this was his best side.

A black faced vervet monkey at Lake Manyara.

Zebras at a stream in Ndutu.

A black rhino co-exists peacefully with zebra at Ngorongoro Crater.

A saddle-bill stork at Lake Manyara.

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Argentine Patagonia

They are called what they look like: Mexican hats. They occur naturally in the highlands above the town of El Calafate. The water in the distance is glacier-fed Lago Argentino. An hour's drive east of El Calafate, near the headwaters of the lake, visitors can hike on the Perito Moreno glacier and take a boat ride among icebergs that have fallen off the several glaciers in the Parque Nacional des Glaciares. El Calafate is basically a summer (Nov. to Feb.) tourist town, and there are a number of hotels at all price points. We stayed at Esplendor El Calafate, a very stylish hotel with a full restaurant and bar. The South American picker-upper drink mate is available at breakfast. The hotel is an uphill walk from the commercial area, but that's not much of a drawback. Click on the photo to visit the Esplendor online.

Dominica

Probably the greenest island in the Caribbean, in terms of color and ecological awareness, is Dominica, just north of Martinique. It was named by Columbus, who sailed past it on a Sunday. The island nation is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, but it is rich in friendly people and natural attractions, including a boiling lake, hot and cold waterfalls, a parrot jungle and hill after hill of dense green jungle. There is also a cable-car ride through the jungle canopy (http://www.natureisland.com/AerialTram.html). I wrote about Dominica years ago, and much of that article is still relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/travel/winter-in-the-sun-an-island-where-less-is-more.html?scp=2&sq= Unfortunately, one of the hotels I mentioned, Petit Coulibri, has since closed. Fortunately, there's still a wonderful eco-resort called Papillote Wilderness Retreat http://www.papillote.dm/), four acres of lush gardens, hot-spring-heated soaking pools and modest cottage rooms.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, Calif., is a great destination for nature lovers -- Mount San Jacinto State Park is a wonderful gondola ride (shown above -- click on it to visit its website) away, and Joshua Tree National Park is a short drive away. It's also a great destination for naturists; there are several major clothing optional resorts in the area -- and for fans of Mid-Century Modern architecture. For a dose of mid-century style, stay at the Orbit In (http://www.orbitin.com/), which does ask that you keep your clothes on.

Pompeii

If you're driving from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, and it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't want to visit the Amalfi Coast, you should plan to spend a night in the modern city of Pompei, adjacent to the ancient city of Pompeii. Above are the murals depicting an unknown ritual in what's called the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. If you can, devote most of a full day to exploring the site. Afterward, you'll want a good hotel. Click on the image for info about Hotel Amleto, a small and friendly hotel in the heart of the new town and an easy walk from the ruins.

St. Vincent

This is one of the "rooms" at Petit Byahaut, an isolated (access by boat only) eco-resort on St. Vincent, the largest island in the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bequia, mentioned above in this column, is one of the Grenadines. The photo above is of the living deck and doesn't show a relatively enclosed area that had a real bed. Did you notice I said "had"? That's because the place has closed. To read about the property in its heyday, click on the image for a New York Times article I wrote. The article has a link to a slide show with more images of the resort.