Day three of our safari. Really early breakfast at at 5:30 AM. Fortunately, we were once again able to leave our tents up to dry out, as we would be coming back to camp for lunch.
We drove down into the Ngorongoro crater over a five-year-old, very smooth cobblestone road, and explored the vast caldera, the world’s largest.
Early morning view of the mist rising over Lake Magadi, the shallow soda lake inside the caldera.
We saw many of the same species as the last two days, and spotted in addition a half dozen black rhinos in the distance. There are 21 black rhinos living in the caldera. A close watch is kept on them by the National Park staff. With oversight, poaching is no longer a concern as it was in the past.
The caldera supposedly has the world’s densest population of lions. We found some resting in a culvert. 
Our guide informed us that elephants have six sets of molars, each set lasting 10 years. So their lifespan ends up being about 60 years, after which they have no teeth, so cannot survive. 
Wildebeest on Lake Magadi in the caldera, with flamingos in the background. 
There are massive flocks of flamingos on the lake. 
Hippos look docile in the water, but actually are a very aggressive animal.
An eland.
African Cape buffalo.
Even in the caldera, an enterprising business was thriving selling cappuccinos, ice cream, and all sorts of snacks, all with free Wi-Fi.
We returned to camp for lunch, and to pack up. With the breakdown of the Land Cruiser yesterday, the three cooks decided that they would be staying at camp for an extra day until they could get a ride back to Arusha.
We drove 150 km from camp back to Arusha. We passed a village with an active weekly Maasai market.
Arriving back in Arusha, our driver dropped some of us off at the largest art gallery in Africa, which displayed an astounding amount of art from 1500 artists, all for sale.
Four stories of gallery packed with every imaginable art form.
We returned via tuk-tuk to our homebase in Arusha, at Maasai Camp. We experienced a generous detour because our driver accidentally took us to MaasaiLand Lodge. I discovered a flat rear tire on my parked bike after 3 days, and had to repair that. We transferred some clothes between daily and permanent bags, then headed back to Serengeti Villa via another tuk-tuk for dinner and a short overnight stay. A driver will take us back to Maasai Camp at 5:30 am.
Tomorrow, we begin a seven day stretch of riding before our next rest day. Mixed in those seven days, there will be distance, significant climbs, heat, and three days will be fully unpaved. To boot, there will be 4 consecutive bush camps in the middle. It will be a challenge and strenuous for all.
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