The
area near the Ngorongoro Crater, in the general vicinity of Karatu, was
fairly well developed by european colonists. First by Germans
before the First World War, and then by British. There were a
number of large farms. Wheat was grown in large fields, and
harvested by machine. The gently sloped open areas were terraced,
something which remains obvious, even though the colonists apparently
have left.
Several of the large farms have been
turned into oases in an area without much else in the way of tourist
amenities. These "farm houses" serve as places for tourists to
stay when they are going and coming from the Ngorongoro Crater.
The Ngorongoro Farm House is part of the Kibo holdings. It is
intended to grow most of the food used by Kibo Safaris tent
camps, as well as being self sustaining. There may be 20 native
families living on the farm in good housing, compared to some of the
other houses we saw. The farm community may number 100
people. We took a tour of the farm from its gardens to its
livestock area and past its waste water treatment plant. Willy
intends for it to be an environmentally friendly place.
The grounds around the cottages are
very well kept. The word cottages does not do justice to what we
stayed in. They were very spacious and well furnished.
Willy had the workmen make most of the interior furnishings from
available materials. Scott recognized plow disks in the lamp
stands and rake teeth in some of the holders, like for linens.
Local weavers had made wall weavings depicting nearby wildlife
scenes. The wall hangings and bed spread in our cottage matched.
Images accessible below start with the
grounds, dining area and views ot the Ngorongoro Highlands visible from
there. They then move to our cottage and the gardens.
There are no images of the animal areas as they are very similar to
ones on a small farm in the US.
We arrived at the Farm in time for our noon meal on
September 18. From there we visited Njia Panda Primary School
that afternoon. The next day we visited Bashay Primary School in
the morning, returned to the Farm for our noon meal, then spent the
afternoon at Namba y Nyoka Primary School. Njia Panda was a
short distance back toward Arusha, perhaps three miles, on the road
down to Oldeani. Bashay was a bit closer to Karatu, perhaps
three more miles, and then south about a mile. Nyoka was a mile
to two toward the Crater from the Farm.
(This introductory
note probably will be expanded in response to others' suggestions.)
SLIDE SHOW OF THE NGORONGORO FARM HOUSE*
Related pages:
♦
About the Karatu Area, Including Maps*
♦
Schools in the Karatu Area*
♦
Ngorongoro
Crater and Ngorongoro Conservation Area*
♦
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