Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater in northern Tanzania covers an area of 8,300 square kilometres. The nature reserve includes very diverse habitats: open grasslands, dense mountain forest, scrubland and heathlands. The Ngorongoro Crater is the main attraction of this area and is often referred to as the “eighth wonder of the world”. The crater is 610 meters deep and covers an area of about 260 square kilometers. The crater basin is the habitat of about 25,000 animals all year round. These include the so-called Big Five (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhinoceros) and many other species, with the exception of giraffes. It is also referred to as the largest zoo in the world.

In the nature reserve is the Olduvai Gorge, an important paleoanthropological site where the remains of some of the earliest human ancestors were found.

Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater
The eighth wonder of Africa in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

There is a moment that every person who has ever stood on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater knows: the moment of silence. When you look over this green abyss for the first time – 610 meters deep, 20 kilometers wide, into a world full of life – no more words, only amazement.

Geographical location: The heart of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Crater is located in northern Tanzania, about 180 kilometers west of Arusha – a driving time of about three to four hours on a well-developed road past Lake Manyara to Karatu. It is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and protected multi-purpose area of around 8,300 square kilometers, which was separated from the original Serengeti National Park in 1959.

The crater itself is geologically a caldera – the collapsed summit of a huge volcano that erupted about 2 to 3 million years ago and then collapsed. With an area of around 260 square kilometers, it is the largest intact and unflooded volcanic caldera in the world. The crater floor is located at an altitude of about 1,800 meters above sea level.

However, the protected area includes much more than just the famous crater: it includes the Empakaai Crater, the Olmoti Crater, the Ndutu Plains in the south, the Olduvai Gorges area, and large parts of the shortgrass plains where the great migration of the Serengeti takes place. This diversity makes the NCA the most complex protected area in the whole of northern Tanzania.

What makes the Ngorongoro Crater unique: No park is like it

The North Tanzanian safari circuit is rich in world natural wonders: the Serengeti with its great migration, Tarangire with its elephants, and Lake Manyara with the tree lions. But the Ngorongoro Crater stands outside these comparisons. It works according to different rules – and offers experiences that no other park in the region can replace.

The unique features of the Ngorongoro Crater:

  • Africa’s highest concentration of wild animals in a limited area – around 25,000 large mammals live on the crater floor all year round, naturally enclosed by 600-metre-high walls. No fenced-in national park, no artificial game reserve – a natural arena that has functioned like this for millions of years.
  • Big Five year-round – unlike the Serengeti, where animals make long migrations, most of the animals of the crater floor stay all year round. Lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and the rare black rhinoceros. These so-called Big Five are nowhere in Africa more reliable than here.
  • The only area in Tanzania with regular black rhino sightings is next to the Mkomazi Sanctuary – the rhinos of the crater are wild, free, and living on the crater floor. This combination does not exist anywhere else in Tanzania.
  • No giraffes, no impalas – two of the most common savannah animals are completely absent from the crater floor. The steepness of the crater walls makes the ascent and descent impossible for giraffes.
  • Olduvai Gorge – the cradle of humanity – is located only 45 kilometers from the crater and is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Nowhere else in Tanzania can safari and human prehistory be combined so directly.
  • The only park in Tanzania that is designed as a multi-use area – the Maasai are allowed to graze their cattle on the plateaus and sometimes on the crater floor. This coexistence of wild animals and semi-nomads is unique and was confirmed with the UNESCO World Heritage Award in 1979.

Sights & Highlights: What makes the crater so extraordinary

The Big Five - The guarantee among safari experiences

On an area smaller than Lake Manyara, smaller than Tarangire, and many times smaller than the Serengeti, around 25,000 large mammals live permanently. Lions hunt within sight of the vehicles, without paying attention to the proximity. Buffalo drink at waterholes, elephants stroll through the Lerai fever forest, and in the distance, mostly on the edge of Lake Magadi, the outlines of the rare black rhinos move. There is no other place on earth that offers the Big Five with this reliability and in such a small space.

Lake Magadi and the Flamingos - Pink on Black

At the heart of the crater floor lies the alkaline Lake Magadi – shallow, salty, and pink. In the rainy season and after, thousands of flamingos cavort here, their pink rows contrasting against the dark basalt rock of the crater floor plain. Hippos, waterfowl, and the largest herds of buffalo in the crater are concentrated around the lake. The Ngoitokitok spring area southeast of the lake offers a permanent hippo pool that almost always provides reliable encounters for our guests.

Lerai Fever Forest - Elephants in the Green Temple

On the southern edge of the crater floor lies the Lerai Fever Forest – a thick, evergreen forest strip of yellow-green acacia trees that are roamed by elephants. Elephants in the Lerai forest cultivate their typical, relaxed behavior, which is so rarely observed in the open savannah: social interactions, young animals playing, and old bulls patiently feeding. Lerai is also one of the best spots for leopard sightings in the crater. The cats use the dense trees for sleeping and as hunting posts.

