Ngorongoro Crater

Together with the Serengeti It is a must see for photographers and safari travelers

I had been to Tanzania 3 times and Kenya twice. Every trip is different depending on the time of year and the climate. The best time to visit the crater is March-April with the start of the rainy season. With the rain the grass becomes lush and green attracting herbivores, and they are followed by carnivores.

My last trip was in March 2015, and it was the best. Although it was dry and dusty, the wildlife was plentiful and more variety. The Ndutu lodge was wonderful and the safari vehicles with the guides and drivers were always helpful.

Ngorongoro crater is truly one of the gems of Africa. Together with the Serengeti National park It is a must see for photographers and safari travelers. It is a large volcanic caldera created by a super volcanic explosion 2.5 million years ago. The original volcano is estimated to have been about 5000 metres (19,000 feet) high. After the explosion it collapsed on itself and the floor of the crater now is 610 metres (2,000 feet) deep. Its floor area is massive covering 260 square kilometres (100 square miles). The crater floor is mostly open grassland with two small wooded areas dominated by Acacia trees. The area became a Unesco world Heritage site in 1979.

The main source of water is rain in the rainy season and numerous springs that feed a lake. Last year was unusually dry and dusty but there was a large variety of animals present. The crater was home to a healthy resident population of lions. I photographed elephants, hartebeest, hyenas, wildebeest and zebra. Cape Buffalo, eland and Thomson’s gazelle. The buffalo population has increased greatly as well as zebras, waterbucks, black rhinoceros, jackals, hippopotamus, Serval cats. The crater has many species of birds such as flamingoes, eagles, owls, weaver birds, cormorants, ibis and other water birds.

I was comfortable in safari vehicles with elevated roofs to allow photography. I stabilized the camera with a been bag, supplied by the guides. Accommodation was in a lodge on the rim. I found it clean and comfortable with a beautiful view; a good service and Western style food was provided. The staff, drivers and guides are friendly and always willing to please.

A wonder of the world

The crater Ngonrongoro is one of those places on Earth that once in your life you must see. It seems to be almost a paradise for animals. In the same pool of water you can see a few meters away hyenass, warthogs, buffalos, elephantss, craness, wildebeests, gazelless, impala and more. Everything in this place is perfect including lodges.

The Crater is one of the most picturesque, enchanting sites that we have ever encountered.

Our first view of this area was absolutely breath-taking. The whole Ngorongoro Conservation Area is lush and green, but when we 1st saw the Crater, we could not believe how beautiful it was. A few days later, we worked our way down the embankment, & experienced a diverse range of wildlife, fauna and geography. We were also lucky enough to see a wildebeest give birth to a calf. The lodge just outside the Crater was also delightful. My wife and I are extremely glad we saw this site and highly recommend it to anyone else thinking about a safari.

Nature at its finest comes to life

The Ngorongoro Crater is truly a magical place. Our guide called it the eighth wonder of the world and he was correct. Having come off of a five day safari in the Serengeti the crater was our last visit. It was by far in my opinion the best. The animals are plentiful for sure. There is about 9 lion prides in the crater along with their neighbors hyenas, jackals, vultures, zebras, wildebeests, cape buffalo, hippo. leopard and the ever elusive rhino, etc... the crater is one of the few places you will have the opportunity to view a rhino in the wild. The guide indicated there were at least 16 in the park. We got the chance to only see one in person. This rounded out the big 5 in Tanzania for our tour.

The highlight for me is always the big cats. We were fortunate to see a live kill of a cape buffalo by one of the prides. Visible there were three males, two females and three cubs taking part in the feast. I have photos showing the feast commencing. It is was also interesting to note the dynamics among species. For example the it was clear the hyenas were alerting the lions to the fact the vultures were approaching. As a reward the lions allow the hyena to take part in the feast. The jackals had to wait their turn as did the vultures. Seeing a kill on TV is one thing, seeing it in person is entirely different you will not want to look away.

The Ngorongoro Crater is an unfilled volcanic caldera. We drove down about 2000 feet to get to the floor of the crater. This takes about 30 mins. There is a salt lake in the center and other tributaries that support the biodiversity in the area. The ride through the park can be rough. For the most part we arrived early in the day so it was overcast but that did not lessen the experience.

Again for me it was about the animals so to share what you will see in order of plenty:
Wildebeest-- many (and you get real close to them)
Zebra-- many (and you get real close to them)
Hippo -- many (and you get real close to them)
Lions -- many (and you get real close to them but from the truck!)
Hyenas -- many
Jackals -- many
Rabbits--many
Cape Buffalo --many
Leopard -- few
Rhino --few

Overall I highly recommend the tour. Do not settle for the 2 hour tour either. It will take you 30 mins down and 30 mins up. Take a day tour wherever possible. It is well worth it.

Beautiful park and the chance to see rhinos. Amazing sunsets, and wonderful accommodations.

Just spectacular.

A relatively small area with quite concentrated wildlife populations. This is your only realistic chance of seeing a rhino! If you like your birds you will see a lot of kori and black kites. We also saw lots of lions and even a serval cat here!

Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most unique places I have ever seen. You literally are deep inside of an extinct volcano crater that is so massive you could fit three Washington, DC's inside of it. The best place in the world to see Black Rhinos in the wild. It was almost like being in a natural theme park. An incredible place that must be given two days minumum to enjoy. So much to see and the animals have little movement so they are easy to find. But the rhinos are scarce even in the crater. I could have spent a week here and still wanted more. An incredible experience.

Excelent, excelent, excelent but a little bit expensive.

One of the seven natural wonders of Africa. The crater is amazing and a must see when you are in Tanzania.