The Wilderness Photographer's blog

Just returned from over a month in Tanzania, leading two of my photo safaris and gathering more material for my newest book, Serengeti Wild (due for publication by Fulcrum Press in Spring of '08).

Serengeti was fabulous, as always. Because of heavy rains in December and January, everything was green and lush - greener than I've seen it in many years.

Ngorongoro Crater was also great, although, in the twenty odd years I've been traveling there it has become much more crowded. Eventually something must be done to control the number of vehicles in the crater on any given day. The Conservation Area authority has promised to institute such controls, but, as yet, they have not been implemented.

Many years ago we were allowed to camp on the crater floor. There weren't many campsites, but they were great - Lerai Forest, Fig Tree, Ngoitokitok. Most mornings we would step outside our tents to bone chilling cold and often in heavy fog or mist. A campfire and hot steaming coffee were vital for warmth until the sun rose high enough to burn off the vapors and heat that chilled air.  One time I saw a lioness not far from camp, walking slowly, with great vaporous clouds emerging from her mouth. So cold you could see a lion’s breath.

I believe 1989 was the last year we could camp in the crater. It's probably just as well that they curtailed camping there because of the impact. But even then there wasn't much tourist traffic in the crater - certainly nowhere near as bad as the Masai Mara or Amboseli in Kenya. But now people have discovered that Tanzania is a far better destination than Kenya - which has grown worse in its crime and corruption. I have mixed feelings about Tanzania's tourism boom in recent years; on the one hand I am pleased for my many Tanzania friends because it has been of great benefit to them economically. On the other hand, Ngorongoro Crater has become somewhat unpleasant because of all the vehicles. However, Serengeti, at least in the areas where we go, is still relatively quiet and free of too many vehicles. At times we have driven for many hours in certain locales and haven't seen any other vehicles.

It's like stepping back in time and seeing the world when it was young.