Rhino Lodge has passed through the rigorous carbon footprint calculator of Carbonscored. The lodge received a healthy score, well below the industry average. This is great news for guests in-the-know who are conscious about their carbon footprint on holiday. 

Carbonscored is a unique tool that accurately scores and reports the carbon footprint of tourism establishments and services around the world. This unique independent tool, a partnership between Far and Wild Travel and ecollective Travel, was developed to address the growing consumer demand of travelers wishing to make more sustainable, travel choices.

The scoring criteria examines in close detail,  aspects such as how power is being generated, to where food and vegetables are sourced from, as well as what offsetting initiatives are already in place.   

With Rhino Lodge now carbon-scored, we are happy to assure our guests that they are making a sustainable travel choice by visiting us. 

Reverend Jackson Kipuyo established the Ebenezer Maasai Children Center, an orphanage, in Endulen village in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in 2008. Initially the center supported six children but the Reverend had a broader vision and today, the center supports and provides an inspirational learning space for almost a hundred boys and girls.

The center provides the children with food and clothes as well as a safe haven. Reverend Kipuyo passionately believes a good education in a safe learning environment provides the foundations for success. It was with this vision in mind that he also helped establish the Osotwa English School at the center. 

The expanding orphanage has a myriad of needs, from more desks, to school supplies and the bigger goal is to upgrade the facility with a dining hall and adding dormitories to increase the overall educational capacity. They also need more teachers and welcome the help of volunteers to contribute time, albeit teaching or assisting with day-to-day operations. There is also a need for sponsors that can contribute towards school fees to enable further education.

A few years ago the Rhino Lodge team started to support the center and soon our guests, also inspired by this cause, came on board and have generously donated since. With the monetary donations we receive from guests, food and perishable items or any other items the center may need is purchased and is handed over at Christmas time.

This has become a much anticipated tradition for both the Ebenezer Maasai Children Center and the Rhino Lodge team and on the 24th December we had another heartwarming donation ceremony. There is no greater feeling than making a positive impact on the lives of the vulnerable children in our community. We thank each and every guest for their generosity as well as the support from the Rhino Lodge team and Selous Safari Company.  

Juma, our Head Chef at Rhino Lodge, has a real knack for preparing delicious buffet-style meals for guests. A firm favourite amongst our guests is Juma’s peanut coconut aubergine dish, especially for vegetarians. Juma is delighted to share his recipe with you on our blog. Serving ten, this is a great option to share with family or friends  gathering over this time of year and for those needing something easy to make which is also super delicious.We hope you enjoy this dish inspired by the flavours of Tanzania. With love, from The Rhino Lodge kitchen in the North of Tanzania, to your home.

PEANUT COCONUT AUBERGINE RECIPE | BY CHEF JUMA MASHAKA ABDALLAH

Recipe serves 10 people

• 4 large aubergines (cut into cubes)

 Cover aubergine cubes with salt water and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Lightly fry the aubergine cubes in oil until cooked and soft. Drain from oil and put aside.  

• 1 tsp cumin seeds.

Fry cumin seeds until they start to crackle. Remove from the pan and crush with a rolling pin 

Then fry the below together in a medium sized saucepan for 10 to 15 minutes. 

• • • Crushed cumin seeds (see above)
    • 2 onions, finely chopped
    • 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
    • 1 tsp ginger, finely grated
    • 1 Tbsp coriander powder
    • 2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp garam masala

      Add:

    • 1 Litre water
    • 2 Tbsp mango chutney
    • 1 tsp fresh chillies, chopped
    • 2 Tbsp coriander leaves, chopped and stalks finely chopped
    • 1 Tbsp toasted desiccated coconut 
    • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
    • 3 cups coconut milk

Simmer, on a low to medium heat, for +- 20mins, then add the Aubergine, stir through gently and simmer on a low heat for 10 mins, just so that the aromas of the herbs and spices can mix well together with the Aubergine. 

Add just before removing from the heat:

• 2 tsp lime juice

  Serve hot with rice or pasta. Add fresh Coriander leaves as a garnish on top of the dish.

The Ngorongoro Crater in the Northern part of Tanzania is a great park to visit year round. Due to a constant supply of water in the crater animals tend to stay around as they have no need to migrate in search of water or food. This means you will always find an abundance of wildlife here. The question of when to go on safari in Ngorongoro seems to be more about your preference for the weather (or tolerance of rain) and more about how many other people and vehicles you prefer to have around.

