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We rose before dawn to get an early start down into the crater. The crater is set up for entrance on the west side and exit on the east. As we drove down into the crater with the sun just coming up over the east rim, we observed Weaver birds and an Auger Buzzard in bushes right next to the road. When we reached the bottom of the crater small groups of wildebeest and zebra stretched out all around us. We spent quite a while watching Zebra stallions fighting and we saw many young Zebra colts cavorting. We ate a box breakfast in a grove of trees and several Vervet Monkeys joined us.

After lunch we continued our exploration and just a short way down the road from our picnic area we came upon a large male lion munching on a Zebra kill. He was surrounded by a pack of about a dozen Spotted Hyenas and a couple of Black-backed Jackals waiting their turn at the carcass. After about twenty minutes of leisurely feeding, the big cat had had enough and as he moved on the hyenas swarmed the carcass and literally pulled it apart before our eyes. One of the hyenas took off across the plain with a Zebra leg. Although we had been to Africa before, this was the first time we really observed a predator kill in all of it's gore. It was not to be the last.

Probably the best wildlife treasure within the crater is the very rare Black Rhino. Unfortunately, the Black Rhino population in Tanzania has been decimated by poachers. One of the advantages of the the enclosed crater area is that access can be controlled and the rangers have been successful in protecting the small population of Black Rhino in the crater. We were lucky enough to observe five different rhinos as we traveled through the crater.

We spent the whole day circumnavigating crater floor observing many different animals including elephant, ostrich, crowned cranes and hartebeest. We had a great lunch under a tent during a noon time cloud burst and as the day drew to a close we reluctantly headed up the east side road and out of the crater. Unfortunately, this was our only day to see the crater, and if I were to change anything on the tour, it would have been to spend another day in this wonderful place. We returned to the Serena lodge and had a great dinner and then were treated to cultural show by Maasai dancers and singers.

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