Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Introducing
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans vast expanses of highland plains, savanna, savanna woodlands and forests. Established in 1959 as a multiple land use area, with wildlife coexisting with semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists practicing traditional livestock grazing, it includes the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera. The property has global importance for biodiversity conservation due to the presence of globally threatened species, the density of wildlife inhabiting the area, and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and other animals into the northern plains. Extensive archaeological research has also yielded a long sequence of evidence of human evolution and human-environment dynamics, including early hominid footprints dating back 3.6 million years.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a vast an untouched protected area teeming with the densest wildlife populations on earth, breathtaking landscapes, mountains, world’s largest unbroken caldera, history of human evolution, and so much more. One has to visit to see and believe it.
Highlights
Ngorongoro Conservation Area boasts the finest blend of landscapes, wildlife, people and archaeological sites in Africa.
Home to the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera
Extensive archaeological research has also yielded a long sequence of evidence of human evolution and human-environment dynamics, including early hominid footprints dating back 3.6 million years.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area offers its visitors superb game viewing in an unbelievably unique setting with more than 25,000 animals and hundreds of bird species coexisting with semi-nomadic Maasai tribes.
Wildlife Viewing:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Variations in climate, landforms, and altitude produce a range of habitats that can support a variety of wildlife, and has led to a network of overlapping ecosystems. The crater basin is covered with fresh water and alkaline lakes, marshes and swamps. These alkaline lakes attract flamingos, which number in their thousands during the wet season. The crater is home to some 30,000 animals, some of which migrate here during the Great Migration, and others that stay here year-round.
The rich, volcanic, fertile soil of the crater hosts plenty of wildlife in the dry season, including warthog, impala, and buffalo. These prey in turn attract predators, including lions, hyena, cheetah, leopard, wild hunting dog and golden cat. Honey badgers, jackals, foxes, and ostrich can be found here year-round. A high population of cheetahs and lions can be found in the Lake Ndutu region west of the crater.
Best time to visit:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
As the wildlife remains within the steep-walled caldera all year round, the question of when to go to Ngorongoro Crater is less about optimising your game viewing experience and more about how many other people and vehicles you want to share the Crater with. The dry season months are between June and October when temperatures are cooler and animal sightings are superb – it’s easy to spot them along the barren plains and they don’t wander far from watering holes. But this is also peak safari season when throngs of tourists flock here from all over the world. Tanzania’s two rainy seasons are from April to May and November to December. Temperatures are warm and the roads around the caldera can get rather muddy. But there are far fewer visitors during the wet seasons and the Ngorongoro Crater transforms into a wonderfully lush, emerald ‘Garden of Eden’.
How to get to:
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
There are two options to get to the crater. The first is to drive from Arusha to the crater, which takes about 4 hours. A common setup is to get picked up from Kilimanjaro Airport. It is often a good idea to arrive early at the crater gates to avoid waiting in a queue to buy park tickets – this can mean it is worth stopping off halfway between Arusha and the crater for the night. Alternatively, you can fly into the national park from Arusha. This is known as ‘fly in camp’, and we'll provide a guide and vehicle for when you arrive at the park. There is one airstrip in the park, the Lake Manyara airstrip.
