Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
This is one of my favorite photos of all time. It had just started to rain in the crater (caldera, really) which added a nice, diffuse quality to the light. Additionally, the moisture made the hide of the rhino slightly reflective and the texture more distinct. There are so few black rhinos in Tanzania that we felt extremely fortunate to get so close.
What a wonderful treat to see this rare Rhino. I’ve only seen them in a zoom environment before.
To be fair, I did have a telephoto lens, so I, too, have only seen them in a “zoom” environment. ;)
All kidding aside, I don’t recall seeing a black rhino before, even in a zoo, though it’s possible that I did. I have much clearer memories of seeing white rhinos in captivity. Seeing one in the wild is a pretty stunning sight. It was like that day after day in Tanzania. So incredible and humbling. Go visit as soon as you can — it’s so worth it!
Amazing picture! Loving it!
In the summer I will fly to Tanzania. Hopefully I have as much luck as you
Seiltanz, thank you for the compliment! We got really lucky with the light and the proximity, I think. We saw 2 other rhinos at a great distance, but seeing this one was an unexpected treat.
I would love to go back and spend more time in Ngorongoro. There are some luxury lodges on the southwest rim of the crater that I’d like to check out some time, maybe stay for a week and go looking at the wildlife every day!
When you get back, let me know how it went!
Love it! I hope I can see rhinos in the wild too one day! (And I hope it doesn’t poop out Jim Carrey)
Dina, once again I am only just finding your comment a month after you made it. You must have mad stealth commenting powers!
I hope you can go see rhinos in the wild some day, too. They are impressive creatures. Seeing them out in nature is sooo much better than at the zoo, too!