top of page

NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA

Ngorongoro crater is located west of the great rift valley which runs from the Red Sea to Lake Nyasa in southern Tanzania. Ngorongoro was an active volcano some eight million years ago, whose cone collapsed, leaving a crater. It is the largest unbroken caldera in the world, the second largest extinct crater in the world, and today shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven left on earth with a spectacular concentration of wildlife and stunning views.

The Crater is oval in shape, 300Sq. Km in area, 610m deep. There are 25,000 larger animals within the crater itself. This is undoubtedly the best place to see black rhino in Tanzania as well as prides of lion that include the magnificent black-maned males. 
All of the big five are seen - elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. Other game includes: cheetah, hyena, zebra, warthog, impala, hartebeest, eland and lots of other members of the antelope family and smaller mammals of sorts.

Birdlife includes:- Kori bustard, secretary bird, crested crane, maribou stock, goliath, heron, beautiful fish eagles, and thousands of colourful flamingoes. More than a 100 species of bird not found in the Serengeti have been found in the crater.

Vegetation: The crater rim is wooded with mountain forest vegetation. Blooming in acres of flowers e.g. pink, blue and white lupines, candle white lilies, blue hya

R (2).jpg
asas-1.jpg
Ngorongoro_Conservation_Area_016.jpg
NGOR.jfif

WHY NGORONGORO?

  • The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world.

The actual geological landform of the Ngorongoro Crater is in itself a marvel. It was formed over two million years ago by the explosion and collapse of a massive volcano—which some say would have been higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. Left behind was a depression more than 2,000 feet deep, with a floor covering 100 square miles: the largest intact volcanic caldera on the planet

  • The Ngorongoro Crater has one of the densest wildlife populations in Africa.

Some 25,000 wild creatures live within the Ngorongoro Crater—which makes it one of the most concentrated repositories of wildlife on the entire African continent. Many of the residents here are ungulates (hoofed animals); among them, approximately 7,000 wildebeest, 4,000 zebras, 3,000 eland and 3,000 Thompson’s gazelles. These enormous herds in turn attract a large number of predators—like spotted hyena, cheetah, leopards, and most notably lions. In fact, though their numbers have fluctuated over the years, there have been many periods in which the crater houses Africa’s highest proliferation of lions per square mile.

  • The Ngorongoro Crater was a stomping ground for some of the earliest-known humans.

Just west of the crater, and also included within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, are two of the most important archaeological sites in the world. The first is Olduvai Gorge, where in 1959 paleoanthropologists Louis and Mark Leakey famously discovered the remains of homo habilis, the first known human species, who lived in the region—foraging, scavenging, and using stone tools—some 2 million years ago.

South of Olduvai Gorge—and also neighbouring Ngorongoro Crater—is the spot where the Leakeys made an even more astounding find: The Laetoli footprints, a series of human tracks preserved in volcanic ash that dated back some 3.7 million years. These prints were, at the time of their discovery in the 1970s, the earliest known evidence of humans walking upright, on two feet. They were, and still are, considered one of the most critical breakthroughs in anthropological history.

WHEN TO GO?

Wildlife viewing inside the Ngorongoro Crater is superb at all times. However, grass on the crater floor is short in the Dry season (June through September) and this makes animal spotting easier. The scenery is lush and spectacular in the Wet season months (from November to May).

June to October â€“Dry Season

  • Wildlife is easier to spot since the grass is shorter in the Dry season

  • Rain is little to none and sunshine is abundant

  • Chances of contracting malaria are slimmer, as there are fewer mosquitoes

  • The Ngorongoro Crater gets very crowded

  • Mornings and nights get very cold

​​

November to May â€“Wet Season

  • Ngorongoro Crater offers excellent wildlife viewing, even in the Wet season

  • The scenery is green and beautiful

  • Low season occurs in April and May – tourists are fewer, and there may be better rates

  • Birding is in its prime due to the presence of migratory birds

  • Except for in March and April, rains are mostly short afternoon storms and seldom interfere with your trip

  • March to April is the peak of the Wet season

  • It is cold during the nights and mornings, so it is important to pack warm clothing.

bottom of page