There are two main seasons in the crater – the dry season and the wet season. The dry season from June to October is generally the most popular time to visit the Crater. During this time there is less rain and the grass cover is short making wildlife viewing and wildlife photography easier. Wildlife frequents the lakes and watering holes making it easier to spot them. It is not unusual to see leopard, lion, rhino, buffalo and elephant all in one day. Clear skies mean you will experience clear views over the crater. You will however find the most visitors in the park from July to September making this a very busy time in the crater.

November to May is the wet season and this includes the short rains (November and December) and the long rains (March to May). During the short rains, rain typically falls during the evening and it is highly unlikely it will impact your safari. 

A dry spell is typically received in January and February though it can be quite unpredictable. This is also a marvelous (and popular) time to visit the Ngorongoro area as it is calving season. During this time the area becomes host to mega-herds of Wildebeest often boasting a population of over one million. Predators are in abundance during this time as they take the opportunity to feed on vulnerable prey. It is truly an exciting time to witness new calves being born every day.

Visiting the crater during the long rains (March to May) is an excellent idea if you wish to escape the crowds that typically frequent the crater during the dry season. You will have rainy days but rain often does not last the entire day. There are far fewer visitors and the crater scenery transform into a luscious green. It can however be very chilly during this time due to cold fronts. This time of the year is also the most spectacular time for bird watching.

The Ngorongoro Crater is located near the equator which means the temperatures stay fairly consistent throughout the year. Due to the high altitude this area is about 10 degrees cooler than most of the other areas in Tanzania. The difference however is more noticeable at night and while the afternoon can be pleasant on the crater floor, it can be freezing cold on the crater rim at night. In general daytime temperatures will range between 19°C and 23°C (66°F and 74°F) with night time temperatures dropping to between 8°C and 10°C (46°F and 50°F) throughout the year. It is always advisable to have warmer clothing for the evenings and early mornings.

Regardless of when you travel to Ngorongoro, you will always enjoy amazing game-viewing opportunities throughout the year. The beauty of this area is even during the rainy season, there are few places in the world that can compete with Ngorongoro’s wildlife viewing. There is definitely no ‘off season’ in this area.

Below is a summary of what to expect when visiting Ngorongoro during the different seasons.

Do you know the interesting story and history of the lions in the Ngorongoro Crater? Back in 1962, the lion population in the crater massively declined after unusually heavy rains led to a plague of stomoxys or biting flies. Only nine females and one male survived this onslaught. By 1965 seven more males had entered the crater and slowly the crater’s lion numbers rebounded. After 1975 and during the 80’s just more than 100 lions lived inside the crater. 

Today the crater’s lion population amounts to just over sixty lions. What is interesting though, it is believed that sperm abnormalities are common among the Ngorongoro male lions. The reason is due to the craters layout and typography with steep protected walls all around, making it more difficult for new males from outside the area to enter the crater successfully.

New male lions need to cross over from the Serengeti and traverse an area where communities live and breed with cattle. It was a dangerous path for lions to take as conflict with humans often arose as they tried to protect their livestock from hungry lions trying their luck at catching cattle. 

This meant there were a limited number of lions who entered the crater. Inbreeding remains a common problem as there is a limited genetic pool of lions inside the crater. 

Image credit: KopeLion

In an attempt to better facilitate the movement of lions between Serengeti and neighbouring areas into Ngorongoro, the Kope Lion Project was established in 2011. Through their extensive research and involvement in community work they are doing an amazing job to increase human-lion coexistence in this area to help both humans and lions to thrive.

By their efforts here the hope is the lions will be able to move more freely between these two areas which will help to increase the number of new males who can enter the crater. 

According to the latest information available from Kope Lion, there are currently eight prides in the crater. They are continuously monitoring these groups and the arrival of new lions entering the area. You can read all about the fascinating work they are doing here: https://kopelion.org/lions-ngorongoro-crater/

Image credit: KopeLion

Image credit: The Safari Expert

When you next visit the Ngorongoro Crater, ask your guide to tell you more about this interesting history of the lions. You can get to know the individual lions better by reading more about them here: https://kopelion.org/ngorongoro-lions/. When you get home you can try to match your photos to these to see which lions you photographed during your visit. 

