Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater lies at the centre of the fascinating Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It has an extraordinarily beautiful volcanic landscape that is rich and fertile, with stunning craters and lakes. The crater’s high altitude creates a malaria-free micro climate, in which, at present, local tribes are permitted to maintain their traditional lifestyles in as natural environment as possible. It is said to have the densest concentration of wildlife in Africa, and as such, has achieved world renown, attracting a growing number of visitors each year. Even if time is limited, it usually ensures a very rewarding safari.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact caldera in an exceptional geographical position, forming a spectacular bowl of about 265 sq. km with sides up to 600m deep, and is the stalking ground of 20 – 30,000 wild animals at any one time. The crater floor consists of several ecological environments: grassland, swamps, forests, and Lake Makati, now known as Magadi (which means soda in Swahili), its central alkaline lake filled by the Munge River. The water here is edged with dried soda and is home to blue-green algae, a popular food with flamingos.  All these various habitats attract very varied wildlife, whether to drink, wallow, graze, hide, or climb.

Although the animals are free to move in and out of this contained crater environment, the rich volcanic soil, lush forests, and spring-sourced lakes on the crater floor tend to incline both grazers and predators to remain throughout the year.

Ngorongoro Wildlife:

The highlight for many is the possibility of finding the ‘Big 5’ in their natural habitat. Lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and African buffalos are all present in the park, though the elusive leopard can sometimes be harder to find. Although these animals are Ngorongoro's best-known residents, they only make up a fraction of those that inhabit the area. So you'll often find cheetahs, antelopes, wildebeest, zebras, kudu, hippos, hyenas, and very many more

Ngorongoro Crater is also presently one of the most likely areas in Tanzania to see the endangered Black Rhino, as a small population are thriving in this idyllic but protected environment, one of the only areas in Africa where they continue to breed in the wild.