Landscapes

The Ngorongoro Crater

A collapsed volcano, roughly 20 km across, with a whole ecosystem on its floor.

UNESCO World Heritage Site — Ngorongoro Conservation Area — UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1979 for its natural values and extended in 2010 to recognise its cultural importance, making it a mixed natural and cultural site.

The first view usually comes without warning. The road climbs through cool highland forest, the trees open, and the whole caldera appears below — roughly 20 km across, with walls around 600 m high and a floor of approximately 260 km². On a clear morning you can pick out herds moving across the grass far below.

Down on the floor, a single day can bring lions, elephants, buffaloes, wildebeest, zebras, hippos, hyenas, jackals and flamingos on Lake Magadi, the shallow soda lake at the centre. It is also the best-known place in Tanzania to look for the critically endangered black rhino, although sightings are never guaranteed and are often distant.

Ngorongoro is not a national park but a multiple-use conservation area, where Maasai families graze livestock alongside wildlife — an arrangement that is unusual, sometimes contested, and central to what the place is. Olduvai Gorge, the Laetoli footprint site and the highland craters of Empakaai and Olmoti all lie within the same protected area.

Highlights

The descent onto the crater floor, one of Africa’s most striking wildlife settings
A genuine chance of seeing black rhino, though sightings are scarce and never guaranteed
Flamingos and water birds on Lake Magadi when water levels allow
Sweeping views from the rim, best in the clear light of early morning
Highland forest, the Empakaai and Olmoti craters and walking country for keen hikers
Olduvai Gorge and its museum, on the route between the crater and the Serengeti
Maasai communities living within the conservation area, visited respectfully and by arrangement

Where to see it

Best places for this

Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Northern Circuit
The crater itself, along with the highland rim, Empakaai and Olmoti, and the conservation area’s Maasai communities.
Olduvai Gorge
Northern Circuit
Inside the same conservation area and usually visited on the drive between the crater and the Serengeti.
Lake Eyasi
Northern Circuit
A short drive from the Ngorongoro highlands and often added as a day or overnight extension.
Serengeti National Park
Northern Circuit
The crater sits on the main route to the Serengeti, so most northern itineraries link the two.
Arusha
Northern Circuit
The usual starting point, typically around three to four hours by road via Lake Manyara and Karatu.

A black rhinoceros standing in tall golden grass on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater

Maasai men and women in red and blue shukas performing a traditional dance in the Ngorongoro highlands

Best time

Year-round, because most of the crater’s wildlife is resident rather than migratory. Roughly June to October is drier and easier for viewing; the green season brings lush scenery, dramatic skies and fewer vehicles outside holiday periods. Mornings on the rim are cold in any season.

Good to know

The rim sits at roughly 2,300 m — early mornings and evenings are genuinely cold, so bring a warm jacket.
Time on the crater floor is regulated by the conservation authority, and rules change; we plan your day around what applies at the time.
Crater service fees are charged per vehicle and per visit, in addition to conservation area fees.
The crater is popular and vehicle numbers can be high in peak season; an early descent makes a real difference.
Always ask before photographing people, and follow your guide’s advice during cultural visits.

Plan My Trip

Great for

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Landscapes

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