Ngorongoro Conservation Area Tanzania

The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s most famous sites and is said to have the highest density of wildlife in Africa. Sometimes described as an ‘eighth wonder of the world’, the Crater has achieved world renown, attracting an ever-increasing number of visitors each year. You are unlikely to escape other vehicles here, but you are guaranteed great wildlife viewing in a genuinely mind-blowing environment. There is nowhere else in Africa quite like Ngorongoro!

Part of the reason behind the Ngorongoro Conservation Area has been to preserve the environment for the Maasai people who were diverted from the Serengeti Plains. Essentially, nomadic people, build temporary villages in circular homesteads called bomas.

Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most likely areas in Tanzania to see the endangered Black Rhino, as a small population is thriving in this idyllic and protected environment. It is currently one of the few areas where they continue to breed in the wild. Your chances of encountering leopards here are also good and fabulous black-manned lions. Many flamingos are also attracted to the soda waters of Lake Magadi.

It’s home to the vast, volcanic Ngorongoro Crater and the “big 5” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino). Huge herds of wildebeests and zebras traverse its plains during their annual migration. Livestock belonging to the semi-nomadic Maasai tribe graze alongside wild animals. Hominin fossils found in the Olduvai Gorge date back millions of years.

Size

260 square kilometres.

Location

Northern Tanzania.

Things to do in Ngorongoro Conservation Area Tanzania

Without a doubt one of the best areas in Africa for wildlife viewing and scenic drives and it also offers a wide range of activities in the area like

Game Drives and wildlife viewing
Photographic Safari
Visiting the Maasai
Enjoy Picnic Lunch
Visiting Tanzania’s Last Bushmen
Nature and Crater View Walks
Bird watching
Hot Air Ballooning
Hiking to the summit of the Gol Mountains
Visit Olduvai Gorge
Visit the Empakaai Crater

Olmoti Crater
Lake Magadi
Lerai Fever Tree Forest

When to go

Dry season/High season (from June to October): This is the best time to visit Ngorongoro because it is the dry season whereby animals gather at water pools and holes and this makes it easier for people who visit Ngorongoro for game-watching.