Ngorongoro Crater

About Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater is the shell of a volcano that collapsed in on itself some two to three million years ago, leaving one of the largest unbroken calderas in the world. Its walls drop about 600 metres from a misty, forested rim to a floor of grassland, swamp and soda lake. It lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where Maasai herders still graze their cattle alongside the wildlife.

Descend at first light and the crater floor feels like a sealed world. Lions sleep in the open, hyenas trot between buffalo herds, and a small population of black rhinos makes this one of Tanzania's best places to see them. Old bull elephants with heavy tusks wander the Lerai fever-tree forest, hippos wallow at the Ngoitokitok springs, and flamingos gather on Lake Magadi when the water suits them. Beyond the rim, Olduvai Gorge tells the story of our earliest ancestors.

The crater rewards a visit in any month, but June to October is dry and clear, and in January and February the plains to the west around Ndutu fill with calving wildebeest. The rim sits above 2,000 metres, so pack a warm layer for early mornings. It is a few hours' drive from Arusha via Karatu, between Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Serengeti on Tanzania's northern circuit. A Tanzanian e-visa is required.