NGORONGORO CRATER On the 18th March 1892 Dr. O. Baumann, a German explorer was the first European to record seeing the Ngorongoro Crater. He had approachd the crater, like most visitors presently do, via Mto wa Mbu and Lake Manyara. On the 13th of March he had climbed the steep bouldery slopes of the western wall of the Rift Valley to be rewarded by a magnificent view of the lake. A view now enjoyed by visitors driving up the escarpment or relaxing at the Lake Manyara Hotel or the Manyara Serena Lodge. It was from here also that he saw the forested hills to the north that formed the southern rim of the crater. On the 14th and 15th of March he and his entourage crossed the open plains leading towards the crater. At this point two young Maasai warriors met them and guided them through the thick montane forests on their journey up to the crater rim. They followed cattle paths lined with creepers, lichen, mosses and flowers with butterflies fluttering amongst them. On the night of the 17th they camped high in the forests. Swirling thick mists descended in the night making it chilly. The following day he looked into the crater from a point near the present Sopa Lodge.

In the following days he traversed the crater and left it on the south west rim to then descend to the inhospitable shores of Lake Eyasi. In his journey across the crater he killed several rhino. The reason early explorers shot so many of these animals probably (though they do not state it) is the fact that the rhino horn fetched a high price amongst coastal traders and this helped them finance the expeditions. An ameliorating reason was to help feed emaciated Maasai who at the time of his visit where experiencing a famine brought about by a combination of several diseases. In fact the healthiest Maasai he came across lived in the immediate vicinity of the crater. The crater and its surrounding highlands plays an important part in Masai tradition since in times of famine they often move towards it in search of better pasture.

In 1959 this important role that Ngorongoro played for the Masai was recognised by Professor Bernhard Grzimek when he proposed the Serengeti National Park to be separated from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Masai were evicted from the Serengeti whereas the Crater area became an experient in multi-purpose land use.

In the early 1900's two Germans, the Siedentopf brothers, settled and built farms in the crater. However their cattle were frequently depleted by Masai raids. Ruins of their farms may still be seen on the crater floor.

Although the Masai now claim the crater as their territory this has not always been the case. Over 300 years ago the Nilo-Hamitic nomadic Datoga tribe brought their cattle into the crater where they stayed till the early 19th century when they were forced out by the Masai. Small Datoga communities are still found in the Lake Eyasi area.

 

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