Ngorongoro Crater

Area

Ngorongoro Conservation Area: 8,300 sq km
Ngorongoro Crater: 265 sq km with sides up to 600m deep
Crater Rim: Over 2,200 metres high

Getting there

Charter flights available and approx. 5hours drive from Arusha via Lake Manyara and Karatu.

What to do
Crater Game Drive, Visit Masai Old Bomas to learn their culture or view game from the rim.

Wildlife
with 20,000 large grazing mammals and the largest concentration of predators on Earth playing a key role in the maintenance of the ecological balance. Most of the animals are resident in the crater. All the typical plains herbivores, including wildebeest, zebra, grants and thomsons gazelle, are well represented. All the most sought after animals, cape buffalo, waterbuck, eland, hartebeest, lions, elephant, black rhino, hippo, jackal(-silver-backed and golden), are well represented. Cheetah and leopard are present but sometimes difficult to see. Ngorongoro is one of the few places left in East Africa where one can still see the rare and extremely endangered species of black rhino.

Birdlife
Is abundant in the crater, particularly in the marshlands and Lake Magadi. ostriches, kori bustards, secretary birds, and crowned cranes can be seen as well as vultures, egrets, herons, geese, and flamingos.

Best time to Visit
It can be surprisingly cool at the top of the mountain even in summer so be prepared with a pullover.Thunderstorm activity occurs in November – December and saturating rains fall from March to May.

Highlights
Being the world’s largest intact caldera in an exceptional geographical position, Ngorongoro Crater is known as the eighth wonder of the world. Although animals are free to move in and out of this contained environment, the rich volcanic soil, lush forests and spring source lakes on the crater floor tend to incline both grazers and predators to remain throughout the year.