Contact us at rhino@selous.com to book your Ngorongoro Crater accommodation and make your dream to visit one of Africa’s most enchanted parks a reality. 

As we take this moment to reflect back on a particularly challenging year, we firstly want to thank you for your continued and valued support during this time. Not only has our entire industry faced extremely tough times, but our families, friends, and colleagues have also been fighting their own personal battles this year.  

When we look back, we feel immensely grateful and relieved we could keep our doors open during this tough season. We are grateful for every guest who has managed to stay with us this season and thankful for every booking postponed, plus future bookings. Thank you for the part you have played in this too.

As we look forward to 2021 we wish you a wonderful holiday season. May the New Year be filled with lots of adventure, travel plans filled with lots of memories, happiness and prosperity!

From the Rhino Lodge Family

With a year-round supply of water and enough food, the Ngorongoro Crater is able to support a vast number of wildlife throughout the year. This means that you will always find an abundance of animals when visiting the Ngorongoro Crater regardless of the time of the year that you go.  

There are however two main seasons – the dry season and the wet season. The dry season is from June to October and generally the best time to visit the Crater. During this time there is less rain and the grass cover is short making wildlife viewing and wildlife photography easier. Clear skies will also enable you to enjoy clear views over the crater. 

November to May is the wet season and this includes the short rains (November and December) and the long rains (March to May). A dry spell is typically received in January and February though it can be quite unpredictable. During the short rains, rain typically falls during the evening. 

Visiting the crater during the long rains is a great idea if you wish to escape the crowds that typically frequent the crater during the dry season. You will have rainy days but rain often does not last the entire day. For birders, the period from November to March is the best time to see migrant bird species.

Should you have the chance to visit Tanzania at the beginning of the year, you should absolutely include a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding area. This period from January to March, just after the short rains (November and December), often offers a much more exciting experience than a visit in the dry season, because this is when the animals congregate on the short grass plains to have their young. 

Around January massive herds of grazers end up in the southern area of the Serengeti around Ndutu and forms part of the incredible annual Serengeti migration. It is calving season. During this time you are guaranteed to enjoy incredible sightings of big herds all together allowing for incredible photographic opportunities. The wild flowers are also in bloom, painting the landscape in white, yellow and purple, attracting many butterflies. The rainstorms are dramatic and usually do not last long. This often leads to magnificent cloud formations and the build-up of a rainstorm is a sight to behold.

During calving season the area becomes host to mega-herds of Wildebeest, their population over one million. Thousands of young Wildebeest calves can be born per day. Zebras are the second most common plains animal, while you will also spot Eland, Grant’s Gazelle and Thomson’s Gazelle. They too drop their young during this time. Wildebeest often graze in mixed herds with zebra and other grazers, which gives heightened awareness of potential predators.

Predators are also in abundance during this time as they take the opportunity to feed on vulnerable prey. Lions, hyenas, and cheetahs show up in large numbers. It is however not always an easy task to get to their prey as wildebeest mothers instinctively know how to protect their young. They will form a barrier around their little ones making it harder for predators to reach them. On the short grass plains visibility is good which means that they can spot a potential predator from further away. 

Many of the predators however also have their young during this time. There is a greater opportunity for their cubs and pups to feed on prey that can be caught more easily. Young ones can also learn and practice to catch their prey. This ensures a higher rate of survival for these young animals. 

So why is this area such an attractive breeding and feeding ground for these animals? It all has to do with the quality of the grass which young grazers depend on during their early days. By feeding on this nutrient-rich grass they can increase their strength quickly which helps to protect them against predators. The short grass plains are volcanic in origin. Because of this the soils are shallow and has a high mineral content. The result is soil that is very alkaline and fertile. It can retain water closer to the surface to support grasses that are high in nutrition. This creates the perfect feeding ground for grazers. 

When visiting Ndutu during calving season, combine this with a trip into the Ngorongoro Crater. Though not as highly concentrated as in the short grass plains you will also enjoy massive herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles with little ones. There is a rich diversity of animals in the crater and this is a park not to be missed. You can read more about the Ngorongoro Crater and what makes it special.

For more information about this area contact our reservations teams at rhino@selous.com