Inside Ngorongoro: a day in the world’s great crater
A huge volcanic bowl full of lions, elephants and rare black rhino. Here is what a day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor is really like.
Millions of years ago a great volcano collapsed in on itself and left behind a vast, unbroken bowl. Today the Ngorongoro Crater is about 20 kilometres across and some 600 metres deep, and its floor is one of the best places in Africa to see wildlife in a single day.
The crater is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Maasai herders still live alongside the animals, grazing their cattle on the highlands around the rim.
Down from the rim
Your day begins early on the crater rim, often wrapped in cool mist at well over 2,000 metres. As the cloud lifts, the whole floor appears below you: grassland, a shining soda lake, swamps and a small forest. A steep track takes you down, and within minutes you are among the herds.
What you might see
Because the walls keep most animals inside, wildlife is plentiful all year. Expect large herds of zebra, wildebeest and buffalo, families of elephants with impressive tusks, hippos in the pools, and plenty of lions and hyenas. With luck you will also spot a black rhino, one of the rarest animals in Tanzania, grazing out on the open grass.
The soda lake often turns pink with flamingos, and the birdlife across the crater is excellent, from crowned cranes to kori bustards, the heaviest flying bird in Africa.
The crater is the closest thing to a natural amphitheatre for wildlife. You simply sit back and watch the show.
Rhino are among the rarest animals in Tanzania, so every sighting is special.
Good to know
Time on the crater floor is limited each day, so we start early to make the most of it. Bring a warm layer for the rim, where mornings can be surprisingly cold, and a hat and sunscreen for the floor, where it warms up quickly.
Ngorongoro fits easily into a northern safari with the Serengeti, Tarangire or Lake Manyara, and it can also be visited as a day trip from Arusha. Ask us and we will suggest the best way to include it.