Ngorongoro Crater

so big variety of animals in a limited zone.
so easy to see rare animals because the different guides coperate with each other

The Land That Time Forgot

Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater (actually a caldera, but let's not quibble) and enteri a cool and quiet world belonging to lions, rhinos, hippos, elephants wildebeest, zebras, hyenas, Thompson gazelles, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, jackals, and any number of birds and smaller creatures--just about everything but giraffes. Twenty kilometers in diameter and seemingly flat, the crater hides springs, lakes, and forests (and a few nice bathrooms) where you'll find the animals that don't usually roam the broad grasslands. Humans intrude in pop-top Land Cruisers, but our early-June visit found only a handful. Our guide, Peter, told us later visitors would find hundreds of vehicles and an occasional traffic jam near an especially interesting animal. Don't let that stop you. You'll be goggle-eyed focusing on the animals.
Photographers should take their longest telephoto lenses ((I used my 150-600mm zoom the most), but there are many occasions, as when a lion pride or elephant walks right in front of your vehicle, that a normal or wide angle lens is essential. The rhino is the rarest animal (we were very lucky to see seven) and keeps its distance. so even with a 600mm I couldn't fill a frame.
If possible find accommodations on the rim. Think hard before spending big bucks for a room view into the Crater, because it's often obscured by mist and clouds. We loved our stay at the Rhino Lodge--excellent food, comfortable, rustic rooms, attentive staff, and exceptional service. When we had three flats in our own Land Cruiser and needed assistance driving up from Serengeti, Rhino Lodge sent us a Land Cruiser and two guides to shepherd us up the last two hours after dark. (Cost? $25) The manager and his wife met us and kept our dinner warm.
Rhino Lodge also arranged a Land Cruiser, excellent box lunch and guide (Peter) for our day trip into the Crater, and it was a day all of us will treasure forever. Nothing like a knowledgable, friendly driver/guide, a pop-top for viewing and ten hours watching thousands of animals in a habitat they chose to live in.
Be prepared for very cool and damp weather on the rim and even in the Crater early and late--down sweater or Polartec and a rain jacket will do--and a light shirt for the warm, sunny days.

Heaven on earth

The scenery is excellent. Very suitable for safari if you have short time. All land is visible, you can spot lots of animals in a short time. A little bit cold in the rim. It is a must if you are travelling to Tanzania for safari.

Mind blowing scenery and such concentration of wildlife in a few kilometres is inconceivable till you see it.

Ngorongoro is a great place to spot African wildlife, mainly because all the animals are "locked" into a small place. While all the wildebeasts in the Serengeti wander off to Kenya once a year, all the animals in Ngorongoro live there all the year around. The opportunity to see dramatic lion hunts or similar is bigger than in Serengeti. In other words you can probably spot more animals in shorter time than you will in Serengeti, which of course is much, much bigger.

African Garden of Eden

Ngorongoro Crater is a thrilling safari destination. Meeting the crater is love at first sight - a steep winding drive up a mountain rewarded by a breathtaking view of the crater in all its glory. This birds eye view of the crater is very dramatic - the expanse of the crater can be appreciated, as well as the many habitats within it, vaguely delineated by the changes in color on the crater floor akin to a patchwork quilt. We arrived at the crater in the late afternoon and settled into our hotel on the rim for the evening. Out of the 6 hotels at which we stayed during our trip, I would say the one here was our least favorite. It was a beautiful lodge with a great view of the crater from our room, but the lodge feeling made it seem more like a traditional hotel, whereas our other accommodations throughout the trip were luxurious tents or separate huts, etc., that had more of an exclusive, remote vibe consistent with our surroundings. Our guide recommended we start our day exploring the crater at 6 AM to maximize our chances of seeing the elusive black rhino. When we entered the crater as the sun was rising, we felt like we were transported to a different planet. Our early start time was rewarded by a rhino sighting right off the bat. It is awe-inspiring to see such an endangered species in its natural habitat. We then spent the majority of the day driving throughout the crater, oohing and ahhing over the endless animal sightings - Thompson's gazelle, Cape buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, hippos, elephants, lions, hyenas, jackals, countless bird species, etc. My favorite moment in the crater was when our guide picked a spot for our picnic breakfast. He set up a table and chairs by a watering hole and we sat amongst a herd of zebras grazing and drinking. It was a surreal moment, as if we had been placed in the middle of television documentary footage. Toward the afternoon the crater became more crowded and we had covered most of the roads, so our guide decided it was time to move on to our next destination, the Serengeti. Driving back up to the rim of the crater, I couldn't help but look over my shoulder at the crater, surprised again at its massive expanse.

Quite scenic and lots of wild animals to see

Our trip to the Ngorongoro Crater was fantastic!

Our trip to and stay at the Ngorongoro Crater was a very good part of our overall safari experience. This was our second stay at a high altitude lodge on our trip, so we were prepared for the temperature differential between the base of the crater and the rim. The varying terrain at the crater was fascinating, and there was a larger variety of wildlife than we originally anticipated. The accommodations we had were great - we stayed at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and I would highly recommend it. Our room looked out on the crater from the top of the rim, and we even had a few Waterbuck grazing right outside of our room early in the evening! Our guide was part of Grumeti Expeditions, and was very knowledgeable about the crater and the general area.

Overall, I would highly recommend including the Ngorongoro Crater as part of an overall safari package.

Beautiful scenery

The scenery and wildlife in the Crater was truly breathtaking. As a hobbyist photographer, the early morning clouds with the sunrise creates a really unique photo ops for you landscape photographers. Wildebeasts are abundant in the park, but watching them on the move or stampeding is really a site to behold. We almost checked off all of the Big 5 except the Rhino. This seemed to be the most elusive to track down in the park, so was a bit disappointed - but that does not take away from the overall experience visiting Ngorongoro. I would highly recommend this park to anyone planning a safari.

we were a bit unlucky .. it was a bit cloudy and cold .. not too many cats but a lot a lot of wildebeast and buffaloes .. we might give it another try coming back from Serengeti as it is on the way!!