The Ngorongoro crater is a large caldera (collapsed volcanic cone), and not in fact an impact crater caused by an asteroid. The crater itself is the main attraction, but the conservation area that contains the crater measures 20km across and 30km long, and contains a massive concentration of wildlife, including the rare white rhino and many wildebeest and other game.
Featured Lodges
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Perfectly positioned to explore this natural wonder and world heritage site, with views down the sheer cliffs of the this huge amphitheater of rock.
From: USD 790
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The Ngorongoro area has been home to hominid species for nearly 3 million years, making it one of the oldest sites of known habitation. Hunter-gatherers dominated the area since the arrival of anything resembling modern man, though most of these societies were driven out by pastoralists that arrived in the last 5,000 years or so.
The indigenous inhabitants, the Mbulu, came to the area around 1 AD, and were joined by the Datooga in around 1700. However, both groups were largely driven from the area by the invading Masaai people, who migrated southwards from the Nile Delta and modern Sudan.
Today the Ngorongoro area is unique in Tanzania in being the only conservation area where human habitation is allowed. Agriculture is limited to purely subsistence levels, and development is strictly controlled.
What makes the Ngorongoro crater such a popular tourism destination is the fact that the annual wildebeest and zebra migration, the largest movement of land animals on the planet, passes directly through this narrow corridor every year. Visitors to the basin are given unparalleled game viewing opportunities during this time.
There were no Western visitors to Ngorongoro Crater until 1892, when Dr Oscar Baumann, a famous cartographer, visited the area. He was reported to have shot three white rhinos in the area (a formidable achievement at the time). The area was later farmed by two German brothers who, after leasing the land from German East Africa, found it unsurprisingly difficult to drive the million-strong herds of wildebeest from the plains.
This exquisite five-star luxury lodge is perfectly positioned to take advantage of one of the most diverse game viewing areas in the world. The crater itself is home to nearly 25,000 large game, and plays host to hundreds of thousands more during the Great Migration.
The lodge offers three luxury camps, consisting of 6 – 12 suites each, decked out in traditional Tanzanian hardwoods. All rooms are en-suite, and are regularly decorated with fresh red roses, to lend an old world colonial atmosphere. Because of the lodges’ clever design, all suites have complete views of the entire crater.
Fine dining is offered in outdoor venues (the weather is almost always perfect), and a full private butler service is standard with all rooms. Game drives are on offer in the early morning and late afternoons, as are guided walks. Well worth a day is a trip to explore Olduvai Gorge, the earliest known site of human habitation.
Wildlife in Ngorongoro Crater
The primary attraction of Ngorongoro Crater is the massive variety of local wildlife, and the wildlife which passes through it each year during the migration. Be sure to be there during this time to view the single largest migration of animals ever seen (and the heaviest biomass of any animal group on earth).
Wildebeest and zebra are the most common, but many predators and other large herbivores can be seen. Most notable is the extremely rare Eastern black rhino (more commonly simply “black rhino”), which can be found almost exclusively in this area. There are estimated to be as few as 700 living black rhino in the wild, and it is one of the world’s most endangered large mammals. Its close relative, the Western black rhino, was recently declared extinct in 2011 after several surveys found no living examples.
Ngorongoro crater offers what is potentially the last chance for humans to see this incredible creature in its natural habitat, as its numbers continue to decline despite the best efforts of conservationists.
Climate of Ngorongoro Crater
The weather in Ngorongoro crater is generally very favourable, apart from three cold months from June to August. Because of the unique shape of the crater, weather doesn’t much affect game viewing.
There are two rainy seasons, one from April to May and one during November. These periods can limit game drives, as vehicles are unable to go through the mud that forms. Flash floods can occur.
At all other times of year you can expect warm temperatures from the mid 20s to high 30s (Celsius), or from around 68 – 100 Fahrenheit.
