Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro was once a volcano large enough to rival Kilimanjaro. It erupted, emptied and collapsed inward on itself, leaving a caldera rather than a crater in the strict sense. The walls are steep enough to hold most of the resident animals inside without fencing, and the floor holds grassland, a soda lake, swamp and a small patch of acacia forest, which is why so many species coexist in so little space.

The wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area is far larger than the crater and is unusual in Tanzanian law. It is a multiple use area where Maasai communities retain grazing rights alongside wildlife, which is why you will see cattle and herders inside a protected landscape. Olduvai Gorge, one of the most significant paleoanthropological sites in the world, sits within the same conservation area on the road towards Serengeti.

Most itineraries sleep on the rim and descend at first light. Descent is on a one way road and vehicles are permitted a limited number of hours on the floor, so the day has a defined shape: down at dawn, game viewing through the morning, a picnic lunch near the hippo pool, and back up the far side in the early afternoon.

Because the time is capped and the area is finite, a crater day is less about covering ground and more about what your guide can find in the hours available. Lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena, flamingo on Lake Magadi and large herds of zebra and wildebeest are close to guaranteed. Rhino are usually seen at a distance across the Lerai forest edge or the open plain, so bring or borrow binoculars.