Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Overview

The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, a bowl more than nineteen kilometres across, left when a huge volcano collapsed in on itself. Its walls rise six hundred metres above a floor of grassland, forest and soda lake, and it holds one of the densest concentrations of wildlife anywhere on Earth.

What you will see

Almost the entire cast of East African wildlife lives on the crater floor, including lion, elephant, buffalo and hippo. It is one of the few places left with a real chance of seeing the endangered black rhino, which makes it one of the only places you can see all of the Big Five in a single day.

When to go

Rewarding all year, because the wildlife does not migrate away. The dry season from June to October brings the clearest views and easiest access. The green season is quieter and beautiful, though the roads can be slower.

Highlights

• A real chance of the Big Five in one day
• Black rhino on the crater floor
• The Maasai who still graze the highlands
• The view from the crater rim at dawn

How it fits your journey

A natural partner to the Serengeti, usually visited on the same northern journey.