Ngorongoro Crater

A Completely Different Safari Experience

We visited Ngorongoro crater as the 4th step on our 9 day Tanzania safari. We had previously visited lake Manyara, Seronara region of the Serengeti and Ndutu lake, we had seen lions, cheetah, leopard, elephant, giraffe and an abundance of antelope. Plus, plentiful migrating wildebeest and zebra. What was left to see in the crater, black rhino?
We stayed at the Lemala so it was a short ride down into the crater and as soon as we reached the crater floor we spotted a pair of old lions, brothers. Next there were a group of four brothers being intimidated by a herd of buffalo. They caught scent of the two brothers and started stalking them, roaring as they went. A bat-eared fox popped his head up to see what was going on. Continuing into the crater, we saw more lions including a pride of two mothers with six cubs, a secretary bird, grey-crowned cranes, elephants, and all the usual others. All these against the backdrop of the forested rim of the crater. What marks Ngorongoro out against the other regions we visited, apart from the density of wildlife, was its verdant nature. Being higher, it gets more rainfall so is green year round. We were warned against the number of safari vehicles but this was no more a problem than the other regions, possibly less so.
And we spotted two black rhino.

An iconic safari destination

Ngorongoro Crater (acually a caldera) is one of those must see destinations in Africa for is scenic beauty, the wonderful lodges (I stayed at the high end %Beyond Safari Lodge), and the concentrations of wildlife. I was there at the start of the rainy season so the numbers of vehicles was not as high as it gets during the dry season when it can become too crowded. The wildlife are more disperse during this season when the caldera is full of green grasses, so you need a big lens (I was mostly using my 200-500 mm lens), compared to the dry season when they concentrate around the water holes. The resident rhinos, in particular, can be quite far away. Since you can't go off-road as is possible in other locations, it means that the wildlife can a bit distant, but some good close sightings are still possible since the animals there are very acclimatized to vehicles. In my 3 days there (1 day in a private car, self guided) I got some really great shots, but relied heavily on my big lens. Since the lodges are on the rim and at around 8000 feet, the nights are cool and refreshing, and even during the day the caldera floor was not overly hot. The &Beyond food and guides was/were, as with all their locations, nothing short of superb. The caldera has no cheetah, crocodiles, giraffes, and leopards are rarely seen.

Another crown jewel and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. NgoroNgoro Crater holds a special place in Africa as the only self contained eco system within the crater! Rhinos, Lions, Leopards, Cape Buffalo and Elephant - The Big Five in one eco system within the Crater along with hundreds of birds and other species.

There's no better place to get up close and personal with wildlife of all varieties.

Ngorongoro Crater was the best place to get up close and personal with wildlife from the smallest bird to the Big Five. The weather in the Crater was milder than in the Serengeti, despite both safaris taking place during the heat of dry season. Our safari guides were quite knowledgeable, helping us understand not just the ecology and characteristics of birds to flora, but maintaining a constant respect for the conservation efforts in the area and how they've affected the lives of native Tanzanians. I got great shots. Not hard to capture wildlife in motion, particularly in the bright sun. Lots of flexibility in how you shoot. Other travelers can sometimes be quite elitist. Ngorongoro is not as busy as Serengeti tends to be, but certainly is well traveled.

Not only the big five, but also the spectacular view!

although too much crowded for my liking, the beauty of the scenery is undisputed and as in Serengeti the abundance of wildlife was amazing.

Best experience of my life!

I've done a few safaris but none compare to Ngorongoro Crater. The scenery was magnificent as the sun poured down the crater's rim. The wide open spaces meant it was easy to see herds of zebra, wildebeest and impala, with warthogs snuffling in between. I saw loads of hyenas trotting along and also baby foxes. A pride of lionesses walked single file high up on the rim that that of similar colour and I got great photos of this. I also got to see an illusive serval! Not only was I lucky enough to see rhino, but witness them making a baby - this is so unusual that other guides did not believe mine that we had seen this!

My guide Bori had 17 year's experience and was amazing and spotting animals in the distance - whilst we were looking at hyenas, it was he who noticed in the far distance the rhino and got us there before it was too late! This guy can drive past hundreds of trees and take you right away to the one with the leopard in, it's like a sixth sense.

Our jeep was great, had sockets so we could charge camera batteries and phones. The roof lifted so that we could stand and get a perfect view, but still be shielded from the sun. We camped at the edge of the crater and were visited by an elephant after the water tank. The rangers kept it away from the tents and the tourists photographed this. The food was locally sourced, fresh and tasty - lots of bananas!

My only wish was to be there longer!

Ngorongoro Crater is the best pace for viewing wildlife.

We had a great time in Ngorongoro Crater. Animals are naturally confined in the crater, 10 miles in circumference. They can get in and out, but most choose to stay. Tourists are in trucks circulating on dirt roads. So many different animals: lions, zebras, wildebeast, cape buffalo, hyenas, jackels, hippos, rhinos. ostrich. All doing their thing mostly ignoring the watchers in the trucks. We felt like we were in a cage watching the animals roam free. We saw hippos in a pool; pride of lions eating a cape buffalo encircled by a ring of jackels and a ring of hyenas; lions chasing buffalo and then being chased by the buffalo. Weather was OK. It rained briefly and the washes filled up. Then it stopped raining and the sun was out again. We stayed in Sanctuary Camp in the crater. Great experience to be in a tent with amenities and close enough to the crater to hear the animals at night. Not necessary for enjoyment of the crater though. Even a day trip from Arusha to the crater would be worth it to see this beautiful place. Our guide was excellent. He knew all the animals and most of the birds we saw. Good at spotting animals at a distance. Knew exactly where to go and when to be there for best animal viewing.

Because of this preservation of the natural habitat of the wild life, my overall rating is: Excellent.

The park is so big that it is hard to see a fraction of it in 1 day. The animals are scattered around in the wild and their is not enough dirt roads to see them all.