Olduvai Gorge - Where Mankind Began

45 kilometers northwest of the crater, accessible as a day trip or on a transit to the Serengeti, lies the 14 to 90 meter deep Olduvai Gorge. This gorge is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in human history. It was here that Louis and Mary Leakey discovered fossils and stone tools from 1931 onwards that revolutionised our ideas of human development. The most famous find: the Laetoli footprints, 3.6-million-year-old imprints of our upright walking ancestors. The museum on the edge of the gorge gives a captivating overview. During a guided tour along the edge of the cliff, the rock layers are legible like an open book of the earth’s history.

OLDUVAI GORGE

Empakaai Crater - The Silent Antithesis

If you know the Ngorongoro Crater and want more, you should not miss the Empakaai Crater. This 6-kilometre-wide, 300-metre-deep secondary crater is about a two-hour drive from the main crater and is two-thirds covered by a deep blue, alkaline lake. The descent into the Empakaai is a guided walking safari – and one of the rare moments where you really get in touch with nature on foot in the protected area. Flamingos, buffaloes, rhinos (occasionally), and the unforgettable view of Ol Doinyo Lengai on the horizon make Empakaai one of the most memorable experiences in the Northern District.

Maasai culture in the Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the only protected area in Tanzania where a human community coexists with wildlife on an equal footing. The Maasai communities, who live in the highlands around the crater, are still allowed to graze their cattle on the plateaus – and at times on the crater floor itself. A visit to an authentic Maasai boma in the area is one of the most culturally valuable moments of a safari

Ideal length of stay: Our recommendation

The Ngorongoro Crater is smaller than many travelers expect – and can be a bigger experience than you think.

Length of stay as part of a safari tour:

  • 1 day (crater floor only): The absolute minimum effort. You see a lot – but you don’t experience the crater. We then plan to leave very early to anticipate the main flood of day visitors.
  • 2 days / 1 night: ideal and recommended. The first evening offers the magic of the crater rim at sunset; the early morning of the second day on the crater floor is the best time for predator sightings. There is also time for a trip to Olduvai Gorge or Empakaai.

Length of stay with a focus on the Ngorongoro Conservation Area:

  • 3 to 4 days: For guests who want to combine Empakaai, Olduvai, Olmoti and cultural visits to Maasai-Bomas without the hustle and bustle.
  • 5+ days: For birdwatchers, photographers or anyone planning a combo of Ngorongoro, Lake Eyasi (Hadzabe Bushmen) and Olduvai region. Also ideal for combination with Lake Natron and Ol Doinyo Lengai.

Best time to visit the Ngorongoro Crater: first-class all year round - but with differences

The Ngorongoro Crater differs from all other parks in the northern district in one essential point: the animals stay all year round. There is no migration out of the crater – the steep walls form a natural enclosure. The question is not: Are there animals? The question is: How many other tourists are there – and what does the landscape look like?

June to October - Dry season: Best viewing conditions

The classic safari high season. The vegetation on the crater floor is low and thin, the animals concentrate even more on the permanent water sources, and the cooler air (about 15 to 19 degrees on the ground, to below 10 degrees at night on the edge) ensures clear, haze-free sights. Lions are particularly active in the dry season because the grass is short and hunting is easier. Black rhinos are easier to spot due to the open vegetation. The variety of birds is great.

November to December
Short rainy season: Green Garden of Eden

With the first rain in November, the crater floor turns into a bright emerald green. The vegetation cover is getting denser, but the animals are still all there – the birds anyway. The rainy season brings tens of thousands of migratory birds from Europe. Flamingos come to Lake Magadi in large numbers. Tourist numbers are now significantly lower.

January to February
Intermediate dry season: insider tip for connoisseurs

Between the rainy seasons there is a short dry period, in which the crater is particularly balanced: the vegetation is still green from the November rains, the animals are active, the number of tourists is lower than in midsummer. At the same time, the wildebeest calving season begins on the nearby Ndutu Plains – ideal for a combination of crater and Ndutu in one trip.

March to May – Great rainy season: Only for the determined

The long rainy season brings occasional road problems on the gravel roads in the protected area, dense vegetation, and occasionally a closed cloud cover with short but sometimes heavy showers. Nevertheless, the crater floor remains accessible all year round, and guests who come during this time experience the crater in its most lush, untamed form – and almost alone. Many lodges offer significant price reductions.

Conclusion for the Ngorongoro Crater

Whether you are planning the crater as a day trip from the Serengeti, as the centerpiece of a safari tour, or as a starting point for a deeper exploration of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with Empakaai, Olduvai, and Maasai cultural program, we will tailor your Ngorongoro experience. Our safari guides, with many years of experience, are not taxi drivers with binoculars, but passionate professionals who will make sure that you don’t miss any experience.

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