Ngorongoro Crater

Just aim your camera anywhere & you will hit gold!

The E African " must see's " for me was Bwindi in Uganda, the Masai Mara in Kenya & the Serengeti in Tanzania. The Masai Mara is a rump of the Serengeti in Kenya (though better marketed). For sheer size as well as location , the Ngorongoro Crater in the Serengeti is breathtaking....The weather is good all year round & even during the wet season, the grass is green & the birds are plentiful. Also we get better rates in hotels in the off season, I recommend that a minimum one week is required to get a feel of the scale of this area as well as catch a small part of the Wildebeest migration. A day/2 days stay on a hotel perched on the rim of Ngorongoro crater is a MUST. (Especially with a wide angle lens). The quality of guides in E Africa is high when it comes to knowing the wildlife but it does not hurt to ask for a guide who knows birds if you are a avid birder. It helps to cut the chase & notch more birds in the time you have. The hotels on the rims are always crowded & the evenings are load & dinner is like on a cruise ship:). I suggest 2 days in a resort nearby in Karatu town for 2 days at the start or at the end of the trip. Just to unwind as the holiday will be packed right form early morning till evening:) A must see on any birders bucket list. A veritable Eden indeed!

First time not in a private concession

Abundant wildlife sometimes not as close as you would like. Due to the rules of staying on the road, it was luck of the draw if the animals came close. We did see lots of black rhino, wildebeast, zebray, giraffe, elephants and hippos, few lions in the distance and solitary hyenas. Lots of birds byr could not get close to the flocks of flamingos . It became crowded with tourists as the day progressed with the best sightings early in the morning. We were lucky in that we stayed on the crater rim close to the entrance to the crater floor. the lodge was great.

Standing at the top of this crater and looking down is awe-inspiring. We'd heard it would be crowded but we didn't see many other vehicles. It was our first view of lions!! Who could ever forget that?

Life Altering!

The Ngorongoro Crater is a unique park. First our guides from World Wide Sararis, was extraordinary. Each was extremely well educated and knowledgeable about the animals, flora, and culture of the area. The weather is not what you'd expect, it's rather chilly in the July morning. Everywhere you look there are animals grazing. It's such a tremendous area that it's hard to believe it's contained within the walls of the caldera. We saw MANY cape buffalo, elephants, baboons, wildebeests, birds, lions, hyena, gazelles, hippos, zebra, warthogs, and so many other animals. The drive down and back up is breathtaking. I have been there twice, 2008 & 2015. First time we stayed in a lodge within the park and it was very nice - Sopa Serana. The second time we stayed outside of the park on a coffee plantation and it was fabulous.

The crater is a world unto itself.

We stayed at Sopa Lodge. It was lovely. Good food, nice rooms, everyone was very nice. It was also close to the crater, letting us spend more time in the crater and less time on entrance roads. We saw a lot of wildlife in the crater, including a rhino (at a distance), and several lion kills. Our guide was with us for our entire safari; he was excellent. I would definitely put the crater on a "do not miss" list for anyone coming to Tanzania on a safari.

The Crater is indeed one of the wonder of the world and spending just a day is not enough.

It is one of the most amazing, natural and scenic experience I have had. We had taken the services from Leopard tours and they are indeed the most professional touring company i have come across. Fantastic experience!!!

Breathtaking in every possible way

Even if you are unlucky enough to not see much wildlife, this park is totally worth it just for its scenery. Astounding landscapes, some of the flattest plains I've seen, and being surrounded by mountain cliffs everywhere gives the whole park a very different feeling from any other. But wildlife is also everywhere! WE got to see a great migration of wildebeest, zebras and buffaloes, herds that seemed to never end. The lions where just around the corner, keeping an eye on the herds, and we got to see them really, really up close. And so many other animals, it almost feels impossible to name them all!
A park I would highly recommend. If you can only see one park, choose this one!

Breathtaking scenery with abundant wildlife and many stunning photographic opportunities

Ngorongoro crater is truly one of the wonders of the world. We stayed the night in the Serena lodge on the rim of the crater which was jaw-dropping spectacular. The view from our balcony was absolutely stunning. I woke early to catch the sunrise and enjoyed coffee sitting on the balcony listening to the sounds of the African night, Lions, Hyena, Elephant, and many more. The sunrise was amazing. I took many photos although none quite captured the moment.

Our game drive during the day was excellent even thought it started with a breakdown half-way down the steep road to the crater floor. This was a minor inconvenience and actually added to the adventure. The wildlife on the floor of the crater was everywhere. I had some great photo opportunities in the early morning light. At that time of year there were not too many tourists or vehicles. Our guide said that it is much busier in the high seasons. The day was wonderful and one that we will not soon forget. Eventually it was time to leave so we headed out of the crater to the Ngorongoro Farmhouse lodge. We really enjoyed our time at this lodge, relaxing by the pool and wandering around the exotic gardens of the grounds.

Excellent day at the start of a 9 day safari adventure

We arrived in time to have lunch overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater from our hotel. We were up before sunrise and set out to the gates. As the first vehicle into the crater, we instantly spotted a white rhino. From there we experienced the sunrise over the crater as we continued to see all the animals we had dreamed of seeing on safari, including lions finishing off a meal from the night before, elephants, ostriches, baboons. We had breakfast looking out over the hippo pool - very scenic and beautiful spot for a rest. Later on, we were fortunate to be able to see a serval cat hunting its prey. We headed back out of the crater in time for a late lunch. Prior to departure for the Serengeti, we enjoyed one last sunrise over the crater.

Lions right alongside the vehicle! What a thrill!

Ngorongoro Crater
The crater is an outstanding place to see lions, hippos, a rhino. A great day! We saw several prides of lions next to the vehicle!
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. Beautiful room and lodge. Loved the choir at dinner. The dinner and breakfast food was good - lunch was poor. Although there was a Snickers bar in my specially-prepared box lunch labeled "No Peanuts," it didn't contain much nutrition: chips, a cookie, a wedge of cheese food, a cracker, and a slice of meat. These "box lunches" were uniformly poor throughout the tripNgorongoro Crater
Oldupai Gorge was worth a stop.
Our stop at the Maasai village was embarrassing.
What a joke. It is obvious that the people don't want you there and are doing it for the money. When you come in to start your tour - the tribe guide introduced himself as the chief's son and limited or choice of trinkets for purchase to his family's alone. He steered us away from any of the other 20 or so displays. The tribe members look very unhappy and back in the schoolroom, little 3-5 year olds are sitting at desks with little workbooks – containing multiplication tables - in front of them. One little girl was crying. On the blackboard is the alphabet and numbers and after the children recite in English they request a donation. The only good thing was that I was able to take photos of the people
If you’re going to be in a safari vehicle day after day traveling on rough roads, with biting flies and massive amounts of dust, a pleasant Guide with expert driving skills is appreciated. In locating wildlife, a sharp-eyed Guide is essential. In learning about the wildlife, a knowledgable Guide is welcome. And in consistently placing the vehicle in the best position among an untold number of others, in order to get the best photograph, a skillful driver is mandatory. Samson was expert in all these things, plus he was accommodating and possessed fine sense of humor.