The crater, which formed when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself two to three million years ago, is 610 metres (2,000 feet) deep and its floor covers 260 square kilometres (100 square miles). The jewel in Ngorongoro’s crown is a deep, volcanic crater, the largest unflooded and unbroken caldera in the world.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s most famous sites and is said to have the highest density of wildlife in Africa. Forming a spectacular bowl of about 265 square kilometres, the crater floor consists of a number of different habitats that include grassland, swamps, forests and Lake Magadi, a large lake that is often tinged pink with flamingos.
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. Forming a spectacular bowl of about 265 square kilometres, with sides up to 600 metres deep; it is home to approximately 30,000 animals at any one time. The Crater rim is over 2,200 metres high and experiences its own climate. From this high vantage point it is possible to make out the tiny shapes of animals making their way around the crater floor far below. Swathes of cloud hang around the rocky rim most days of the year and it’s one of the few places in Tanzania where it can get chilly at night.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of African’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!
Ngorongoro sits within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, reached by a surfaced road from Arusha via Karatu, roughly a half-day drive. It lies directly on the route between Lake Manyara and the Serengeti, so most northern-circuit itineraries include it without a detour. Vehicles descend more than 600 metres from the crater rim to the floor for game drives.
The main approach is through Lodoare Gate above Karatu, where the road climbs to the crater rim before continuing along it. Most lodges sit on the rim itself, which is over 2,200 metres up and noticeably cold at night — the descent to the floor is made on separate one-way roads by 4WD vehicle.
Ngorongoro also sits on the only road between Lake Manyara and the Serengeti, so it is rarely a detour. Visitors flying in generally land at Lake Manyara or Arusha and continue by road.
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.
The crater floor supports a vast variety of animals, including herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and giant African elephants. Lake Magadi, the soda lake at the crater’s centre, draws large numbers of flamingos and other water birds.
The crater floor consists of a number of different habitats that include grassland, swamps, forests and Lake Magadi (Maasai for salt) in a central soda lake filled by the Munge River. All these various environments attract wildlife to drink, wallow, graze, hide or climb. 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 (combined with fairly steep crater sides) tend to incline both grazers and predators to remain throughout the year.
The classic Ngorongoro experience is a full day on the crater floor, descending at first light with a picnic lunch and climbing back to the rim in the late afternoon.
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. Visits to a Maasai boma show how the huts are built in a strict pattern of order according to the chronological order of the wives.
Olduvai Gorge lies within the same conservation area and is commonly visited as a stop between Ngorongoro and the Serengeti.
The short rains are from November to December and the long rains from February to April, the latter generally being considered the off season.
The dry season holds its own beauty. In Africa the dry season is the best time for game viewing because the animals are concentrated along the remaining water sources and the vegetation is thinner, making wildlife easier to spot.
June to October is the driest and most popular period, with short grass on the crater floor and easy wildlife spotting. January and February fall between the two rainy seasons and are a good quieter alternative, coinciding with the wildebeest calving on the nearby Ndutu plains.
Whatever the season, the crater floor is best entered at first light: the descent roads are quietest then, and the wildlife is most active before the middle of the day.
Pack for the altitude on the rim whatever the season. At over 2,200 metres it is genuinely cold overnight and at dawn, and cloud sits on the rim for much of the year — a warm layer is needed even at the height of the dry months.
The crater is the busiest single site on the northern circuit. Vehicle numbers peak from July to October and again over the December holidays, and rim lodges are the first thing to sell out on a northern-circuit itinerary, so those months need booking furthest ahead.
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