We drove
through a small town aptly nicknamed “Mosquito Creek” on our way to Lake
Maynara, the 2nd smallest park in Tanzania.
The park may be small but contains 7 different ecosystems, thus it's very diverse.
This park seemed to be a monkey haven
(baboons, blue monkeys, velvet monkeys) – there were tons just hanging out on
the roads and in nearby trees!
We drove to the hippo pool, came across a lone elephant crossing the road, saw our first zebras, some more stranded wildebeest and crown cranes. We were only in the park a few hours, if that.
There was also nice viewpoint on
our way to the lodge.
We
overnighted at Exploreans Ngorongoro Lodge (http://ngorongorolodge.exploreans.com), set in 50 acres of the
Tanzanian bush near the Crater. The accommodations
were wood cabins outfitted with a separate sitting area and not 1, but 2
fireplaces as well as a huge deck overlooking the forest. There was even a hairdryer in the bathroom,
woo hoo! This was a proper Swiss-owned hotel
with a pool, spa, normal electricity etc. We had a filling 5-course dinner in the evening
and upon returning to our rooms, found our turndown service included hot water
bottles in our beds, how cozy and warm!
Unfortunately, we had to leave very early the following morning but we
would’ve loved to stay here longer. We
awoke to tea and coffee service (we were really getting used this this!) and a
small news bulletin with a weather forecast in English, which was a nice
touch. The staff at all of the places we
stayed at (tented camps and proper lodges) were quick to grab our luggage,
friendly, helpful and always smiling.
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